What goes up must come down true or false

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.

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.

Contents

• 1 Meaning
• 2 Example Usage
• 3 Origin
• 4 Phrases Similar to What Goes Up Must Come Down
• 5 Phrases Opposite to What Goes Up Must Come Down
• 6 What is the Correct Saying?
• 7 Ways People May Say What Goes Up Must Come Down Incorrectly
• 8 Acceptable Ways to Phrase What Goes Up Must Come Down

The term “what goes up must come down” is a phrase that means things that rise must eventually return to the earth due to gravity.

Example: Simon accidentally let go of the big balloon his parents had bought for him. As it slowly ascended into the sky, he wondered just how high it could go. So his parents told him: “What goes up must come down, it will fall back down to the earth eventually.”

Synonyms / Related Phrases:

No synonyms to list here.

The Origin Of ‘What Goes Up Must Come Down’

Things that are launched into the air will return back to the ground. Why? Because gravity, that’s why! Whether it’s someone jumping up into the air as high as they can, a football being thrown over an open field, or an airplane flying from one country to another—all of these things cannot remain in the air forever. Eventually, due to the force of gravity, they will have to return to the ground. That is the idea behind the phrase. It’s basically a simple observation of what gravity does to people and objects.

This is one of the older phrases in English that is still in use today. Indeed, this saying is nearly 200 years old as it dates back to the early 19th century. Even at that time, its wording was identical to what it is today. For example, in Theodore Sedgwick’s Hints to my Countrymen, 1826, it reads:

“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.”

Example Sentences

• Barnes was upset when his pet bird flew out the window. However, his dad told him that what goes up must come down, so the bird would likely return at some point.
• While Jordan was out golfing with his family, one of his kids asked if he could hit the ball all the way to the moon. Jordan laughed and said, “No, I can’t. Gravity would pull the ball back to the ground; you see, what goes up must come down.”

Tip: Know Your Phrase (that’s this website) has the meaning of hundreds of phrases! Explore through our list of expressions and find one to read about. You might even learn a little about its origin. How do you find the list? At the top of the page is a menu with letters. Simply pick a letter to start browsing.