--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: King Arthur was one of my heroes because…" description: "\"King Arthur was one of my heroes because he was such a marvelous, heroic, courageous, and magnificent person that I had to admire him even though I kne..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/lloyd-alexander-1645_admire_king-arthur-was-one-of-my-heroes-because_1294140.png" --- # King Arthur was one of my heroes because he was such a… ![“King Arthur was one of my heroes because he was such a marvelous, heroic, courageous, and magnificent person that I had to admire him even though I knew perfectly well that I could never be in any way like that.” quote by Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/lloyd-alexander-1645_admire_king-arthur-was-one-of-my-heroes-because_1294140.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/lloyd-alexander-1645_admire_king-arthur-was-one-of-my-heroes-because_1294140.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/lloyd-alexander-1645_admire_king-arthur-was-one-of-my-heroes-because_1294140.png) > “King Arthur was one of my heroes because he was such a marvelous, heroic, courageous, and magnificent person that I had to admire him even though I knew perfectly well that I could never be in any way like that.” [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator admires King Arthur’s heroic qualities while acknowledging they are unattainable, reflecting admiration mixed with humility. **In simple terms:** Admiring heroes can feel impossible to emulate. Key Takeaway Respect greatness, stay realistic. Themes heroism admiration humility Mood inspirational thoughtful Type literary personal When to use this quote - leadership training - literary analysis - personal development Key Concepts mythology role models self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What traits can you realistically adopt? - How does admiration shape your goals? A Different Perspective Idealizing may cause discouragement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Admire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admire/) [Arthur Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arthur-heroes-4226082/) [Courageous Magnificent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courageous-magnificent-4226083/) [Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes/) [King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king/) [King arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king-arthur/) [Magnificent Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnificent-person-2289010/) [Marvelous Heroic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marvelous-heroic-4226081/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [King Arthur was one of my heroes - I played with a trash can lid for a knightly shield and my uncle's cane for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/king-arthur-was-one-of-my-heroes-i-played-with-a-trash-can-lid-for-a/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [“Somewhere in the background of magnificence lurks the kitchen staff. But a magnificent person only forgets about his origins, never his brunch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bauvard/somewhere-in-the-background-of-magnificence-lurks-the-kitchen-staff/) [Bauvard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bauvard/) > [From as far back as I can remember, I always loved the King Arthur stories, fairy tales, mythology - things like that. So it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/from-as-far-back-as-i-can-remember-i-always-loved-the-king-arthur/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [“Oh dire, dreadful death, you drag your heels. Why dawdle and draw back? You drown my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-armitage/oh-dire-dreadful-death-you-drag-your-heels-why-dawdle-and-draw-back/) [Simon Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-armitage/) > [Contemporary fantasists all bow politely to Lord Tennyson and Papa Tolkien, then step around them to go back to the original texts for inspiration--and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/contemporary-fantasists-all-bow-politely-to-lord-tennyson-and-papa/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“King Arthur is treated like George Washington often is—as a hero who is so noble and so far above the common man that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wolf/king-arthur-is-treated-like-george-washington-often-is-as-a-hero-who/) [Joan Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wolf/) > [“Who so pulleth out this sword from this stone and anvil is trueborn King of all Britain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-sutcliff/who-so-pulleth-out-this-sword-from-this-stone-and-anvil-is-trueborn/) [Rosemary Sutcliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-sutcliff/) > [“Operating by trial and error mostly, we've evolved a tacitly agreed upon list of the elements that make for a good fantasy. The first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/operating-by-trial-and-error-mostly-we-ve-evolved-a-tacitly-agreed/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“It made me realise just how desperate the world is for a superhero. I don’t just mean those of the comic books. For there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-newell/it-made-me-realise-just-how-desperate-the-world-is-for-a-superhero-i/) [Paul J. Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-newell/) > [“The world eclipses and it’s just her and him. No it’s just her eyes and his soul. Her eyes expose and violate him, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-emunds/the-world-eclipses-and-it-s-just-her-and-him-no-it-s-just-her-eyes/) [Stefan Emunds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-emunds/) > [“To many-towered Camelot”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/to-many-towered-camelot/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [The cold hand of history, which is for ever robbing us of some of our oldest and best cherished stories, points rigidly to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-a-guerber/the-cold-hand-of-history-which-is-for-ever-robbing-us-of-some-of-our/) [H. A. Guerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-a-guerber/) > [“We have The Idylls of the King in English class this term. I like some things in them, but I detest Tennyson's Arthur. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/we-have-the-idylls-of-the-king-in-english-class-this-term-i-like-some/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“That's exactly why I never liked King Arthur's Guinevere. She screws up (pardon the pun), sleeps with her husband's best friend, causes the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-c-cast-2/that-s-exactly-why-i-never-liked-king-arthur-s-guinevere-she-screws/) [P. C. Cast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-c-cast-2/) > [You don't have to believe that there was a King Arthur to get the significance of those stories, but Christians say we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/you-don-t-have-to-believe-that-there-was-a-king-arthur-to-get-the/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## More by Lloyd Alexander > [“There are heroes and heroes. I don't deny he's acted bravely on occasion. He's fought beside Lord Gwydion and been proud of himself as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/there-are-heroes-and-heroes-i-don-t-deny-he-s-acted-bravely-on/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [“I shall not lie!" Eilonwy