Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately read more

Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!

You lived too long, we have supped full with heroes, they waste their deaths on us.

You lived too long, we have supped full with heroes, they waste their deaths on us.

The characteristic of genuine heroism is its persistency. All men have wandering impulses, fits and starts of generosity. But when read more

The characteristic of genuine heroism is its persistency. All men have wandering impulses, fits and starts of generosity. But when you have resolved to be great, abide by yourself, and do not try to reconcile yourself with the world. The heroic cannot be common, nor the common heroic.

What is our task? To make Britain a fit country for heroes to live in.

What is our task? To make Britain a fit country for heroes to live in.

Be your own hero, it's cheaper than a movie ticket.

Be your own hero, it's cheaper than a movie ticket.

Listen, my friend, there are two races of beings. The masses teeming and happy -- common clay, if you like read more

Listen, my friend, there are two races of beings. The masses teeming and happy -- common clay, if you like -- eating, breeding, working, counting their pennies; people who just live; ordinary people; people you can't imagine dead. And then there are the others -- the noble ones, the heroes. The ones you can quite well imagine lying shot, pale and tragic; one minute triumphant with a guard of honor, and the next being marched away between two gendarmes.

Bardot, Byron, Hitler, Hemingway, Monroe, Sade: we do not require our heroes to be subtle, just to be big. Then read more

Bardot, Byron, Hitler, Hemingway, Monroe, Sade: we do not require our heroes to be subtle, just to be big. Then we can depend on someone to make them subtle.

A hero is someone we can admire without apology.

A hero is someone we can admire without apology.

True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but read more

True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.