This quote, from whatever source, sounds like a modified Yiddish proverb to me.
As my old grandmother used to say (in Yiddish), you can't fall down from the sky unless you fly. Which is like saying, you can't drown unless you try to swim. Or, you can't fail untill you try to succeed. Or, nobody can steal your money if you don't have any. Or, you can't be disappointed in love unless you fall in love first. And so on and so on.
Or as a librarian might say, you can't be fined for returning a book late unless you borrow it first.
Andrew D. Washton
New York, New York
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