"The noir hero is a knight in blood caked armor. He's dirty and he does his best to deny the fact that he's a hero the whole time."
Read quote
51 likes
Hero quotes
Hero
3.2K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
Explore further
Topics related to Hero
Browse quotes that often appear alongside hero — connected by shared ideas and recurring themes.
Quote collection
Hero quotes (page 4 of 160)
Follow a thought to its author, or read the full quote page.
"Nurture your mind with great thoughts"
Read quote
49 likes
"I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom."
Read quote
48 likes
"Life is a comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel. Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy."
Read quote
48 likes
"Nothing is given to man on earth - struggle is built into the nature of life, and conflict is possible - the hero is the man who lets no obstacle prevent him from pursuing the values he has chosen."
Read quote
47 likes
"One night I went to see Bobby at the Flamingo. Because he was my hero, I would visit him for inspiration."
Read quote
46 likes
"There are times when we must sink to the bottom of our misery to understand truth, just as we must descend to the bottom of a well to see the stars in broad daylight."
Read quote
44 likes
"You risked your life, but what else have you ever risked? Have you risked disapproval? Have you ever risked economic security? Have you ever risked a belief? I see nothing particularly courageous about risking one's life. So you lose it, you go to your hero's heaven and everything is milk and honey 'til the end of time. Right? You get your reward and suffer no earthly consequences. That's not courage. Real courage is risking something that might force you to rethink your thoughts and suffer change and stretch consciousness. Real courage is risking one's clichés."
Read quote
43 likes
"Heroes represent the best of ourselves, respecting that we are human beings. A hero can be anyone from Gandhi to your classroom teacher, anyone who can show courage when faced with a problem. A hero is someone who is willing to help others in his or her best capacity."
Read quote
43 likes
"What passes for identity in America is a series of myths about one's heroic ancestors. It's astounding to me, for example, that so many people really seem to believe that the country was founded by a band of heroes who wanted to be free."
Read quote
43 likes
"One has to pay dearly for immortality; one has to die several times while one is still alive."
Read quote
42 likes
"The antidote to hatred in the heart, the source of violence, is tolerance. Tolerance is an important virtue of bodhisattvas [enlightened heroes and heroines] - it enables you to refrain from reacting angrily to the harm inflicted on you by others. You could call this practice "inner disarmament," in that a well-developed tolerance makes you free from the compulsion to counterattack. For the same reason, we also call tolerance the "best armor," since it protects you from being conquered by hatred itself."
Read quote
41 likes
"A hero has faced it all: he need not be undefeated, but he must be undaunted."
Read quote
41 likes
"We all have defining moments. It is in these moments that we find our true characters. We become heroes or cowards; truth tellers or liars; we go forward or we go backward."
Read quote
40 likes
"If we mean to have Heroes, Statesmen and Philosophers, we should have learned women. The world perhaps would laugh at me, and accuse me of vanity, but you I know have a mind too enlarged and liberal to disregard the Sentiment. If much depends as is allowed upon the early Education of youth and the first principals which are instill'd take the deepest root, great benefit must arise from literary accomplishments in women."
Read quote
39 likes
"Be sure not to discuss your hero's state of mind. Make it clear from his actions."
Read quote
39 likes
"Tell me your heroes and I'll tell you how your life will end up"
Read quote
39 likes
"The hero of my tale, whom I love with all the power of my soul, whom I have tried to portray in all his beauty, who has been, is, and will be beautiful, is Truth."
Read quote
39 likes
"The characters in my films try to live honestly and make the most of the lives they've been given. I believe you must live honestly and develop your abilities to the full. People who do this are the real heroes."
Read quote
38 likes
"It has become a common feeling, I believe, as we have watched our heroes falling over the years, that our own small stone of activism, which might not seem to measure up to the rugged boulders of heroism we have so admired, is a paltry offering toward the building of an edifice of hope. Many who believe this choose to withhold their offerings out of shame. This is the tragedy of the world. For we can do nothing substantial toward changing our course on the planet, a destructive one, without rousing ourselves, individual by individual, and bringing our small, imperfect stones to the pile."
Read quote
35 likes