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Why do we say "From the sublime to the ridiculous"?

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From the sublime to the ridiculous

Meaning:

Great undertakings may end in disaster

Background:

The proverb originates from the French expression: Du sublime au ridicule il n'y a qu'un pas.
Although sometimes attributed to the French diplomat Tallyrand (1754-1838) or Napoleon, the expression is used much earlier by French historian Jean Francois Marmontel (1723-99) and later by Thomas Paine in The Age of Reason (1793).

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Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem.

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