50 Best Flying Quotes, Phrases And Sayings That Take Flight

Supriya Jain
Dec 12, 2023 By Supriya Jain
Originally Published on Mar 05, 2021
Edited by Luca Demetriou
Colorful hot air balloons flying over the moon valley mountain. Africa.
Age: 0-99
Read time: 8.0 Min

Flying feels like freedom, away from the city’s daily hustle and bustle, almost as calm as meditation with a hint of a dopamine rush.

Ever since Wilbur Wright and Oliver Wright invented the airplane, the human imagination acquired wings and now knows no limit. Air travel is the safest way to travel and savvy travelers always favor air travel because it’s faster and less accident prone than other travel methods, thanks to experienced pilots.

Human eyes have always looked towards skies with passion. Humans always wanted wings but as humans do not have them, then we consider airplanes as our wings. Air crashes, flights, wings are all such words that everyone pays attention to. To bring back all fun memories associated with flying, we’ve listed 50 best flying quotes, phrases, and sayings that take flight, down below, for all my fellow aerophiles out there.

If you like this article, make sure to check out our fly high quotes and sky quotes once you’re done with these.

Fascinating Quotes About Flying

There is one rule to flying, never give up. Inspirational flying quotes offer wings to people when they are down and out. Here is a list of some truly incredible airplane quotes and travel quotes for that extra motivation that you will love to show off.

Flock of migrating graylag geese flying in V-formation

1. “Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you are.”

— Felix Baumgartner.

2. “Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

- Leonardo Da Vinci.

3. “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”

- J. M. Barrie, ‘Peter Pan.’

4. "Same with anyone who's been flying for years and loves it still...we're part of a world we deeply love."

- Richard Bach.

5. “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”

- Langston Hughes.

6. “We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.”

- Luciano De Crescenzo.

7. “Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?”

- Frida Kahlo.

8. “There’s a lot of us out here that are birds, man. We all need to just fly.”

- Travis Scott.

9. “Man must rise above the Earth—to the top of the atmosphere and beyond—for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives.”

- Socrates.

10. "Do the impossible, because almost everyone has told me my ideas are merely fantasies."

- Howard Hughes.

11. “I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things.”

- Antoine De Saint-Exupéry.

12. “The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, above all obstacles, on the infinite highway of the air.”

- Wilbur Wright.

13. “He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.”

- Friedrich Nietzsche.

14. "It has been my observation that the happiest of people, the vibrant doers of the world, are almost always those who are using - who are putting into play, calling upon, depending upon-the greatest number of their God-given talents and capabilities."

- John Glenn.

15. “Just as musicians feel about scores and melodies, dancers about the steps and flow of music, so we're one with the principle of flight, the magic of being aloft in the wind!"

- Richard Bach.

Incredible Quotes About Traveling And Aviation

Whether it be quotes about birds flying or flying monkeys quotes, no one stops imagining flying. Read on for some truly incredible flying quotes and aviation quotes to motivate people to go for the best experience in life.

16. “Flying is hypnotic and all pilots are willing victims to the spell.”

- Ernest K Gann.

17. “The way I see it, you can either work for a living or you can fly airplanes. Me, I'd rather fly.”

- Len Morgan.

18. “If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you can use the aircraft the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.”

- Chuck Yeager.

19. “A pilot who says he has never been frightened in an airplane is, I’m afraid, lying.”

- Louise Thaden.

20. “The pilot who teaches himself has a fool for a student.”

- Unknown*.

21. "Great pilots are made not born...a man may possess good eyesight, sensitive hands, and perfect coordination, but the end result is only fashioned by steady coaching, much practice, and experience."

- Johnnie Johnson.

22. “Flying may not be all plain sailing, but the fun of it is worth the price.”

- Amelia Earhart.

23. “I think it is a pity to lose the romantic side of flying and simply to accept it as a common means of transport, although that end is what we have all ostensibly been striving to attain.”

- Amy Johnson.

