The Hero/Quotes

But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective in this kind of story must be such a man. He is the hero, he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world. I do not care much about his private life; he is neither a eunuch nor a satyr; I think he might seduce a duchess and I am quite sure he would not spoil a virgin; if he is a man of honor in one thing, he is that in all things. He is a relatively poor man, or he would not be a detective at all. He is a common man or he could not go among common people. He has a sense of character, or he would not know his job. He will take no man's money dishonestly and no man's insolence without a due and dispassionate Revenge. He is a lonely man and his Pride is that you will treat him as a proud man or be very sorry you ever saw him. He talks as the man of his age talks, that is, with rude wit, a lively sense of the grotesque, a disgust for sham, and a contempt for pettiness. The story is his adventure in search of a hidden truth, and it would be no adventure if it did not happen to a man fit for adventure. He has a range of awareness that startles you, but it belongs to him by right, because it belongs to the world he lives in.
If there were enough like him, I think the world would be a very safe place to live in, and yet not too dull to be worth living in.

—Raymond Chandler, from "The Simple Art of Murder"

"Now about Lankhmar. She's been invaded, her walls breached everywhere and desperate fighting is going on in the streets, by a fierce host which out-numbers Lankhamar's inhabitants by fifty to one -- and equipped with all modern weapons. Yet you can save the city."
"How?" demanded Fafhrd. Ningauble shrugged. "You're a hero. You should know."

—Fritz Leiber

It is an odd thing that the words hero and heroine have in their constant use in connection with literary fiction entirely lost their meaning. A hero now means merely a young man sufficiently decent and reliable to go through a few adventures without hanging himself or taking to drink.

—G. K. Chesterton

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?"

—Macaulay

And they ask, "What is a Hero?"
though the answer's very clear,
He's the one who faces danger
when the darkness hovers near.

He will face the fiercest foe
when another needs his aid,
He will dare to defy Death
even though he is afraid,
He works not just for glory
and he does it not for gain,
But because he knows that others
will be spared a greater pain.

He won't always follow orders,
for he dares to answer, "Why?"
And unless he likes the reason,
he refuses to comply,
He will brave the battle boldly
even though he may not win,
He will face his fate unflinching,
for he is a Paladin.

And they ask "What is a Hero?"
though the answer's evident,
He's the one who faces death
knowing that his life's well spent.

—Quest for Glory II: Trial By Fire

Price Lir: Then what is magic for? What use is wizardry if it cannot save a unicorn?
Shmendrik: That's what heroes are for.

—The Last Unicorn

"I remember when you were young and I used to tell you stories about your father; what was it you'd say to me?"
"Teach me to be a Hero!"

—Walter Beck & The Hero, Fable 3

True Heroism is alike positive and progressive.It sees in right the duty which should dominate and in truth the principle which should prevail.And hence it never falters in the faith that always and everywhere Sin must be repressed and Righteousness exalted.

—John McClellan Holmes

"I have been Roland, Beowulf, Achilles, Gilgamesh. I have been called a hundred names and will be called a thousand more before the world goes dim and cold. I am hero."

—Marathon 2: Durandal

Someone’s looking for a lead
In his duty to a king or to a creed
Protecting what he feels is right
Fights against wrong with his life

—Robert Palmer, Every Kinda' People

If one truly is to have the right to be called a Hero, it's not because he wields a sword or because he holds a shield. Not because he heals, either. A Hero is one who risks his own life, to protect his companions, to save the woman, he wagers himself. It doesn't matter if you're beaten. It's fine if you're crushed. Weep all you want. Because the victor is always found among the losers. Drive your wish through. Cry out your desire. Do that, and that is when a Hero looks most impressive!

—Hermes, Bell Cranel's grandfather, and Bell Cranel, speaking in turns; Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, season 1, episode 13

And a Hero's job, of course, is to act. To make decisions and take actions in the Now. And to pay the price that the Now demands.

—Ranma and Akane: A Love Story, Chapter 1

Back to The Hero