10 Simple, Useful and Practical Hero Quotes

Hero Quotes

Here is a collection on 10 beautiful quotes on heroes. All of these quotes are handpicked, to select the ones with the most realistic message. Do let us know if you think we have missed any and we would love to extend the list. And without much ado, here is our countdown.


Hero Quotes 1

1) “We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day.”

Brad Meltzer

I like to start with this quote because sometimes this is as real as it gets. We all play that role between being extraordinary and being mundane. The situations and circumstances of our lives throw a lot of surprises at us and some are indeed very challenging. There have been moments where we have shied away from these challenges and there are moments when we decide – ‘Enough is enough’ and step up. And that defines the difference as to when we rise up to the level of becoming heroes.


Hero Quotes 2

2) Remember, heroes aren’t people who aren’t afraid to do something. They’re people who are terrified but do it anyway.

Who isn’t afraid of the unknown? Who amongst us gets excited about everything that happens to us in life? There are a few things which we are comfortable with and there are a few things we are not. And there are those things which make us shake in our boots. The natural response to these occurrences are avoidance and trying to be away from it as much as possible. But there is an element of going through it as well. And that defines a large chunk of being heroes – not being afraid or faking courage, but going along with it even when the going gets tough.


Hero Quotes 3

3) Heroes are heroes because they are heroic in behaviour, not because they won or lost

Very few times is a hero because of the number of achievements he/she has made in life. No doubt that winning and losing is a part of the game, but it is also important how we win or lose the game. There is a sense of morality associated with the behaviour and the answer is not just in hiding behind the shade of our achievements. It is equally important to fail as well and be in a position to appreciate the failure and learn what it means and how we can make the best of it. And that defines heroes, not just whether they won or not.


Hero Quotes 4

4) Hard times don’t create heroes, it is during hard times the ‘Hero’ within us is revealed

Bob Riley

A lot is said about being a hero and how circumstances shape a person. True circumstances are extremely important. But circumstances keep happening every other day, with something or the other around us. And it is the situation which brings out this hero within us. In other words, a hero is created little by the circumstances and a lot by the inherent characteristic within us which decides to remain strong. The more we nurture the within, the better chance it has to come out and step up!


Hero Quotes 5

5) Heroes are determined by the paths they choose, not the powers they are bestowed with!

We all like super heroes don’t we. There have been a few moments when we talk about achievements, someone comes up to us and says – these people did it because they had X,Y and Z as resources, they had the support, they were brave and what not. Well, all of those might be true, they might have add all those factors which made them achieve, but they also had challenges. At some point, we need to stop justifying why we cannot do something, the question really boils down to whether we want something or not and if we do, how badly do we need it and to what lengths we are prepared to go to have it.


Hero Quotes 6

6) There is something so accessible about heroes who have faults

I love this one. A lot of our old books have portrayed heroes in such a manner that there is an aura which separates the rest from us. There are also a fraction of people who find faults with heroes to prove that they were not perfect. Truth is, the heroes should not be perfect, the more perfect they are, the harder it is for us to aspire to become like them. It is wiser to accept their faults and look beyond them instead of trying to make them god-like which just ends up separating us from them.


Hero Quotes 7

7) My heroes are everyday people who work hard, are honest and have integrity

This one is to the heroes amongst us, the heroes who go on with their everyday lives, work up a sweat for the cause they believe in. Some of them end up being famous, some of them not- but it is wrong to say that the person is the hero. It is the values that they stand for which make them a hero or otherwise. And these are the values of integrity, honesty and hard work coupled with a lot of others. But these values sure are a great start.


Hero Quotes 8

8) “A hero is an ordinary human being who does the best of things in the worst of times.”
Leon Leyson

This quote comes back to the earlier ones, but it does humanise our heroes. I think all of us have been heroes at some point of our lives and continue to do so. But we all have an aspiration as well which makes us go forward to the bigger goal and under-appreciate what we have done so far. I believe there has to be a fine balance to strike where we acknowledge ourselves for the heroes we have been and the push towards the ones we want to be. That can create the motivation we need towards being the heroes we want to be.


Hero Quotes 9

9) A hero is defined by what he or she can do, not by what he or she cannot do.”
Damon Throop

Life is pretty simple – none of us have all the capacities in this world. That is why the idea of synergy becomes so important. That is why we need to work with others who have different capacities to make something happen. And our heroes have very well done that. And to be honest, we have rarely tried to scrutinise what our heroes cannot do and penalise them for that. We have been fairly happy with what they have done and how they have done it. I think there is a learning here to identify our own strengths and build a structure around it, instead of feeling awful about the things we cannot do.


Hero Quotes 10

10) “Heroes. Idols. They’re never who you think they are. Shorter. Nastier. Smellier. And when you finally meet them, there’s something that makes you want to choke the shit out of them.”
Paul Beatty

We all tend to romanticise our heroes. That is because we know so little about them, the rest is projected by the media, biographies and what not which tend to hail every bit of work they have done.All this does, is pushes them away from being able to relate to. Truth is, they ought to have been simple people, with simple flaws and some amazing qualities. The qualities made them do something incredible and gain our respect. Instead of adulating them and worshipping them, a saner truth is to treat them as people with insecurities just like us but with some qualities we really aspire to. And that is our take on the heroes who walk amongst us.


These were our top 10 realistic quotes on heroes. Do share your thoughts and if you think that there is a quote that needs to be in this list, do tell us and we will put it up there based on popular demand


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Vinay Nagaraju

Product Director with 10+ years in leadership roles - team building, product strategy, coaching and mentoring are a part of my everyday responsibilities. I write about motivational words that inspire us and shape our thinking and help us go beyond these thoughts to find what our minds are telling us and evolve.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Maitreni Mishra

    Nice quotes… truly inspiring … who doesn’t want to become a hero in his/her life! :)

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