24. “Flying is hours and hours of boredom sprinkled with a few seconds of sheer terror.”

- Gregory “Pappy” Boyington.

25. “Man must rise above the Earth—to the top of the atmosphere and beyond—for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives.”

- Socrates.

26. “Learning to fly an airplane taught me a way of thinking, an approach to problem-solving that was applicable and effective. Pilots are very methodical and meticulous, and artists tend not to be.”

- Chris Carter.

27. “Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory.”

- Unknown.

28. “Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute.”

- Gil Stern.

29. “My soul is in the sky.”

- William Shakespeare.

30. “Within all of us is a varying amount of space lint and star dust, the residue from our creation. Most are too busy to notice it, and it is stronger in some than others.”

- Unknown*.

31. "Once you have learned to fly your plane, it is far less fatiguing to fly than it is to drive a car. You don't have to watch every second for cats, dogs, children, lights, road signs, ladies with baby carriages and citizens who drive out in the middle of the block against the lights...Nobody who has not been up in the sky on a glorious morning can possibly imagine the way a pilot feels in free heaven."

- William T. Piper.

32. “Whenever I dream about flying, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

- Kate M.

33. “The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious. And why shouldn’t it be? – it is the same the angels breathe.”

-  Mark Twain. ‘Roughing It, Chapter XXII, 1886.’

34. “You wanna fly, you got to give up the...[stuff] that weighs you down.”

- Toni Morrison.

35. “Man must rise above the Earth – to the top of the atmosphere and beyond – for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives.”

- Socrates, ‘From Plato’s Dialogue.’

Sayings And Phrases On Flying

No matter how enchanting sailing ships are, skies have always captured human imagination in history. Read on for some inspiring quotes in the incredible mode of transportation, flying.

36. “Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams.

37. “If I could be a bird, I’d be a Flying Purple People Eater because then people would sing about me and I could fly down and eat them because I hate that song.”

- Jack Handey.

38. “You know the oxygen masks on airplanes? I don’t think there’s really any oxygen. I think they’re just to muffle the screams.”

- Rita Rudner.

39. “I put my phone in airplane mode, but it’s not flying!”

- Unknown*.

40. “I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things.”

- Antoine De Saint-Exupéry.

41. “You haven’t seen a tree until you’ve seen its shadow from the sky.”

- Amelia Earhart.

42. “How strange is this combination of proximity and separation.  That ground - seconds away - thousands of miles away.”

-  Charles A. Lindbergh.

43. “There is an art, or rather a knack to flying.  The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams, ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.’

44. “It is only when you are flying above it that you realize how incredible the earth really is.”

- Philippe Perrin.

45. “Unlike the boundaries of the sea by the shorelines, the ocean of air laps at the border of every state, city, town and home throughout the world.”

- Welch Pogue.

46. “When everything seems to be against you, remember that an airplane takes-off against the wind, not with it.”

- Henry Ford.

47. “Aviation is proof that given the will, we have capacity to achieve the impossible.”

- Edward Vernon Rickenbacker.

48. “I feel sad for those who’re afraid of flying. They're missing out!”

- Unknown*.

49. “Flying feels like freedom.”

- Unknown*.

50. “The engine is the heart of an airplane, but the pilot is its soul.”

- Walter Raleigh.

*Do you know where this quote originates? We'd love to hear from you at hello@kidadl.com

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for [Flying Quotes], then why not take a look at [aviation quotes], or [bird quotes].

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Written by Supriya Jain

Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing

Supriya Jain picture

Supriya JainBachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing

As a skilled member of the Kidadl team, Shruti brings extensive experience and expertise in professional content writing. With a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Punjab University and an MBA in Business Administration from IMT Nagpur, Shruti has worked in diverse roles such as sales intern, content writer, executive trainee, and business development consultant. Her exceptional writing skills cover a wide range of areas, including SOP, SEO, B2B/B2C, and academic content.

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