Eddie Rickenbacker Quotes

Powerful Eddie Rickenbacker for Daily Growth

About Eddie Rickenbacker

Eddie Rickenbacker (September 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American World War I flying ace, businessman, and race car driver, best known for his military service, the Rickenbacker Scout aircraft, and his leadership of Eastern Air Lines. Born on a farm in Columbus, Ohio, as Edward Stewart Rickenbacker Jr., he was the eldest of five children. He showed early promise in mechanical skills, tinkering with engines from an early age. In 1907, at the age of 16, his family moved to Denver, Colorado, where he dropped out of school and worked as a mechanic for various car manufacturers. Rickenbacker enlisted in the Army Signal Corps in April 1917, and in September, he received pilot training. By 1918, he had become one of America's leading fighter pilots, shooting down 26 enemy aircraft, earning him the title of 'Ace of Aces'. His most notable action was the pursuit and shooting down of a German plane carrying a high-ranking German general, which is considered one of the first acts of air-to-air combat in history. After the war, Rickenbacker returned to racing cars before founding the Rickenbacker Scout aircraft company in 1929. The Rickenbacker Scout was a low-wing monoplane that set numerous speed records and contributed significantly to the development of civilian aviation. In 1930, he purchased a struggling airline, Eastern Air Transport, which he rebranded as Eastern Air Lines in 1934. Under his leadership, Eastern expanded rapidly, becoming one of the largest and most profitable airlines in the world by the 1950s. Rickenbacker authored several books, including "Fighting the Flying Circus" (1919), a firsthand account of his experiences as a fighter pilot, and "The Spirit of Youth and the City Streets" (1934), a memoir that explored his life, focusing on his early years in Denver. His final book, "The First Victory", published posthumously in 1974, recounted the story of his pursuit of the German general's plane during World War I. Throughout his life, Rickenbacker was a prominent figure in American business and aviation, earning recognition for his military service, entrepreneurship, and leadership. His legacy continues to inspire generations of pilots and entrepreneurs alike.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The way to achieve your objectives is first to have high aims."

This quote by Eddie Rickenbacker emphasizes the importance of setting ambitious goals to achieve success. It suggests that having clear, lofty objectives is a crucial step towards reaching them. In other words, if you don't aim high, you won't reach great heights. Ambition and aspiration fuel the drive necessary to overcome obstacles and attain desired outcomes.


"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit."

The quote by Eddie Rickenbacker highlights two key aspects of success: persistent action and resilience in the face of failure. He suggests that successful individuals are those who actively pursue their goals, despite making mistakes along the way. Instead of quitting when faced with setbacks, they continue to move forward, learning from their errors and using them as stepping stones towards achieving their objectives. This quote serves as a reminder that success requires effort, adaptability, and determination in the face of challenges.


"Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage without fear."

This quote by Eddie Rickenbacker emphasizes that courage does not exist in the absence of fear, but rather in confronting and overcoming it. In other words, courage is the action taken despite feelings of apprehension or anxiety. The presence of fear indicates a challenging situation, and facing it shows one's bravery and determination to move forward.


"The most important thing in life is to strive toward a worthy cause."

This quote emphasizes the significance of dedicating one's efforts, energy, and passion towards pursuing meaningful and worthwhile objectives in life. A 'worthy cause' refers to goals that are significant, valuable, and make a positive impact on oneself or others. By striving towards such causes, individuals can find purpose, fulfillment, and create lasting change in their own lives and the world around them.


"The only limits are those that we set up in our own minds."

This quote emphasizes personal self-imposition as a significant limiting factor in one's life. It suggests that people often hold themselves back by setting artificial limitations, rather than pushing their potential to the fullest. The implication is that by overcoming these mental barriers, one can achieve greater heights and unlock previously unrealized abilities. Essentially, it underscores the importance of a growth mindset and self-belief in personal development and success.


I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through - then follow through.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Think, Give, Through, Formula

When I look up and see the sun shining on the patch of white clouds up in the blue, I begin to think how it would feel to be up somewhere above it winging swiftly thought the clear air, watching the earth below, and the men on it, no bigger than ants.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Thought, Feel, Ants, Shining

When I was racing, I had learned that you can't set stock in public adoration or your press clippings. By the time I was 26, I'd heard crowds of 100,000 scream my name, but a week later they couldn't remember who I was. You're a hero today and a bum tomorrow - hero to zero, I sometimes say.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Racing, Week, By The Time, Bum

There is a peculiar gratification in receiving congratulations from one's squadron for a victory in the air. It is worth more to a pilot than the applause of the whole outside world.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Outside World, Squadron, Congratulations

Long practise in driving a racing car at a hundred miles an hour or so gives first-class training in control and judging distances at high speed and helps tremendously in getting motor sense, which is rather the feel of your engine than the sound of it, a thing you get through your bones and nerves rather than simply your ears.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Through, Motor, Hundred, Engine

I am not a labor hater.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

I Am, Labor, Am, Hater

I would rather have a million friends than a million dollars.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Rather, Million, Would, Million Dollars

I've cheated the Grim Reaper more times than anyone I know.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

More, Times, Anyone, Reaper

Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are scared.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Courage, Doing, Unless, Scared

The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: Initiative, Imagination, Individuality and Independence.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Independence, Nation, Which, Individuality

Flying is one of the safest jobs in the Army as long as you don't drop out. If you do drop out, you are a dead man, and dropping out means, usually, that you have made a mistake or let go of your grip.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Mistake, Drop, Means, Let Go

The experienced fighting pilot does not take unnecessary risks. His business is to shoot down enemy planes, not to get shot down.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Business, Pilot, Unnecessary, Experienced

The excitement of automobile racing did not compare with what I knew must come with aeroplane fighting in France.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Racing, Automobile, Compare, Excitement

Some friends are better shots than are casual enemies.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Better, Some, Than, Enemies

Aviation is proof that given, the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Will, Achieve, Given, Proof

Sports of every sort had always appealed to me.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Sports, Me, Always, Appealed

It is the easiest thing in the world to die. The hardest is to live.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

World, Die, Easiest, Easiest Thing

The obviously inexperienced pilot is the game the scientific air-fighter goes after, and the majority of victories are won that way. But, on the other hand, it is the novice usually who gets the famous ace by doing at some moment the unexpected thing.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Game, Some, Inexperienced, Ace

I'll fight like a wildcat until they nail the lid of my pine box down on me.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Like, Nail, Lid, Pine

Never count on the crowd to take care of you.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Never, Crowd, Take, Count

Fighting in the air is not a sport. It is scientific murder.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Fighting, Scientific, Air, Sport

The sensation of dying is sweet, sensuous, placid.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Sweet, Dying, Sensation

I shall never ask any pilot to go on a mission that I won't go on.

- Eddie Rickenbacker

Mission, Never, Ask, Pilot

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.