"put oneself on a pedestal"

Can anyone tell me the meaning of the phrase "put oneself on a pedestal". Orginally I thought it meant to put yourself in a situation that could easily turn out badly, but that seems to be wrong.

Pedestals are where you put big marble statues of famous people, gods, and other such hotshots. If you put yourself on a pedestal, you're rising above your station, putting on airs, thinking too much of yourself, and headed (like Ozymandius) for a fall.

I've only ever heard of someone putting someone else on a pedestal, meaning that the person cannot seek any faults in another person (i.e raising them to the status of a famous person, god or so on). And yes, if you do that then inevitably the person will reveal themself to be human after all and fall. Pamela