--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: understood—heroism was exhausting business." description: "\"“understood—heroism was exhausting business.”\" — Joe Hill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/joe-hill-1162_exhausting_understood-heroism-was-exhausting-busine_1082585.png" --- # understood—heroism was exhausting business. ![“understood—heroism was exhausting business.” quote by Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/joe-hill-1162_exhausting_understood-heroism-was-exhausting-busine_1082585.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/joe-hill-1162_exhausting_understood-heroism-was-exhausting-busine_1082585.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/joe-hill-1162_exhausting_understood-heroism-was-exhausting-busine_1082585.png) > ““understood—heroism was exhausting business.”” [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) ## 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 be draining and demanding. **In simple terms:** Being a hero is exhausting. Key Takeaway Recognize limits. Themes heroism exhaustion duty Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - military - first responders - fictional heroes - personal caregiving Key Concepts sacrifice burnout responsibility Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt hero fatigue? - How can heroes protect themselves? A Different Perspective Idealizing heroism may ignore necessary self‑care. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exhausting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhausting/) [Exhausting Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhausting-business-1964275/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Heroism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroism/) [Heroism Exhausting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroism-exhausting-2755779/) [Understood Heroism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood-heroism-2755780/) ## Related quotes > [Being in love is an exhausting business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/being-in-love-is-an-exhausting-business/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“Fighting was an exhausting business, and so was fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/fighting-was-an-exhausting-business-and-so-was-fear/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [Heroism is accessible. Happiness is more difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/heroism-is-accessible-happiness-is-more-difficult/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [In the film world, we can all be heroes. In the real world, where heroism can cost you your life or the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rhys-davies/in-the-film-world-we-can-all-be-heroes-in-the-real-world-where/) [John Rhys-Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rhys-davies/) > [Those persons who are burning to display heroism may rest assured that the course of social evolution will offer them every opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/those-persons-who-are-burning-to-display-heroism-may-rest-assured/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [Heroism is endurance for one moment more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-f-kennan/heroism-is-endurance-for-one-moment-more/) [George F. Kennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-f-kennan/) > [“A hero is a person who, without a second thought, simply does the right thing because his conscience cannot live with any other choice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/a-hero-is-a-person-who-without-a-second-thought-simply-does-the-right/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Heroism feels and never reasons, and therefore is always right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/heroism-feels-and-never-reasons-and-therefore-is-always-right/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The major problem of the world is, most of the people are unjustifiably angry and very few are loving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/the-major-problem-of-the-world-is-most-of-the-people-are/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“To assess the quality of thoughts of people, don't listen to their words, but watch their actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/to-assess-the-quality-of-thoughts-of-people-don-t-listen-to-their/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“Hero' is not an official status or designation, but if the world recognize you as a hero, it is the highest honor you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/hero-is-not-an-official-status-or-designation-but-if-the-world/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-ashe/true-heroism-is-remarkably-sober-very-undramatic-it-is-not-the-urge/) [Arthur Ashe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-ashe/) > [“But surely even heroes weary lugging around the burdens of their heroism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-h-trumble/but-surely-even-heroes-weary-lugging-around-the-burdens-of-their/) [J.H. Trumble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-h-trumble/) > [“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/) > [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/) ## More by Joe Hill > [ Music \[is\] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grabbed-it-to-shock-yourself-out/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“He had despised that Mary with her idiot smile, symbol of a story that meant nothing, servant of a God who no good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-had-despised-that-mary-with-her-idiot-smile-symbol-of-a-story-that/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“He'd possessed all the key elements of a school shooter: hormones, misery, ammunition. People wondered how something like Columbine could happen. Jude wondered why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-d-possessed-all-the-key-elements-of-a-school-shooter-hormones/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [I have nothing to say for myself, only that I have always tried to make this earth a little bit better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/i-have-nothing-to-say-for-myself-only-that-i-have-always-tried-to/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [Work and pray, live on hay, youll get pie in the sky when you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/work-and-pray-live-on-hay-youll-get-pie-in-the-sky-when-you-die/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“If hell was anything, it was talk radio — and family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/if-hell-was-anything-it-was-talk-radio-and-family/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“Vic’s father was badass. Other dads built things. Hers blew shit up and rode away on a Harley, smoking the cigarette he used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/vic-s-father-was-badass-other-dads-built-things-hers-blew-shit-up-and/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [It's like in the Bible.You can't always get what you want, but if you really need something, you usually find it." "What part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/it-s-like-in-the-bible-you-can-t-always-get-what-you-want-but-if-you/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“The air was rank, and on my left, in a broad green meadow, arranged neatly in pairs, were dead lions and dead walruses