Ladders

“Life is like a ladder, every step can take you either up or down.” -Jerry Seinfeld (Jerome Allen ‘Jerry’ Seinfeld (born 1954))
 
“Failures are steps in the ladder of success.” -James Allen (1864 - 1912)
 
Questionable Facts About Ladders
- Ladders allow you to go up and down while they themselves remain stationary.
- When a ladder gets wet, it could be slippery and unsafe to climb, and must be ‘rung out’ until dry.
- Speaking of ‘rung out,’ if there is a broken or missing rung in a ladder, it is time to find a new ladder.
- Ladders can be used to reach high places, and can also be lowered into pits to help you reach low places.
- If you walk under a ladder, you will have 7 years of bad luck trying to wash the paint out of your hair that the person on the ladder spilled on you.
- Ladders are a means of egress, similar to elevators, stairs, climbing ropes, ramps, and escalators.
- Ladders will only be necessary until we all learn how to levitate or we build functional jetpacks; after that, we won’t need ladders anymore.
What questionable facts can you add to this list?
 
“He who would climb the ladder must begin at the bottom.” -Author Unknown: English proverb
 
“For every person who climbs the ladder of success, there are a dozen waiting for the elevator.” -Author Unknown
 
Laddie: Why did the student take a ladder to school?
Lassie: Because she wanted to go to high school.
 
“Each time you decide to grow again, you realize you’re starting at the bottom of another ladder.” -Ken Rosenthal
 
“To reach a great height, a person must have great depth . . . or a ladder.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
 
Stepladder, noun: a short ladder with flat steps and a small platform at its top, that can stand on its own or be folded for carrying.

​“As you climb the ladder of success, be sure it’s leaning against the right building.” -H. Jackson Brown, Junior (born 1940)
 
Types of Ladders
- Rope
- Jacob’s
- Aluminum
- Wood
Can you think of other types of ladders?
 
“A wise man lowers a ladder before he jumps into a pit.” -Author Unknown
 
“To succeed, you have to be open to problems. You have to be open to failure. And as you go up the ladder, you gain the right to get more problems.” -Dave Anderson
 
“One only gets to the top rung of the ladder by steadily climbing up one at a time, and suddenly all sorts of powers, all sorts of abilities which you thought never belonged to you - suddenly become within your own possibility and you think, ‘Well, I’ll have a go, too.’” -Margaret Thatcher (Margaret Hilda ‘Margaret’ Thatcher (1925 - 2013))
 
“The most difficult part of getting to the top of the ladder is getting through the crowd at the bottom.” -Arch Ward (Archie Burdette Ward (1896 - 1955))
 
“The ladder of success is never crowded at the top.” -Napoleon Hill (Oliver Napoleon ‘Napoleon’ Hill (1883 - 1970))
 
Ladder, noun: A structure consisting of a series of bars or steps between two upright lengths of wood, metal, or rope, used for climbing up or down something.
 
“Climbing the ladder of success: When rungs were missing, I learned to jump.” -William Warfield (1920 - 2002)
 
Riddle: A man fell off a 20-foot ladder and landed on the concrete sidewalk, but he did not get hurt. Why?
Solution: He fell off the bottom rung.
 
“In spite of the fact that the ladder tapers to one-man rungs at the top, the roomiest part is farthest up.” -Charles R. Gow
 
“The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man’s foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher.” -T. H. Huxley (Thomas Henry Huxley (1825 - 1895)): “Life and Letters of Thomas Huxley,” originally stated in “An Address to the Students of the Faculty of Medicine in University College, London, 18 May 1870, On the Occasion of the Distribution of Prizes for the Session”
 
“There is no use whatever trying to help people who do not help themselves. You cannot push anyone up a ladder unless he be willing to climb himself.” -Andrew Carnegie (1835 - 1919)
 
“You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure.” -Zig Ziglar (Hilary Hinton ‘Zig’ Ziglar (1926 - 2012))
 
“If you cannot find or reach the ladder of success, you may have to build your own ladder.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
 
“They climbed the ladder of learning only to find it leaning against the wrong wall.” -Russell M. Nelson
 
“The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity.” -Ayn Rand (pseudonym of Alice O’Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum (1905 - 1982)))
 
“Crosses are the ladders that lead to Heaven.” -Samuel Smiles (1812 - 1904): “Self Help” (1859)

​“At first, humans climbed trees, but trees were mostly immobile, and often did not reach all of the places where one might wish to be. Eventually, humans discovered how to make movable trees that could reach a few more of the places where one might wish to be, and these human creations came to be called ‘ladders.’” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
 
“Just remember, you can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.” -Arnold Schwarzenegger
 
“Another riverman of those days has recalled a story he heard Sam Clemens tell: ‘We were speaking of presence of mind in accidents - we were always talking of such things; then he said: ‘Boys, I had great presence of mind once. It was at a fire. An old man leaned out of a four-story building calling for help. Everybody in the crowd below looked up, but nobody did anything. The ladders weren’t long enough. Nobody had any presence of mind - nobody but me. I came to the rescue. I yelled for a rope. When it came I threw the old man the end of it. He caught it and I told him to tie it around his waist. He did so, and I pulled him down.’” -Mark Twain (pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 - 1910)): as quoted in Albert Bigelow Paine: “Mark Twain: A Biography” (1912)
 
According to superstition, it is bad luck to walk under a ladder . . . or maybe it’s just a matter of gravity?
 
“If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.” -Stephen R. Covey (Stephen Richards Covey (1932 - 2012))
 
“On the ladder of success: Some people are at the top of the ladder, some are in the middle, still more are at the bottom, and a whole lot of people don’t even know there is a ladder.” -Robert Schuller (Robert Harold Schuller (1926 - 2015))
 
A Few Ladder Safety Guidelines
- Always maintain three points of contact with the ladder.
- Do not place a ladder on a slippery floor; this rule you must not ignore.
- Inspect your ladder before you use it.
- Keep both hands on ladder at all times.
- When on a ladder, never step back to admire your work.
Can you think of other ladder safety guidelines?
 
“He that climbs a ladder must begin at the first round.” -Walter Scott (1771 - 1832): “Kenilworth” (1821); quotation also found in Walter Scott: “The Waverley Novels: In Twelve Volumes, Printed from the Latest English Editions, Embracing the Author's Last Corrections, Prefaces, and Notes” (1855), page 50
 
This is MFOL! . . . where can a ladder take you . . . it depends on how many rungs you are willing to climb . . .