--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The contemporary hero, the mythical…" description: "\"The contemporary hero, the mythical pattern in the imitation of whom we would live, remains as yet undefined. We have no hero; what is more to the poin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14f/irwin-edman-34030_contemporary_the-contemporary-hero-the-mythical-patte_2873784.png" --- # The contemporary hero, the mythical pattern in the… ![“The contemporary hero, the mythical pattern in the imitation of whom we would live, remains as yet undefined. We have no hero; what is more to the point, we suspect hero worship.” quote by Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14f/irwin-edman-34030_contemporary_the-contemporary-hero-the-mythical-patte_2873784.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14f/irwin-edman-34030_contemporary_the-contemporary-hero-the-mythical-patte_2873784.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14f/irwin-edman-34030_contemporary_the-contemporary-hero-the-mythical-patte_2873784.png) > “The contemporary hero, the mythical pattern in the imitation of whom we would live, remains as yet undefined. We have no hero; what is more to the point, we suspect hero worship.” [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern society lacks a clear hero; hero worship is questioned. **In simple terms:** Heroes are undefined today. Key Takeaway Define personal ideals. Themes heroism modernity myth Mood philosophical critical Type cultural psychological When to use this quote - leadership - branding - media analysis Key Concepts cultural narratives identity formation Questions to Reflect On - What qualities define a hero for you? - How does hero worship affect society? A Different Perspective Idealizing heroes may cause disillusionment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Hero worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero-worship/) [Heroism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroism/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [The hero, the mythical subject, is constructed as human being and as male; he is the active principle of culture, the establisher of distinction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-de-lauretis/the-hero-the-mythical-subject-is-constructed-as-human-being-and-as/) [Teresa de Lauretis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-de-lauretis/) > [The way of trust is a movement into obscurity, into the undefined, into ambiguity, not into some predetermined, clearly delineated plan for the future.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/the-way-of-trust-is-a-movement-into-obscurity-into-the-undefined-into/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Don't ask where the rest of this book is!" 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They would prefer to be damned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/many-of-our-newly-smart-would-rather-be-found-murdering-their/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) > [The standardized American is largely a myth created not least by Americans themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/the-standardized-american-is-largely-a-myth-created-not-least-by/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) > [Education is the process of casting false pearls before real swine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/education-is-the-process-of-casting-false-pearls-before-real-swine/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) > [The outlook for our country lies in the quality of its idleness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/the-outlook-for-our-country-lies-in-the-quality-of-its-idleness/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) > [To the modern spirit, disillusioned, or at least unillusioned, the great evil to be avoided is sentimentality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/to-the-modern-spirit-disillusioned-or-at-least-unillusioned-the-great/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) > [By the year 1982 the graduated income tax will have practically abolished major differences in wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/by-the-year-1982-the-graduated-income-tax-will-have-practically/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) > [Life is always at some turning point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/life-is-always-at-some-turning-point/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) > [It is a myth, not a mandate, a fable not a logic, and symbol rather than a reason by which men are moved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/it-is-a-myth-not-a-mandate-a-fable-not-a-logic-and-symbol-rather-than/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) > [God may still be in His Heaven, but there is more than sufficient evidence that all is not right with the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/god-may-still-be-in-his-heaven-but-there-is-more-than-sufficient/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) > [The best test of the quality of a civilization is the quality of its leisure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/the-best-test-of-the-quality-of-a-civilization-is-the-quality-of-its/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) > [“Political success in Athens seemed to depend on having a party, and there seemed now to be no party with whom an honorable man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/political-success-in-athens-seemed-to-depend-on-having-a-party-and/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) > [Sophistication demands honesty; it does not require ill temper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/sophistication-demands-honesty-it-does-not-require-ill-temper/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) > [The discovery that the universe has no purpose need not prevent a human being from having one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-edman/the-discovery-that-the-universe-has-no-purpose-need-not-prevent-a/) [Irwin Edman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) [Explore all 14 Irwin Edman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-edman/) ## More Contemporary quotes > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. 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It's very contemporary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goldblum/going-back-to-the-noir-fiction-of-the-30s-40s-and-50s-it-s-very/) [Jeff Goldblum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goldblum/) > [Most of my contemporary grant-getters are now doing something other than painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/most-of-my-contemporary-grant-getters-are-now-doing-something-other/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [“The contemporary world has turned its back on the attempt and even on the desire to live reasonably.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-contemporary-world-has-turned-its-back-on-the-attempt-and-even-on/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [No, it's interesting to remake a film for the contemporary audience today. I think it's a good idea; it needs to respect the original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-argento/no-it-s-interesting-to-remake-a-film-for-the-contemporary-audience/) [Dario Argento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-argento/) Browse all 1,586 Contemporary quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The contemporary hero, the mythical pattern in the imitation of whom we would live, remains as yet undefined. 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