"The higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it's considered to be your style"
- Fred Astaire
About this Quote
Fred Astaire's quote, "The higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it's considered to be your style," uses a nuanced point of view on the nature of success, leadership, and imagination. Initially glance, the declaration might appear paradoxical, recommending that higher positions include a greater tolerance for errors. However, when checked out deeper, it reveals insights into societal perceptions of authority and expertise.
Astaire implies that as individuals rise the ranks of power or accomplishment, they earn a degree of latitude in their decision-making processes. This flexible mindset might come from the regard and trust collected through past successes. Because they have proven their skills, their mistakes might be viewed as part of a bigger, more complicated tactical vision.
Interestingly, Astaire explains that at the peak of accomplishment, a constant pattern of errors may begin to be viewed as one's "design." This suggests a change in how errors are viewed-- no longer as simple errors however as intentional, particular options that show an unique individual method. This concept lines up with the idea that pioneers and leaders often challenge conventions, making choices that, while initially appearing flawed, may later on show innovative or visionary.
In imaginative fields, this might indicate that the unique, non-traditional options made by those at the top are viewed as their signature, contributing to their legend or brand name. For instance, in art, music, or dance, distinctive approaches that might at first be criticized might end up being renowned as trailblazing.
Eventually, Astaire's observation highlights the complicated interplay in between success, risk-taking, and understanding. It recommends that moving upward includes not only skill and effort but likewise a growing approval of one's individual technique, even when it clashes with traditional norms. As such, in management or art, those who accomplish the best heights might enjoy the liberty to redefine failure and change it into an unique mark of their personal design.
About the Author