Daily Inspiration Quote by Wally Schirra

Ego is part of the job description when your workplace is a cockpit at the edge of catastrophe. Schirra’s line lands with a dry, veteran’s bite: test pilots “consider” themselves the best because the role rewards a particular kind of self-mythology. It’s not just bravado; it’s a survival strategy. If you’re going to climb into an experimental aircraft, you need a near-theological faith in your own judgment. Confidence becomes a tool, and eventually a habit.

The sly pivot - “him, or herself, now that there are women” - does double duty. On the surface, it’s a nod to a changing profession, the gender gate cracking open. Underneath, it’s a reminder that inclusion doesn’t automatically reform the culture you’re entering. The same ladder exists; more people are simply being allowed to climb it. Schirra isn’t marveling at women so much as noting that the competitive monologue in a pilot’s head is gender-neutral.

Then comes the real tell: “It’s very demeaning to step down the ladder once in a while.” That’s less observation than diagnosis. The ladder is status, identity, and pecking order; to step down is to admit limits, share credit, accept institutional discipline. Schirra is hinting at why programs like Mercury and Apollo were both legendary and combustible: they ran on ambition and insecurity in equal measure. The quote exposes a culture where humility isn’t a virtue, it’s a demotion - and where “best” is less a fact than a shield against the terror of being wrong at 30,000 feet.