The quantum leap... is to be taken both literally and figuratively. In its literal sense, the quantum leap is the tiny but explosive jump that a particle of matter undergoes in moving from one plane to another. The new physics - quantum physics - indicates that all particles composing the physical universe must move in that fashion or cease to exist. Since you and I are composed of atomic annd subatomic matter, we, too, must "take the quantum leap."
In the figurative sense, taking the quantum leap means taking a risk, going off into an uncharted territory with no guide to follow. Such a venture is an uncertain affair at best. It also means risking something that no one else would are risk.
Fred Alan Wolf
Taking the Quantum Leap
©1981