Nobody who gets too damned relaxed builds up much flying time.
Interpretation
Success requires effort and dedication; becoming complacent can hinder progress.
Ernest K. Gann's quote emphasizes the importance of diligence and constant effort in achieving success. It suggests that becoming too comfortable or relaxed can lead to stagnation, hindering one's growth and development, particularly in skills that require practice and persistence. The metaphor of building 'flying time' illustrates that one must actively engage and push oneself to reach new heights in any endeavor.
In practice
This quote could be used in a motivational speech for young entrepreneurs.
The men in this book are fictitious characters but their counterparts can be found in cockpits all over the world. Now they are flying a war. Tomorrow they will be flying a peace, for, regardless of the world's condition, flying is their life.
Every time you share your vision, you strengthen your own subconscious belief that you can achieve it.
Neither god, nor angels, or just men, command you to suffer for a single moment. Therefore it is your solemn and imperative duty to use every means, both moral, intellectual, and physical that promises success.
To reach a goal you have never before attained, you must do things you have never before done.
If you're constantly pushing yourself higher, higher, the law of averages - not to mention the myth of Icarus - predicts that you will at some point fall. And when you do, I want you to know this, remember this: There is no such thing as failure.
The way for a young man to rise is to improve himself in every way he can, never suspecting that anybody wishes to hinder him.
You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it even better than you think you can.
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