<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/8c183593-6e5d-42a0-b605-e1aca1d04c30/7F39AB42-1D99-44FB-8EAE-E621152A9DBA/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=raising%20the%20bar" href="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=raising%20the%20bar" style="font-size: 11px;">www.everything2.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=raising%20the%20bar"><H1 class="topic">Raising the bar</H1></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=raising%20the%20bar"><P align="center"> <EM> Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. </EM><BR /><BR /><SMALL> — <A href="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=Ralph%20Waldo%20Emerson" title="Ralph Waldo Emerson">Ralph Waldo Emerson</A> </SMALL></P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=raising%20the%20bar"><P>The <A href="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=metaphor" title="metaphor">metaphor</A>ic phrase <EM>"(to) raise the bar,"</EM> or <EM>"raising the bar,"</EM> is an expression used to convey the idea of gradually setting the accepted minimum <A href="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=standard" title="standard">standard</A>s higher in order to reach an objective of <A href="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=excellence" title="excellence">excellence</A>. As metaphors go, this is one that is still very true to its origin, and relatively transparent in its meaning.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=raising%20the%20bar"><P>The term came into common usage in the English language through the <A href="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=track%20and%20field" title="track and field">track and field</A> sports of <A href="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=high%20jump" title="high jump">high jump</A>ing and <A href="http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=pole%20vault" title="pole vault">pole vault</A>ing, where athletes run and jump to propel themselves over obstacles. In each subsequent round of competition, the bar which establishes the vertical height of the obstacle is raised, making the event slightly more challenging. The athlete who displays the greatest stamina and skill successfully crosses the highest bar (or series of them), and wins the event.</P></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/7F39AB42-1D99-44FB-8EAE-E621152A9DBA/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content6.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

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