Heroic Acts Quotes

• Every heroic act measures itself by its contempt of some external good. But it finds its own success at last, and then the prudent also extol.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Heroism, Lasts, Prudent

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (2015). “Essays”, p.39, Xist Publishing

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• Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.

  Howard Zinn

  Inspirational, Small Acts, People

  Howard Zinn (2010). “You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times”, p.208, Beacon Press

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• It is from the numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

  Robert Kennedy

  Change, Hope, Courage

  Robert F. Kennedy (1998). “Make Gentle the Life of the World: The Vision of Robert F. Kennedy”, Harcourt

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  We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.

  Howard Zinn

  Inspirational, Life, Change

  Howard Zinn (2010). “You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times”, p.208, Beacon Press

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• Some days it is a heroic act just to refuse the paralysis of fear and straighten up and step into another day.

  Edward Albert

  New Day, Another Day, Steps

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• But despite their heroic acts, the Vietnam Veterans of America continued to struggle to establish a combat badge in honor of these brave pilots and medics.

  Tim Holden

  Struggle, America, Brave

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• Remember, Monsieur that roses are not gathered except in the midst of thorns and that heroic acts of virtue are accomplished only in weakness.

  Vincent de Paul

  Rose, Weakness, Thorns

  Saint Vincent de Paul, Pierre Coste (1990). “Correspondence, Conferences, Documents: Correspondence; January 1640-July 1646)”

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• It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.

  Robert Kennedy

  Courage, Peace, Volunteer

  Robert F. Kennedy (1968). “"An Honorable profession": a tribute to Robert F. Kennedy”

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• Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.

  Robert Kennedy

  Inspirational, Motivational, Change

  Robert F. Kennedy (1998). “Make Gentle the Life of the World: The Vision of Robert F. Kennedy”, Harcourt

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• Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.

  Aristotle

  Courage, Peace, Bravery

  "Nichomachean Ethics". Book by Aristotle, Book II, c. 325 BC.

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• Heroes come in all sizes, and you don't have to be a giant hero. You can be a very small hero. It's just as important to understand that accepting self-responsibi lity for the things you do, having good manners, caring about other people-these are heroic acts. Everybody has the choice of being a hero or not being a hero every day of their lives.

  George Lucas

  Hero, Caring, Self

  "Of Myth And Men". Interview with Bill Moyers, content.time.com. April 18, 1999.

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• Apart from a couple that were just having fun with the concept and making fun of [Donald] Trump - like the one we did with Keegan Michael-Key - they really are little hero narratives. The whole "Save the Day" - it's called that, specifically, for a reason - ethos is there is this heroic act called voting. And the world is scary, and things are overwhelming, and there's a lot at stake.

  Joss Whedon

  Couple, Fun, Hero

  "Joss Whedon Explains Why Donald Trump Is America’s Scariest Big Bad". Interview With Patrick Caldwell, www.motherjones.com. November 1, 2016.

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• There were three options [in Allied], which were for [Bred Pitt] to shoot [Marion Cotillard], for them to escape, or for her to pull the trigger, which is a heroic act to spare him. When I was thinking about how it would end, a long time ago, I think I tried each of them to see, but two of them did not work.

  Steven Knight

  Thinking, Two, Long

  Source: collider.com

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• We are always in awe of what the donors have done in terms of providing of themselves to the recipients. It really is a heroic act because people take on themselves not only a risk of death but also pain-and-suffering in order for their loved one to get the benefit of the liver transplant.

  John Roberts

  Pain, Order, People

  Source: www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org

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• Im all about entertaining and keeping a reader on the edge of their seat, so to me, the social issues have to be meaningful and give the book whats really at stake, but ultimately its not about them - its always a personal story of everyday people thrust into life-threatening situations and having to perform heroic acts.

  Andrew Gross

  Meaningful, Book, Issues

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• Beauty is the mark God sets on virtue. Every natural action is graceful; every heroic act is also decent, and causes the place and the bystanders to shine.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Beauty, God, Bystanders

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt McLaughlin (2010). “The Laws of Nature: Excerpts from the Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.21, North Atlantic Books

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• Courage is a terribly important value. It means you don’t run away when things are tough. It means you don’t turn away from a friend when he or she is in trouble. It means standing up against the majority opinion... There’s a lot of people who won’t wear it on their sleeve, or display it through some heroic act. But courage is having the strength to do what’s honorable and decent.

  George H. W. Bush

  Running, Courage, Mean

  "Patriarch of a Political Dynasty". The Academy of Achievement Interview, www.achievement.org. June 2, 1995.

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• We all recall the cruel stepmother in fairy tales. That archetype is often a necessary element in a fairy tale so that the heroine/hero can become a person of character and power. Stories of heroes and heroines often begin with a wound or loss or injustice and end with heroic acts of restoration.

  David Richo

  Hero, Character, Loss

  David Richo (2007). “The Power of Coincidence: How Life Shows Us What We Need to Know”, p.17, Shambhala Publications

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• Most of our platitudes notwithstanding, self-deception remains the most difficult deception. The tricks that work on others count for nothing in that very well-lit back alley where one keeps assignation with oneself: no winning smiles will do here, no prettily drawn lists of good intentions. One shuffles flashily but in vain through one's marked cards- the kindness done for the wrong reason, the apparent triumph which involved no real effort, the seemingly heroic act into which one had been shamed.

  Joan Didion

  Kindness, Real, Winning

  Joan Didion (1968). “Slouching towards Bethlehem”

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