proverb · Words worth keeping
Don’t try to fly like the Cóndor; mountains are high.
Don’t try to fly like the Cóndor; mountains are high.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A condor’s flight beside high mountains warns against copying an ability one may not possess. The saying connects ambition with the demands of an undertaking.
Example
Someone checks the demands of an unfamiliar task instead of assuming another person’s ability makes it immediately feasible for them.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The bird image is not a flight or climbing procedure. A qualified interpretation assesses actual capacities and support without dismissing every ambitious goal. The precise traditional application is unverified, and perceived limits can change; difference from another performer does not determine personal worth.
When to use it
Use it as a qualified capability-and-conditions image.
Keep in mind
No altitude rule, fixed personal inability or independently verified traditional application is established.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
Peru
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- Peru