“There is an art to flying, or rather a knack. Its knack lies in learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss.

“Pick a nice day, it suggests, and try it. The first part is easy. All it requires is simply the ability to throw yourself forward with all your weight, and the willingness not to mind that it’s going to hurt. That is, it’s going to hurt if you fail to miss the ground. Most people fail to miss the ground, and if they are really trying properly, the likelihood is that they will fail to miss it fairly hard. Clearly, it’s the second point, the missing, which presents the difficulties. …

With more experience, you will learn how to land properly, which is something you will almost certainly ***** up, and ***** up badly, on your first attempt.”

-Douglas Adams
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy