{"id":3295,"date":"2022-05-05T21:16:34","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T21:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3295"},"modified":"2022-05-05T21:16:34","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T21:16:34","slug":"what-goes-up-must-come-down-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/what-goes-up-must-come-down-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"What Goes Up Must Come Down \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a way to explain a fall from grace or describe a cycle? If so, you could use \u201cwhat goes up must come down<\/em>.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cwhat goes up must come down<\/em>\u201d means that something with a meteoric rise to power or fame will eventually experience a fall from grace. It\u2019s a way of saying that parabolic growth is unsustainable, and sooner or later, everything comes back into balance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The saying usually applies to performance, particularly in business or finance. For instance, the stock market can\u2019t keep going up. Eventually, it experiences a pullback or recession. It\u2019s also another way to describe boom and bust cycles in the economy.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe company was on an upwards trajectory during the growth market. Now that inflation is here, what goes up must come down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe 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\u2019s see if she\u2019s the top rep next month.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at it this way, you had a great career, but what goes up must come down. You can\u2019t fight it, so roll with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat goes up must come down. The stock market can\u2019t keep rising like this forever without a crash.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEconomic cycles revolve in boom and bust models. Eventually, what goes up must come down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s life, my friend. What goes up must come down.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Origin<\/h2>\n

The origin of the expression \u201cwhat goes up must come down\u201d comes from the early 19th century. The phrase first appears in print as the original version.<\/p>\n

Theodore Sedgwick used the phrase in his book, \u201cHints to my Countrymen,\u201d published in 1826, where it reads as follows.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen one boy among a dozen throws a stone into the air, crying out, that \u2018what goes up must come down,\u2019 it is very likely so to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n