I love flying; I love aircraft, and you could say I've had a

When Norman Foster declared, “I love flying; I love aircraft, and you could say I’ve had a love affair with flight since I was a child. I travel a huge amount. I use airports, and as a pilot, I’ve flown in and out of airports thousands of times, so really, I have a fairly broad perspective,” he was not merely speaking of machines and terminals, but of a profound vision: the human yearning to rise above the earth, to conquer distance, and to see the world from a vantage once reserved for the gods. His words are both personal and universal, for in them we hear not just one man’s passion, but the eternal cry of humanity to break free of limits.

The meaning is layered. Foster speaks of a lifelong love affair with flight, which began in childhood. This tells us that dreams planted early in the soul can grow into lifelong vocations, shaping the course of destiny. His use of the word “love” is no accident—for flight, to him, is not mere transportation, but communion: a romance between man and sky, between earthbound longing and celestial freedom. It is a reminder that when passion and craft unite, life itself can become a soaring act of creation.

Consider the story of the Wright brothers, who, like Foster, fell in love with flight as boys, tinkering with kites and mechanical toys. Their obsession, ridiculed by many, carried them beyond ridicule and into history, when their fragile machine first lifted from the sands of Kitty Hawk. From their youthful curiosity sprang the transformation of the world, changing forever the meaning of distance and connection. Just as they looked to the heavens with longing, Foster too has made airports—those gateways of the skies—into places of architecture, beauty, and movement, serving not only as stations of travel but as monuments to human daring.

There is also a deeper wisdom in Foster’s words about having a “broad perspective.” For the man who has flown thousands of times, the earth becomes smaller, and humanity more united. From the cockpit or cabin window, borders blur, mountains yield to valleys, seas fold into continents, and the fragile roundness of our planet becomes undeniable. To love flight is to love perspective itself: to rise above the narrowness of division and see the wholeness of the world. This, perhaps, is the greatest gift of air travel—not only that it moves bodies, but that it enlarges souls.

Yet we must not miss the humility in Foster’s confession. He does not claim mastery over the skies, but a love affair with them. He recognizes the mystery that still lies within flight: the mingling of danger, beauty, and awe. In this way, he reflects the ancient reverence for the heavens. Just as the Greeks honored Icarus and Daedalus, and just as the shamans of old spoke of spirit-flight, Foster acknowledges that to fly is not only a technical feat, but a spiritual experience—a meeting point between human ingenuity and the eternal sky.

The lesson here is timeless: follow the passions that seize your spirit as a child, for they may lead you to a life of greatness. Let your work not be a duty alone but a love affair, for it is love that endures across decades and turns labor into joy. Seek not only to travel the world but to broaden your perspective, so that you may see humanity as one people, and the earth as one home.

In practical action, this means: nurture the curiosities that move your heart most deeply; let them guide your study, your craft, your journey. When you travel, do not see only airports and timetables, but seize the chance to see the earth anew from above, to marvel at its fragile beauty. And whether or not you ever fly, cultivate within your mind the perspective of flight: rise above pettiness, see beyond borders, and seek the greater whole.

Thus, Norman Foster’s words remind us that flight is more than an invention—it is a symbol of the human spirit itself: restless, daring, ever yearning to rise higher. To love flight is to love life, for both are journeys through uncharted skies, calling us to look beyond the horizon and to embrace the broad perspective that only those who dare to ascend may truly know.