This classic riddle asks: What goes up but never comes down? It sounds like it might be describing smoke, a balloon, or something rising into the sky, but the answer is something much more personal.
The answer is: your age.
As time passes, your age increases year by year. It goes up, but it never goes backward. You may feel younger on some days than others, but the number itself only moves in one direction.
The riddle is popular because it uses a very simple idea and hides it behind wording that makes you picture physical movement. Once you stop thinking about something literally rising, the answer becomes obvious.
It is one of those quick riddles that often makes people smile because the solution was there all along.
