---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On that hill, silently and solemnly…"
description: "\"“On that hill, silently and solemnly, Superboy promised himself and who or whatever else might hear his thoughts that his life would be devoted to the ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/elliot-s-maggin-89151_life_on-that-hill-silently-and-solemnly-super_998498.png"
---

#  On that hill, silently and solemnly, Superboy promised…

![“On that hill, silently and solemnly, Superboy promised himself and who or whatever else might hear his thoughts that his life would be devoted to the preservation of life; that he would use his powers whenever possible to save and improve the conditions of life and of living things everywhere…” quote by Elliot S! Maggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/elliot-s-maggin-89151_life_on-that-hill-silently-and-solemnly-super_998498.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/elliot-s-maggin-89151_life_on-that-hill-silently-and-solemnly-super_998498.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/elliot-s-maggin-89151_life_on-that-hill-silently-and-solemnly-super_998498.png)

> ““On that hill, silently and solemnly, Superboy promised himself and who or whatever else might hear his thoughts that his life would be devoted to the preservation of life; that he would use his powers whenever possible to save and improve the conditions of life and of living things everywhere; that under no circumstances would he ever be responsible for the loss of a single conscious life; that failing in any of these affirmations he would renounce his powers forever. There could be no nobler mission for a superman.””

Elliot S! Maggin

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Superboy vows to protect all life, refusing responsibility for any loss, and pledges to renounce his powers if he fails.

**In simple terms:** A hero commits to safeguarding life at all costs.

Key Takeaway

Uphold moral responsibility.

Themes

heroism ethics life preservation power commitment

Mood

idealistic serious inspirational

Type

Life:1 Living things:1 Preservation of life:1 Promised:0 Superman:0 Superboy Promised:0 Solemnly Superboy:0 Mission Superman:0

When to use this quote

- environmental activism
- medical ethics
- public service
- personal integrity

Key Concepts

deontological duty self‑sacrifice consequentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- Can you maintain such a pledge?
- What limits your commitment?

A Different Perspective

Absolute vows can be unrealistic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-things/) [Preservation of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preservation-of-life/) [Superman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superman/)

## Related quotes

> [The goal of the martial arts is not for the destruction of an opponent, but rather for self-growth and self-perfection. The practice of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-inosanto/the-goal-of-the-martial-arts-is-not-for-the-destruction-of-an/)

Dan Inosanto

> [We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable; that all men are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-sacred-and-undeniable-that-all-men-are/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The preservation of life seems to be rather a slogan than a genuine goal of the anti-abortion forces; what they want is control. Control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-preservation-of-life-seems-to-be-rather-a-slogan-than-a-genuine/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [When the men kill, it is up to us women to fight for the preservation of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-zetkin/when-the-men-kill-it-is-up-to-us-women-to-fight-for-the-preservation/)

[Clara Zetkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clara-zetkin/)

> [“From childhood I was compelled to concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering but, to my present view, it was a blessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/from-childhood-i-was-compelled-to-concentrate-attention-upon-myself-3/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [It is due to neither impotence nor ignorance on God’s part that evils occur in the world, but it is owing to the order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/it-is-due-to-neither-impotence-nor-ignorance-on-god-s-part-that-evils/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [Preservation of life is the only true joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/preservation-of-life-is-the-only-true-joy/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [“From childhood I was compelled to concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering, but to my present view, it was a blessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/from-childhood-i-was-compelled-to-concentrate-attention-upon-myself-2/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Contra Hobbes and Locke, Rousseau refused to believe that the obligations to civil society could be derived from self-interest, the preservation of life or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/contra-hobbes-and-locke-rousseau-refused-to-believe-that-the/)

[Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/)

> [“Ages of prolonged uncertainty, while they are compatible with the highest degree of saintliness in a few, are inimical to the prosaic every-day virtues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/ages-of-prolonged-uncertainty-while-they-are-compatible-with-the/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [“Survival was more than the preservation of life. It was tenacity in the face of ruin, an unbroken resolve in the midst of defeat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-murray/survival-was-more-than-the-preservation-of-life-it-was-tenacity-in/)

[Jocelyn Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-murray/)

> [From childhood I was compelled to concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering, but to my present view, it was a blessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/from-childhood-i-was-compelled-to-concentrate-attention-upon-myself/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [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 Elliot S! Maggin

> [“In Hamlet, the hero hates his Uncle King Claudius so much that he avoids killing him while Claudius is praying in church, because Hamlet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-s-maggin/in-hamlet-the-hero-hates-his-uncle-king-claudius-so-much-that-he/)

Elliot S! Maggin

Explore all 2 Elliot S! Maggin quotes

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

Deanna L. Lawlis

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“On that hill, silently and solemnly, Superboy promised himself and who or whatever else might hear his thoughts that his life would be devoted to the preservation of life; that he would use his powers whenever possible to save and improve the conditions of life and of living things everywhere; that under no circumstances would he ever be responsible for the loss of a single conscious life; that failing in any of these affirmations he would renounce his powers forever. There could be no nobler mission for a superman.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elliot S! Maggin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-s-maggin/on-that-hill-silently-and-solemnly-superboy-promised-himself-and-who/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-s-maggin/on-that-hill-silently-and-solemnly-superboy-promised-himself-and-who/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/elliot-s-maggin-89151_life_on-that-hill-silently-and-solemnly-super_998498.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/elliot-s-maggin-89151_life_on-that-hill-silently-and-solemnly-super_998498.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/elliot-s-maggin-89151_life_on-that-hill-silently-and-solemnly-super_998498.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“On that hill, silently and solemnly, Superboy promised himself and who or whatever else might hear his…” — Elliot S! Maggin",
                "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": "Elliot S! Maggin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-s-maggin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“On that hill, silently and solemnly,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-s-maggin/on-that-hill-silently-and-solemnly-superboy-promised-himself-and-who/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-s-maggin/on-that-hill-silently-and-solemnly-superboy-promised-himself-and-who/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
