--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What makes Superman a hero is not that he…" description: "\"What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting point of view,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/christopher-reeve-7715_acting_what-makes-superman-a-hero-is-not-that-h_2879588.jpg" --- # What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but… ![“What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting point of view, that's how I approached the part.” quote by Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/christopher-reeve-7715_acting_what-makes-superman-a-hero-is-not-that-h_2879588.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/christopher-reeve-7715_acting_what-makes-superman-a-hero-is-not-that-h_2879588.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/christopher-reeve-7715_acting_what-makes-superman-a-hero-is-not-that-h_2879588.jpg) > “What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting point of view, that's how I approached the part.” [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. Reeve says true heroism lies in wisdom and maturity to wield power responsibly, not merely in possessing power. **In simple terms:** Heroes use power wisely. Key Takeaway Cultivate wisdom before seeking power. Themes leadership responsibility ethics Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - leadership training - ethical decision‑making - public speaking Key Concepts philosophy of power moral development Questions to Reflect On - What does responsible power look like? - How can maturity be taught? A Different Perspective Power without wisdom can be destructive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Hero Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero-power-2178527/) [Makes Superman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-superman-3983057/) [Maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Superman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superman/) [Superman Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superman-hero-430821/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wisely Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisely-acting-3983058/) ## Related quotes > [“What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-makes-superman-a-hero-is-not-that-he-has-power-but-that-he-has/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Initially, kids are attracted to Superman as a hero because he can take care of problems and still appear as friendly as your dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/initially-kids-are-attracted-to-superman-as-a-hero-because-he-can/) [Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/) > [My dream is to make a Superman hero that's gay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-daniels/my-dream-is-to-make-a-superman-hero-that-s-gay/) [Lee Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-daniels/) > [When a comedian can turn hero and has the will power to work out for a six pack, he can easily fit into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanikella-bharani/when-a-comedian-can-turn-hero-and-has-the-will-power-to-work-out-for/) [Tanikella Bharani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanikella-bharani/) > [People may never understand this - and perhaps I should give up caring whether they do or not - but the idea of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/people-may-never-understand-this-and-perhaps-i-should-give-up-caring/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Who says I'm not Superman?" You were looking at me with one eye closed against the sun. I shrugged "You would have recued me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-christopher/who-says-i-m-not-superman-you-were-looking-at-me-with-one-eye-closed/) [Lucy Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-christopher/) > [To the world you might be just a guy but to me you are my world, my SUPERMAN. Love you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine/to-the-world-you-might-be-just-a-guy-but-to-me-you-are-my-world-my/) [Josephine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine/) > [Even Superman's name reflects his creators' biblical knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/even-superman-s-name-reflects-his-creators-biblical-knowledge/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [Superman, where are you now, when everything's gone wrong somehow?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genesis/superman-where-are-you-now-when-everything-s-gone-wrong-somehow/) [Genesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genesis/) > [I knew very little about 'Spider-Man'. I grew up more in the 'Superman' generation. 'Spider-Man' - I didn't know so much. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-knew-very-little-about-spider-man-i-grew-up-more-in-the-superman/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [“He has also worked as a shop assistant, bicycle-repair mechanic, journalist, actor, eccentric dancer, and mail-order bride. He has never worked for MI5. Don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-r-green/he-has-also-worked-as-a-shop-assistant-bicycle-repair-mechanic/) [Simon R. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-r-green/) > [My dad was not a footballer. He wasn't anything remotely what the average person would say was a role model - but in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-deeney/my-dad-was-not-a-footballer-he-wasn-t-anything-remotely-what-the/) [Troy Deeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-deeney/) > [I teach you beyond Man (superman). Man is something that shall be surpassed. What have you done to surpass him?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-teach-you-beyond-man-superman-man-is-something-that-shall-be/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It is true that from a behavioral economics perspective we are fallible, easily confused, not that smart, and often irrational. We are more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-is-true-that-from-a-behavioral-economics-perspective-we-are/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [I identify with Superman. I am adopted, I am an only child, and I love the idea that he comes from another world, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-singer/i-identify-with-superman-i-am-adopted-i-am-an-only-child-and-i-love/) [Bryan Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-singer/) ## 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 Acting quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) [Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/) > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting point of view, that's how I approached the part.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Reeve" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/what-makes-superman-a-hero-is-not-that-he-has-power-but-that-he-has-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/what-makes-superman-a-hero-is-not-that-he-has-power-but-that-he-has-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/christopher-reeve-7715_acting_what-makes-superman-a-hero-is-not-that-h_2879588.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/christopher-reeve-7715_acting_what-makes-superman-a-hero-is-not-that-h_2879588.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3de/christopher-reeve-7715_acting_what-makes-superman-a-hero-is-not-that-h_2879588.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the…” — 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": "What makes Superman a hero is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/what-makes-superman-a-hero-is-not-that-he-has-power-but-that-he-has-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/what-makes-superman-a-hero-is-not-that-he-has-power-but-that-he-has-2/#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 } } ] } ```