--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: what makes and ordinary person heroic is…" description: "\"“what makes and ordinary person heroic is when they give up the thing they want most”\" — Jane Heller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/jane-heller-60726_hero_what-makes-and-ordinary-person-heroic-is_2866117.jpg" --- # what makes and ordinary person heroic is when they give up… ![“what makes and ordinary person heroic is when they give up the thing they want most” quote by Jane Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/jane-heller-60726_hero_what-makes-and-ordinary-person-heroic-is_2866117.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/jane-heller-60726_hero_what-makes-and-ordinary-person-heroic-is_2866117.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/jane-heller-60726_hero_what-makes-and-ordinary-person-heroic-is_2866117.jpg) > ““what makes and ordinary person heroic is when they give up the thing they want most”” [Jane Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-heller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Heroism can arise from sacrificing personal desires for a greater good. **In simple terms:** Giving up what you want can be heroic. Key Takeaway Consider what you can sacrifice for others. Themes selflessness heroism sacrifice Mood reflective inspirational Type moral philosophical When to use this quote - volunteering - parenting - career change - relationship decisions Key Concepts altruism ethical choice Questions to Reflect On - What would you give up to help someone? - Is sacrifice always noble? A Different Perspective Sacrifice may lead to personal loss or regret. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Heroic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroic/) ## Related quotes > [To me, he's a hero, ... He's not polite. He's not someone you want to take home to meet your mother, necessarily. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/to-me-he-s-a-hero-he-s-not-polite-he-s-not-someone-you-want-to-take/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [To be a woman is a great adventure; To drive men mad is a heroic thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/to-be-a-woman-is-a-great-adventure-to-drive-men-mad-is-a-heroic-thing/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [Do one heroic thing today; big or small doesn't matter because it defines who you are and what you really believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/do-one-heroic-thing-today-big-or-small-doesn-t-matter-because-it/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [The most heroic thing you can do is tell someone that you love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-audiard/the-most-heroic-thing-you-can-do-is-tell-someone-that-you-love-them/) [Jacques Audiard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-audiard/) > [I was never able to write seriously about heroes because I was very aware that I was not one and that in my background…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-was-never-able-to-write-seriously-about-heroes-because-i-was-very/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [A letter makes ordinary things seem important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/a-letter-makes-ordinary-things-seem-important/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“What makes the marvellous is its peculiar way of being ordinary; what makes the ordinary is its peculiar way of being marvellous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/what-makes-the-marvellous-is-its-peculiar-way-of-being-ordinary-what/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [ \[William Eggleston\] sets forth what makes up our ordinary world. What is there, however strange, can be accepted without question; familiarity will be what… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/william-eggleston-sets-forth-what-makes-up-our-ordinary-world-what-is/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“People have all day to talk about what makes them ordinary. It turns out that they want to share what makes them weird.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/people-have-all-day-to-talk-about-what-makes-them-ordinary-it-turns/) [Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/) > [To me I just thought of the tough guys as like these silly Muppets. But getting through life, the heroic thing is if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/to-me-i-just-thought-of-the-tough-guys-as-like-these-silly-muppets/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [“For me, art makes the ordinary magical.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rowe/for-me-art-makes-the-ordinary-magical/) [Nikki Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rowe/) > [“Don't do the things just for the sake of it. Do something extra. It makes ordinary things, extraordinary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chandan-sharma/don-t-do-the-things-just-for-the-sake-of-it-do-something-extra-it/) [Chandan Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chandan-sharma/) > [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/) > [“Admitting we're not heroic is when we're the most heroic of all”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dorian-scrubs/admitting-we-re-not-heroic-is-when-we-re-the-most-heroic-of-all/) [John Dorian- scrubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dorian-scrubs/) > [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/) ## More by Jane Heller > [“Baseball is just a game. But like religion, it has rituals. I need rituals. I need traditions. I need something to believe in, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-heller/baseball-is-just-a-game-but-like-religion-it-has-rituals-i-need/) [Jane Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-heller/) > [“In other words, I am the Brunette Who Keeps Her Head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-heller/in-other-words-i-am-the-brunette-who-keeps-her-head/) [Jane Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-heller/) > [Open your heart to a baseball team and you're liable to get it broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-heller/open-your-heart-to-a-baseball-team-and-you-re-liable-to-get-it-broken/) [Jane Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-heller/) > [The "difficult" female character can-and will-do the shocking, the unexpected and, as a consequence, will give your story an immediate jolt of energy. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-heller/the-difficult-female-character-can-and-will-do-the-shocking-the/) [Jane Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-heller/) [Explore all 5 Jane Heller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-heller/) ## 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": "“what makes and ordinary person heroic is when they give up the thing they want most”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jane Heller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-heller/what-makes-and-ordinary-person-heroic-is-when-they-give-up-the-thing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hero" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-heller/what-makes-and-ordinary-person-heroic-is-when-they-give-up-the-thing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/jane-heller-60726_hero_what-makes-and-ordinary-person-heroic-is_2866117.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/jane-heller-60726_hero_what-makes-and-ordinary-person-heroic-is_2866117.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/jane-heller-60726_hero_what-makes-and-ordinary-person-heroic-is_2866117.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“what makes and ordinary person heroic is when they give up the thing they want most” — Jane Heller", "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": "Jane Heller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-heller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“what makes and ordinary person heroic...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-heller/what-makes-and-ordinary-person-heroic-is-when-they-give-up-the-thing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-heller/what-makes-and-ordinary-person-heroic-is-when-they-give-up-the-thing/#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 } } ] } ```