Heroic Sacrifice/Quotes

"You say that your one life and the remaining tens of thousands of lives have equal worth?
Don't be so conceited, human.

One life has only the worth of that one life itself, and is no more or less than that."

—Fuhrer President King Bradley, Fullmetal Alchemist

"Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
"To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,

And the temples of his Gods"

—Thomas Babington Macaulay, Horatius

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

—Teddy Roosevelt

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known."

—Sydney Carton, A Tale of Two Cities

"Trunks, Bulma. I do this for you. And yes, even for you, Kakarot."

—Vegeta, Dragonball Z

Rita: Would you die for me?
Rita's Husband: Well, what are the circumstances? You mean like to save your life?
Rita: Yeah, exactly.

Rita's Husband: Well then I would yeah. But I'm not just going to die for your entertainment.

—Just For Laughs

The Transcendent One: Does he really matter to you?
Annah: He matters to me more than life!

The Transcendent One: Then... die.

—Planescape: Torment

"It appears we will both be giving our lives for your people."

—Mitth'ras'safis, Outbound Flight

Gav: Does it count as a selfless sacrifice if you clone yourself before your suicide mission?

Kevyn: I'm putting it on my resume and hoping nobody asks.

—Schlock Mercenary

The Doctor: We beam all the people out of the data core, the computer will reset and stop the countdown. Difficult, Charlotte doesn't have enough memory space left to make the transfer. Easy! I'll hook myself up to the computer and she can borrow my memory space!
River Song: Difficult! It'll kill you stone dead!

The Doctor: Yeah, it's easy to criticise.

—Doctor Who, "Forest of the Dead"

Spock: Do not grieve, Admiral. It is logical. The needs of the many outweigh...
Kirk: The needs of the few.

Spock: Or the one.

—Star Trek II the Wrath of Khan

Taurus Bulba: No doubt you keep such poor company to have someone to listen to your dismal diatribes and declarations. But tell me, are you willing to die for them?

Darkwing: Gladly.

—Darkwing Duck, "The Duck Knight Returns"

"This is bullshit! Why did you die for me?"

—Ragna the Bloodedge, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift

Freudia: (on self inflicted injuries) I seem to have overdone it a little, but I will be fine... Tia, you need to go after Iris!

Spiritia: But... I can't just leave you here. I have to release Karl, too.

Freudia: Leave Karl to me. I shall take care of everything here, so rest assured. I have no time to explain, but you are the only one who has a chance of defeating Iris.

—Rosenkreuzstilette

Cielo, Digital Devil Saga

"When it goes off, I'll be fine. It only affects AIs, right? And I am a motherfucking ghost."

—Church, Red vs. Blue

"Superman..."

—The Iron Giant, The Iron Giant

"Death need not be the end of hope!"

—Leonard, Drakengard

Schmendrick: Not all the magic in the world can help her now.
Molly: Then what is magic for?! What is the use of wizardry if it cannot save a unicorn?
Schmendrick: (sadly) That's what heroes are for.

Lir: Of course. That's exactly what heroes are for. (He runs out and Takes the Bullet for his love)

—The Last Unicorn

Peter Pettigrew: You don’t understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!

Sirius Black: THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!

—Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Commander Shepard: I'm sorry.

Mordin Solus: I'm not. Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong.

—Mass Effect 3

Victory. At any cost.

— Adrien Victus, Mass Effect 3

Lordgenome: My soul once drowned in a sea of despair and weariness, but has reawakened! If this body can create a tomorrow for all spiral life, I will gladly give it.

—Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann