"All things that rise must fall". What is this and what does it mean?
1 Answer
It's an adage that is expressing the inevitability of a result from an action (such as the inevitable result of having a ball thrown up eventually coming down).
Explanation:
An adage, or a short saying that expresses something that is generally true, is what we have a question about. In this case, it's expressing an idea about the inevitable.
"What goes up must come down" is the version I know and expresses the inevitability of when something rises, it will eventually fall. Using it for throwing a ball in the air is obvious (so when someone throws something heavy up and then lose track of it and get hit on the head, you'll probably here someone use it).
People will use this adage for other things, such as someone's reputation (there is another saying for this - Be kind to the people you meet on the way up the corporate ladder because they are the same people you'll meet on the way back down).
Is it always true? No - but then adages are short and don't try to cover every eventuality (What goes up must come down unless it reaches escape velocity in which case it will stay up, as in orbit, forever, unless it's acted on by an outside force in which case...)
