--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People may never understand this - and…" description: "\"People may never understand this - and perhaps I should give up caring whether they do or not - but the idea of me playing Superman is so far away from..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/christopher-reeve-7715_aspire_people-may-never-understand-this-and-per_2444237.jpg" --- # People may never understand this - and perhaps I should… ![“People may never understand this - and perhaps I should give up caring whether they do or not - but the idea of me playing Superman is so far away from what I was brought up to aspire to.” quote by Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/christopher-reeve-7715_aspire_people-may-never-understand-this-and-per_2444237.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/christopher-reeve-7715_aspire_people-may-never-understand-this-and-per_2444237.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/christopher-reeve-7715_aspire_people-may-never-understand-this-and-per_2444237.jpg) > “People may never understand this - and perhaps I should give up caring whether they do or not - but the idea of me playing Superman is so far away from what I was brought up to aspire to.” [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The actor feels a disconnect between his iconic role as Superman and his personal aspirations, highlighting identity conflict. **In simple terms:** Personal identity may clash with public expectations. Key Takeaway Accept your true aspirations over imposed roles. Themes identity expectations career self‑image Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career counseling - personal branding - public speaking - mental health counseling Key Concepts role conflict public persona authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile public expectations with personal goals? - What steps can you take to align your career with your true self? A Different Perspective Public image can limit personal growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Caring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caring/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Superman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superman/) ## Related quotes > [To play Bond, though, and then for the world to perceive you in a certain way, is very different from playing Superman. Bond is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cavill/to-play-bond-though-and-then-for-the-world-to-perceive-you-in-a/) [Henry Cavill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cavill/) > [If I have a super computer then superman cant be far behind :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrealle-moore/if-i-have-a-super-computer-then-superman-cant-be-far-behind-p/) Ambrealle Moore > [“We were each of us trying; trying to undo our own history while wishing for Superman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-garibay/we-were-each-of-us-trying-trying-to-undo-our-own-history-while/) [Amber Garibay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-garibay/) > [Even during my short film days, I approached theatres with the idea of playing them during the interval. They thought it was problematic to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karthik-subbaraj/even-during-my-short-film-days-i-approached-theatres-with-the-idea-of/) [Karthik Subbaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karthik-subbaraj/) > [I really liked the idea of playing - I won't say the underdog - but characters who have a lot of conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-henry/i-really-liked-the-idea-of-playing-i-won-t-say-the-underdog-but/) [Joshua Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-henry/) > [I loved the idea of playing cello whilst beatboxing, and I ran with it. I didn't realize that it would put me in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-olusola/i-loved-the-idea-of-playing-cello-whilst-beatboxing-and-i-ran-with-it/) [Kevin Olusola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-olusola/) > [I love the idea of playing something stupid or romantic. I'm not the smartest man in the room. I listen, and I learn, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/i-love-the-idea-of-playing-something-stupid-or-romantic-i-m-not-the/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [You can win, but you have to show that you win with the idea of playing good football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-conte/you-can-win-but-you-have-to-show-that-you-win-with-the-idea-of/) [Antonio Conte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-conte/) > [I love the idea of playing women I think I'm going to learn from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juno-temple/i-love-the-idea-of-playing-women-i-think-i-m-going-to-learn-from/) [Juno Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juno-temple/) > [I like the idea of playing in unison with yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thompson/i-like-the-idea-of-playing-in-unison-with-yourself/) [Richard Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thompson/) > [The idea of playing the point and leading a team to the NBA championship is what drove me to get up every day and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jalen-rose/the-idea-of-playing-the-point-and-leading-a-team-to-the-nba/) [Jalen Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jalen-rose/) > [I'm really into the idea of playing sit-down drums again. I don't know if it'll end up that way, but as of right now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panda-bear/i-m-really-into-the-idea-of-playing-sit-down-drums-again-i-don-t-know/) [Panda Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panda-bear/) > [I loved the idea of playing this naughty old bag, offering her own explanation. It's my idea of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-rigg/i-loved-the-idea-of-playing-this-naughty-old-bag-offering-her-own/) [Diana Rigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-rigg/) > [I love the idea of playing a character that didn't over think everything. He knows what's in front of him and he has an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-schwartzman/i-love-the-idea-of-playing-a-character-that-didn-t-over-think/) [Jason Schwartzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-schwartzman/) > [I like the idea of playing a historical detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-mendes/i-like-the-idea-of-playing-a-historical-detective/) [Eva Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-mendes/) ## More by Christopher Reeve > [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [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/) > [I am optimistic. But I also know that, with time, I'm beginning to fight issues of aging as well as long-term paralysis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/i-am-optimistic-but-i-also-know-that-with-time-i-m-beginning-to-fight/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. The fifteen-year-old boy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/i-think-a-hero-is-an-ordinary-individual-who-finds-the-strength-to/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [I think we all have a little voice inside us that will guide us. It may be God, I don't know. But I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/i-think-we-all-have-a-little-voice-inside-us-that-will-guide-us-it/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [ I'm starting a new chapter in my \[\[life\], and you have no idea how much that means. