ProverbHuman Nature
International origin1902
International origin1902The bigger they are, the harder they fall
Meaning: Powerful people suffer greater consequences when they fail.
Example: “The senator seemed untouchable, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
Origin: Usually traced to the boxer Bob Fitzsimmons, a small heavyweight who routinely gave away a great deal of weight. Newspapers reported a version of the line from him in 1902, before his rematch with the much heavier James J. Jeffries, though the exact wording varies from one account to the next. Jeffries won that fight, as he had in 1899, but the line outlived both.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, German, and Dutch
French: Plus dure sera la chute (literally: The harder the fall will be)
Spanish: Cuanto más alto, más dura la caída (literally: The higher, the harder the fall)
German: Wer hoch steigt, fällt tief (literally: He who climbs high falls deep)
Dutch: Hoge bomen vangen veel wind (literally: Tall trees catch a lot of wind)
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