and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/the-air-was-rank-and-on-my-left-in-a-broad-green-meadow-arranged/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“Secrets are the prisons we make for ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/secrets-are-the-prisons-we-make-for-ourselves/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“a room full of books smelled like dessert: a sweet snack made of figs, vanilla, glue, and cleverness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/a-room-full-of-books-smelled-like-dessert-a-sweet-snack-made-of-figs/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“When you were a Goth, it was important to at least imply the possibility you might burst into flames in direct sunlight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/when-you-were-a-goth-it-was-important-to-at-least-imply-the/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“At the end, I get to be the person I always wanted to be," she thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/at-the-end-i-get-to-be-the-person-i-always-wanted-to-be-she-thought/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“They came to believe their doctors were holding back limited quantities of a cure, and attempted to take them hostage. They formed armies, congresses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/they-came-to-believe-their-doctors-were-holding-back-limited/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“He had his flaws - he'd voted for Reagan, he believed that Carl Weathers was a GREAT thespian, and he grew emotional listening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-had-his-flaws-he-d-voted-for-reagan-he-believed-that-carl-weathers/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) [Explore all 278 Joe Hill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) ## More Exhausting quotes > [I talk a lot, and that is probably exhausting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-whittaker/i-talk-a-lot-and-that-is-probably-exhausting/) [Jodie Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-whittaker/) > [I'm OK with my appearance. I have made my peace with it after a long and frankly exhausting battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/i-m-ok-with-my-appearance-i-have-made-my-peace-with-it-after-a-long/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [Friendship is a difficult, dangerous job. It is also (though we rarely admit it) extremely exhausting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bibesco/friendship-is-a-difficult-dangerous-job-it-is-also-though-we-rarely/) [Elizabeth Bibesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bibesco/) > [“It was exhausting being a schizophrenic, which he was still convinced he was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/it-was-exhausting-being-a-schizophrenic-which-he-was-still-convinced/) [Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/) > [It is utterly exhausting being Black in America - physically, mentally, and emotionally. While many minority groups and women feel similar stress, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/it-is-utterly-exhausting-being-black-in-america-physically-mentally/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [One day I would want to be an Egyptologist, the next day an ornithologist. I was an exhausting child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/one-day-i-would-want-to-be-an-egyptologist-the-next-day-an/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [It's exhausting trying to impress someone and be a version of yourself that might be attractive to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-martin/it-s-exhausting-trying-to-impress-someone-and-be-a-version-of/) [Mae Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-martin/) > [Seeing people I've been friends with for well over a decade just turn on me. It was just so exhausting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-sandoval/seeing-people-i-ve-been-friends-with-for-well-over-a-decade-just-turn/) [Tom Sandoval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-sandoval/) > [Today's competitiveness, so much imposed from without, is exhausting, not exhilarating; is unending-a part of one's social life, one's solitude, one's sleep, one's sleeplessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/today-s-competitiveness-so-much-imposed-from-without-is-exhausting/) [Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/) > [“Existing is exhausting. I want to live - How to be”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-a-bitez/existing-is-exhausting-i-want-to-live-how-to-be/) [P.A. Bitez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-a-bitez/) > [It's literally, if I'm not working out, I eat the whole time I'm not working out. It's exhausting. You have to force-feed. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-watt/it-s-literally-if-i-m-not-working-out-i-eat-the-whole-time-i-m-not/) [J. J. Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-watt/) > [The endless definitions for feminism are exhausting. It's this, it isn't this, it's only this if you're this, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cazzie-david/the-endless-definitions-for-feminism-are-exhausting-it-s-this-it-isn/) [Cazzie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cazzie-david/) > [“To be in a long-term state of limbo, not knowing the outcome or length of time waiting, is utterly, shatteringly exhausting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-marlow/to-be-in-a-long-term-state-of-limbo-not-knowing-the-outcome-or-length/) [Tanya Marlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-marlow/) > [Oh, but my treasure, it is so much less exhausting. You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/oh-but-my-treasure-it-is-so-much-less-exhausting-you-only-have-to/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) > [Playing live, you can't survive, certainly not in England. We used to work daytime jobs and play gigs at night. It was very exhausting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-rossdale/playing-live-you-can-t-survive-certainly-not-in-england-we-used-to/) [Gavin Rossdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-rossdale/) [Browse all 485 Exhausting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhausting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“understood—heroism was exhausting business.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe Hill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/understood-heroism-was-exhausting-business/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Exhausting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/understood-heroism-was-exhausting-business/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/joe-hill-1162_exhausting_understood-heroism-was-exhausting-busine_1082585.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/joe-hill-1162_exhausting_understood-heroism-was-exhausting-busine_1082585.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/480/joe-hill-1162_exhausting_understood-heroism-was-exhausting-busine_1082585.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“understood—heroism was exhausting business.” — Joe Hill", "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": "Joe Hill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“understood—heroism was exhausting business.”", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/understood-heroism-was-exhausting-business/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/understood-heroism-was-exhausting-business/#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 } } ] } ```