Quote of the Day: Harry Anderson on Wit & Attitude

We often believe realism is the same thing as wisdom: don’t risk what you can’t guarantee, don’t want what you can’t reach. But Harry Anderson flips that script with a sharper, kinder truth: “Even a fool knows you can't touch the stars, but it won't keep the wise from trying.”

The paradox is the point. The “fool” isn’t ignorant, he’s accurate. You can’t literally grab a star. Yet accuracy can become a cage when it’s used to end the conversation. Common sense protects us from embarrassment, wasted effort, and heartbreak, but it also quietly shrinks our lives to only what feels safe. That’s not prudence; that’s permission to stay small.

The “wise,” on the other hand, don’t confuse impossibility with futility. They know the limits and still choose the reach. They aim beyond the obvious because the attempt changes them: skills sharpen, courage grows, and imagination stays alive. The star isn’t the destination, it’s the direction. When you practice reaching, you become the kind of person who notices opportunities others dismiss, who persists through setbacks, who builds momentum where others only see a wall. That’s courage in action, and it’s how success is often born.

Anderson earned the right to say this. From sleight-of-hand mastery to beloved TV roles on Night Court, Cheers, and Dave’s World, he made a career out of attempting what shouldn’t work, then making it look inevitable.

Today, pick one “star” you’ve been calling unrealistic: a pitch, a workout, an apology, a page, a first step, and spend just 20 focused minutes reaching for it without negotiating with doubt. May your aim be high, and your effort even higher.