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

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

Heroes are created by popular demand, sometimes out of the scantiest materials.

Heroes are created by popular demand, sometimes out of the scantiest materials.

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.

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.

We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.

We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.

As you get older, it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary

As you get older, it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary

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.

The idol of today pushes the hero of yesterday out of our recollection; and will, in turn, be supplanted by read more

The idol of today pushes the hero of yesterday out of our recollection; and will, in turn, be supplanted by his successor of tomorrow.

The opportunities for heroism are limited in this kind of world: the most people can do is sometimes not to read more

The opportunities for heroism are limited in this kind of world: the most people can do is sometimes not to be as weak as they've been at other times.