--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For years, I tried to resist the hero…" description: "\"For years, I tried to resist the hero label.\" — Chesley Sullenberger" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b60/chesley-sullenberger-18702_hero_for-years-i-tried-to-resist-the-hero-lab_1068990.jpg" --- # For years, I tried to resist the hero label. ![“For years, I tried to resist the hero label.” quote by Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b60/chesley-sullenberger-18702_hero_for-years-i-tried-to-resist-the-hero-lab_1068990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b60/chesley-sullenberger-18702_hero_for-years-i-tried-to-resist-the-hero-lab_1068990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b60/chesley-sullenberger-18702_hero_for-years-i-tried-to-resist-the-hero-lab_1068990.jpg) > “For years, I tried to resist the hero label.” [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Resisting the label of hero to stay grounded and avoid ego. **In simple terms:** Avoid hero label. Key Takeaway Stay humble. Themes humility self‑perception leadership Mood reflective humble Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - public speaking - crisis response - teaching - media interviews Key Concepts ethics identity public expectation Questions to Reflect On - Why resist being called a hero? - What are the risks of embracing hero status? A Different Perspective Denial of heroism can hinder recognition of genuine impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) ## Related quotes > [I'd always tried to resist playing the supervirility thing. 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Perelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-perelman/) > [Over the years I have tried to develop something which is technically assured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-bryars/over-the-years-i-have-tried-to-develop-something-which-is-technically/) [Gavin Bryars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-bryars/) > [For 30 years I have tried to make it understood that there are no criminals,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/for-30-years-i-have-tried-to-make-it-understood-that-there-are-no/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [From the age of 40, I went through illness for four and a half years. I tried to keep working through it as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-lee/from-the-age-of-40-i-went-through-illness-for-four-and-a-half-years-i/) [Sheryl Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-lee/) > [I walked away from acting for eight years and tried to make the choice that I should have made when I was 21. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-gibson/i-walked-away-from-acting-for-eight-years-and-tried-to-make-the/) [Mel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-gibson/) > [For fifty years now, we have tried big government. Yet too many people remain trapped in despair. Now, we must try a new way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/for-fifty-years-now-we-have-tried-big-government-yet-too-many-people/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Once I tried to make a standardization of staircases. Probably that is one of the oldest of the standardizations. 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Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-o-yang/) > [People take years learning how to act; it's a skill, not just a job. If I tried it out and thought I'd be OK,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/people-take-years-learning-how-to-act-it-s-a-skill-not-just-a-job-if/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) ## More by Chesley Sullenberger > [If you take one of the first flights out in the morning, typically the airplane and the crew have arrived the night before. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/if-you-take-one-of-the-first-flights-out-in-the-morning-typically-the/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) > [That's what we're trained to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/that-s-what-we-re-trained-to-do/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) > [The economic tsunami has hit all airline employees. With the 2001 terror attacks, airline bankruptcies, pension terminations, loss of pay, changes in work rules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/the-economic-tsunami-has-hit-all-airline-employees-with-the-2001/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) > [You know, I think when people are in important positions in big organizations, they often get tied up with the minutia of managing money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/you-know-i-think-when-people-are-in-important-positions-in-big/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) > [I had never been so challenged in an airplane that I doubted the outcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/i-had-never-been-so-challenged-in-an-airplane-that-i-doubted-the/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) > [Pilots learn to use human skills to communicate information and make decisions collectively, which creates a shared sense of responsibility among the team for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/pilots-learn-to-use-human-skills-to-communicate-information-and-make/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) > [I went from living my life anonymously for 58 years to being a public figure known globally in a matter of minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/i-went-from-living-my-life-anonymously-for-58-years-to-being-a-public/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) > [When I testified before Congress after the Hudson River landing, Congressman James Oberstar of Minnesota said, 'Safety begins in the boardroom.' 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After Flight 1549, my family and I had to become public figures and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/i-m-less-shy-now-than-i-was-as-a-kid-after-flight-1549-my-family-and/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) > [It's amazing what you can learn to get used to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/it-s-amazing-what-you-can-learn-to-get-used-to/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) > [My mother was a first-grade teacher, so I credit her with this lifelong intellectual curiosity I have, and love of reading and learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/my-mother-was-a-first-grade-teacher-so-i-credit-her-with-this/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) > [Medical professionals are as skilled and as dedicated as any, but they operate within a fragmented system that has not progressed as far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/medical-professionals-are-as-skilled-and-as-dedicated-as-any-but-they/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) > [I try to work out, time permitting, wherever I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/i-try-to-work-out-time-permitting-wherever-i-am/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) > [It's an important job to be the public face of something that gives people hope, and I take that seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/it-s-an-important-job-to-be-the-public-face-of-something-that-gives/) [Chesley Sullenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) [Explore all 34 Chesley Sullenberger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/) ## More Hero quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > ['Melanin Man' was inspired by the words of an Uber driver in L.A. Before I got out of the car he said, 'They're scared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masego/melanin-man-was-inspired-by-the-words-of-an-uber-driver-in-l-a-before/) [Masego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masego/) > [Once the state has been founded, there can no longer be any heroes. They come on the scene only in uncivilized conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/once-the-state-has-been-founded-there-can-no-longer-be-any-heroes/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [You know, I often thought that the gangster and the artist are the same in the eyes of the masses. They're admired and hero-worshipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/you-know-i-often-thought-that-the-gangster-and-the-artist-are-the/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [“A hero is not know by the number of battles he has won, but rather by the kind of battles he chooses to fight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonny-k-brown/a-hero-is-not-know-by-the-number-of-battles-he-has-won-but-rather-by/) [Tonny K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonny-k-brown/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Teachers are heroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/teachers-are-heroes/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [“Forgotten hero was never the real hero, real hero can not be forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/forgotten-hero-was-never-the-real-hero-real-hero-can-not-be-forgotten/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > ['Sex and The City' was made to correct the myth that if you were single at a certain age, you were a leper. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-patrick-king/sex-and-the-city-was-made-to-correct-the-myth-that-if-you-were-single/) [Michael Patrick King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-patrick-king/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [O it's Tommy this, and Tommy that, and Tommy 'ow's your soul/But it's thin red line of heroes when the drums begin to roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/o-it-s-tommy-this-and-tommy-that-and-tommy-ow-s-your-soul-but-it-s/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Benny Carter came up to me and said to me, "You know, in the whole history of the alto, I think Phil is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/benny-carter-came-up-to-me-and-said-to-me-you-know-in-the-whole/) [Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/) [Browse all 5,602 Hero quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For years, I tried to resist the hero label.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chesley Sullenberger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/for-years-i-tried-to-resist-the-hero-label/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hero" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/for-years-i-tried-to-resist-the-hero-label/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b60/chesley-sullenberger-18702_hero_for-years-i-tried-to-resist-the-hero-lab_1068990.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b60/chesley-sullenberger-18702_hero_for-years-i-tried-to-resist-the-hero-lab_1068990.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b60/chesley-sullenberger-18702_hero_for-years-i-tried-to-resist-the-hero-lab_1068990.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For years, I tried to resist the hero label.” — Chesley Sullenberger", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Chesley Sullenberger", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesley-sullenberger/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For years, I tried to resist...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/for-years-i-tried-to-resist-the-hero-label/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesley-sullenberger/for-years-i-tried-to-resist-the-hero-label/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```