“Shoot for the moon, land on the roof.”

Alex is 24 years old; he was born in New Jersey, but was raised and lived the majority of his childhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He arrived in California for the first time when he was moving into his dorm room at USC in Los Angeles, California.  Currently, Alex is an alumni from USC with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.

Alex told me that his best friend told him this quote one day when they were discussing jobs.  They were talking about the other variation of the phrase that says “Shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars.”  They were talking about how stupid they thought that phrase was.  Alex’s best friend said that he’d heard of a variation of the phrase before; “Shoot for the moon, land on the roof.”  He said it doesn’t really have a meaning.   They just thought it was funny and that it fit well as a substitute.

I had never heard the version that Alex’s best friend had heard; however, I was familiar with the version that says “Shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars.”  I remember seeing this phrase on a poster in the fourth grade.  I was in my homeroom class when I looked above the board and saw that poster.  I remember that particular poster because I remember finding it very insightful.  What it meant to me was that as long as I do my best, I will always be successful (even if I don’t reach my goal).

Smith, T. (2009, November 11). Shoot for the moon... Retrieved from http://www.applieddesign.tv/?p=182