Heaven is not reached at a single bound,
But we build the ladder by which we rise
From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies,
And we mount to its summit, round by round. [ J. G. Holland, Pseudonym: Timothy Titcomb ]

How sweetly did they float upon the wings
Of silence through the empty-vaulted night.
At every fall smoothing the raven down
Of darkness till it smiled! [ Milton ]

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last.
Shut thee from Heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea. [ Oliver Wendell Holmes ]