Meaning
To set oneself extremely ambitious goals and strive for achievements beyond one's assured grasp. Now a stock piece of encouragement, addressed especially to the young, and often paired with the thought that the attempt is worthwhile even if the goal is missed. Motivational register that can shade into cliche or sound patronising; sincere in mottos, school crests and obituaries. Regional use: General English.
Origin
A 20th-century motivational phrase with no documented first use; it crystallised in American self-help rhetoric and, later, the language of the space age. Its ancestry is classical: Virgil's Aeneid (Book IX) has Apollo tell the boy Iulus 'sic itur ad astra' - thus one journeys to the stars - and Seneca wrote that there is no easy way from the earth to the stars, the lines behind countless 'ad astra' mottoes. The nearest English ancestor is Robert Browning's 'Andrea del Sarto' (1855): 'Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a Heaven for?', which argues that aspiration should outrun achievement. Related modern forms include 'aim for the stars' and 'reach for the sky'.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- aim for the stars
- reach for the moon
- reach for the sky
- shooting for the stars
Usage Examples
- Her physics teacher urged her to reach for the stars and apply to the engineering programme.
- The charity's motto tells young carers to reach for the stars, whatever their circumstances.
- He had reached for the stars with the solo album, and even the harsh reviews could not spoil the achievement.