Are you looking for a way to explain a fall from grace or describe a cycle? If so, you could use “what goes up must come down.” This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
The expression “what goes up must come down” means that something with a meteoric rise to power or fame will eventually experience a fall from grace. It’s a way of saying that parabolic growth is unsustainable, and sooner or later, everything comes back into balance.
The saying originally meant that something shot into the air will eventually succumb to the force of gravity and fall to earth. However, most people use it to describe something good will not last forever, and you should prepare for the decline.
The saying usually applies to performance, particularly in business or finance. For instance, the stock market can’t keep going up. Eventually, it experiences a pullback or recession. It’s also another way to describe boom and bust cycles in the economy.
Example Usage
“The company was on an upwards trajectory during the growth market. Now that inflation is here, what goes up must come down.”
“What goes up must come down. That was a spectacular fall from grace by Will Smith when he slapped Chris Rock. His career is over. No one will hire him after that incident.”
“She was flying high on her client list, setting record after record. No, her client list is finished, and what goes up must come down. Let’s see if she’s the top rep next month.”
“Look at it this way, you had a great career, but what goes up must come down. You can’t fight it, so roll with it.”
“What goes up must come down. The stock market can’t keep rising like this forever without a crash.”
“Economic cycles revolve in boom and bust models. Eventually, what goes up must come down.”
“That’s life, my friend. What goes up must come down.”
Origin
The origin of the expression “what goes up must come down” comes from the early 19th century. The phrase first appears in print as the original version.
Theodore Sedgwick used the phrase in his book, “Hints to my Countrymen,” published in 1826, where it reads as follows.
“When one boy among a dozen throws a stone into the air, crying out, that ‘what goes up must come down,’ it is very likely so to happen.”
Phrases Similar to What Goes Up Must Come Down
- Things that rise also fall.
- What goes around comes around.
Phrases Opposite to What Goes Up Must Come Down
- Shooting to the sky.
- Continual growth.
What is the Correct Saying?
- What goes up must come down.
Ways People May Say What Goes Up Must Come Down Incorrectly
Some people may use the phrase to describe physical objects falling from an upwards trajectory. While this is technically correct, most of the use for the saying describes actions and events rather than a physical action.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase What Goes Up Must Come Down
You can use the saying, “what goes up must come down,” when referring to a fall from grace or a downturn in events. The expression suits professional and social use, referring to people, concepts, or actions.
For instance, you could use it at work to describe unreasonable growth in your company or market. You would use the saying to describe a pullback in the growth. It’s a way of telling someone that parabolic, sustained growth in something is unachievable.
The phrase can also describe a fall from grace. A person could win the lottery and then be broke again a few years later.