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/i-m-starting-a-new-chapter-in-my-life-and-you-have-no-idea-how-much/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [We live in a time when the words impossible and unsolvable are no longer part of the scientific community's vocabulary. Each day we move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/we-live-in-a-time-when-the-words-impossible-and-unsolvable-are-no/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [My father is an intellectual and physical man, which is a rather unusual combination. He's great. As he brought up me and my brothers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/my-father-is-an-intellectual-and-physical-man-which-is-a-rather/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [A hero is an ordinary person doing things in an extra ordinary way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/a-hero-is-an-ordinary-person-doing-things-in-an-extra-ordinary-way/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Living a life with meaning means spreading the word. Even if you can't move, you can have a powerful effect with what you say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/living-a-life-with-meaning-means-spreading-the-word-even-if-you-can-t/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [When the first Superman movie came out, I gave dozens of interviews to promote it. The most frequent question was: What is a hero?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-gave-dozens-of-interviews-to/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [All the scientists who are working on solving the problem of curing paralysis say that it won't do you any good if you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/all-the-scientists-who-are-working-on-solving-the-problem-of-curing/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [It's defeatist to harp on what might have been, and yet, it's hard to resist considering what might have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/it-s-defeatist-to-harp-on-what-might-have-been-and-yet-it-s-hard-to/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [“I have to stop this cascade of memories, or at least take them out of their drawer only for a moment, have a brief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/i-have-to-stop-this-cascade-of-memories-or-at-least-take-them-out-of/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [What can I do today to take a step forward?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/what-can-i-do-today-to-take-a-step-forward/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) [Explore all 88 Christopher Reeve quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) ## More Aspire quotes > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [I love it when television is shot in a cinematic way and I think to aspire to that is no bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/i-love-it-when-television-is-shot-in-a-cinematic-way-and-i-think-to/) [Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/) > [At the end of the day, everyone knows what it is to be loved and to aspire to love someone, to want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/at-the-end-of-the-day-everyone-knows-what-it-is-to-be-loved-and-to/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [I didn't aspire to be a good sport; 'champion' was good enough for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-perry/i-didn-t-aspire-to-be-a-good-sport-champion-was-good-enough-for-me/) [Fred Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-perry/) > [We should all aspire in life to do a multitude of things well - to be a great father, to be a good husband,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-modine/we-should-all-aspire-in-life-to-do-a-multitude-of-things-well-to-be-a/) [Matthew Modine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-modine/) > [We try, we fail, we posture, we aspire, we pontificate - and then we age, shrink, die, and vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-try-we-fail-we-posture-we-aspire-we-pontificate-and-then-we-age/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I aspire my country eventually has a league where all players play 50 games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-chhetri/i-aspire-my-country-eventually-has-a-league-where-all-players-play-50/) [Sunil Chhetri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-chhetri/) > [I'm exceptional in everything that I do and I aspire to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omarosa-manigault-newman/i-m-exceptional-in-everything-that-i-do-and-i-aspire-to-do/) [Omarosa Manigault Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omarosa-manigault-newman/) > [One of the reasons you study at great institutions or aspire to work in great corporations is that you hope to acquire the values…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/one-of-the-reasons-you-study-at-great-institutions-or-aspire-to-work/) [Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/) > [So if you aspire to be a good conversationali st, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that other persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/so-if-you-aspire-to-be-a-good-conversationali-st-be-an-attentive/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [... the majority of colored men do not yet think it worth while that women aspire to higher education… The three R's, a littlemusic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-julia-cooper/the-majority-of-colored-men-do-not-yet-think-it-worth-while-that/) [Anna Julia Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-julia-cooper/) > [For me, there has always been a disconnect with the sort of elitist structure of the high-art world - and my distaste for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shepard-fairey/for-me-there-has-always-been-a-disconnect-with-the-sort-of-elitist/) [Shepard Fairey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shepard-fairey/) > [There is not a right too long denied to which we do not aspire in order to achieve; there is not a wrong too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gompers/there-is-not-a-right-too-long-denied-to-which-we-do-not-aspire-in/) [Samuel Gompers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-gompers/) Browse all 650 Aspire quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People may never understand this - and perhaps I should give up caring whether they do or not - but the idea of me playing Superman is so far away from what I was brought up to aspire to.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Reeve" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/people-may-never-understand-this-and-perhaps-i-should-give-up-caring/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aspire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/people-may-never-understand-this-and-perhaps-i-should-give-up-caring/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/christopher-reeve-7715_aspire_people-may-never-understand-this-and-per_2444237.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/christopher-reeve-7715_aspire_people-may-never-understand-this-and-per_2444237.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b5/christopher-reeve-7715_aspire_people-may-never-understand-this-and-per_2444237.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People may never understand this - and perhaps I should give up caring whether they do or not - but the idea…” — Christopher Reeve", "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": "Christopher Reeve", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People may never understand this -...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/people-may-never-understand-this-and-perhaps-i-should-give-up-caring/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/people-may-never-understand-this-and-perhaps-i-should-give-up-caring/#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 } } ] } ```