cried, "not for this traitor and deserter." "It is not for him," Taran said quietly, "but for the sake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/i-shall-not-lie-eilonwy-cried-not-for-this-traitor-and-deserter-it-is/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [“He learned that the lives of men are short and filled with pain, yet each one a priceless treasure, whether it be that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/he-learned-that-the-lives-of-men-are-short-and-filled-with-pain-yet/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [King Constantine IX of Regia had been killed three times and was bored with it. He wanted a bath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/king-constantine-ix-of-regia-had-been-killed-three-times-and-was/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [“There is an exuberance in good fantasy quite unlike the most exalted moments of realistic fiction. Both forms have similar goals; but realism walks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/there-is-an-exuberance-in-good-fantasy-quite-unlike-the-most-exalted/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [Stale water is a poor drink. Stale skill is worse. And the man who walks in his own footsteps only ends where he began.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/stale-water-is-a-poor-drink-stale-skill-is-worse-and-the-man-who/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [Forgive me…I called you an idiot. I spoke too hastily. You are not. Had I given it more thought, I would have called you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/forgive-me-i-called-you-an-idiot-i-spoke-too-hastily-you-are-not-had/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [“On the level of high art, in their common efforts to express human truths, relationships, attitudes, and personal visions, children's literature and adult literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/on-the-level-of-high-art-in-their-common-efforts-to-express-human/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [What seems to be love beyond any question is usually a simple case of indigestion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/what-seems-to-be-love-beyond-any-question-is-usually-a-simple-case-of/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [The art is more important than the artist. The work is more important than the person who does it. You must be prepared to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/the-art-is-more-important-than-the-artist-the-work-is-more-important/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [“Once," he added, "you told me that the seeking counts more than the finding. So, too, must the striving count more than the gain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/once-he-added-you-told-me-that-the-seeking-counts-more-than-the/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [I came to fantasy fairly late. For some ten years, I had been happily writing fiction and non-fiction for adults. But I always loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/i-came-to-fantasy-fairly-late-for-some-ten-years-i-had-been-happily/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [Talented people are finding that writing for young people is as demanding of high quality as writing for adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/talented-people-are-finding-that-writing-for-young-people-is-as/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [“In some cases we learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/in-some-cases-we-learn-more-by-looking-for-the-answer-to-a-question/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [A crown is more discomfort than adornment. If you have learned that, you have already learned much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/a-crown-is-more-discomfort-than-adornment-if-you-have-learned-that/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) [Explore all 220 Lloyd Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) ## More Admire quotes > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I admire Serena Williams, because, I mean, who doesn't admire Serena Williams?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/i-admire-serena-williams-because-i-mean-who-doesn-t-admire-serena/) [Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/) > [How proud I am to be compared to Oprah. I really admire her. She's a minority woman and she's done all this by herself...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-saralegui/how-proud-i-am-to-be-compared-to-oprah-i-really-admire-her-she-s-a/) [Cristina Saralegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-saralegui/) > [I admire President Obama's ability to trust strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-admire-president-obama-s-ability-to-trust-strangers/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [I really admire people's interactions with technology that aren't tech-centric but use it as a tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-polachek/i-really-admire-people-s-interactions-with-technology-that-aren-t/) [Caroline Polachek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-polachek/) > [During my first years in the Sierra, I was ever calling on everybody within reach to admire them, but I found no one half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/during-my-first-years-in-the-sierra-i-was-ever-calling-on-everybody/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Shaw's works make me admire the magnificent tolerance and broadmindedness of the english.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/shaw-s-works-make-me-admire-the-magnificent-tolerance-and/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [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/) > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I think it's really good and helpful to have the people you most admire in some other discipline than what you work in. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/i-think-it-s-really-good-and-helpful-to-have-the-people-you-most/) [Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/) > [Part of what we admire about a painting or a piece of music is the order which the artist has imposed upon what would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/part-of-what-we-admire-about-a-painting-or-a-piece-of-music-is-the/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [I respect and admire the Premier League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-koeman/i-respect-and-admire-the-premier-league/) [Ronald Koeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-koeman/) > [“Admire and appreciate your man and he will be happy on your side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-alfiori/admire-and-appreciate-your-man-and-he-will-be-happy-on-your-side/) [Linda Alfiori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-alfiori/) > [“The thing I admire most about you is no matter how hard, or how much the world has tried to beat you, break you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-gill/the-thing-i-admire-most-about-you-is-no-matter-how-hard-or-how-much/) [Nikita Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-gill/) [Browse all 2,369 Admire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "King Arthur was one of my heroes because he was such a marvelous, heroic, courageous, and magnificent person that I had to admire him even though I knew perfectly well that I could never be in any way like that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lloyd Alexander" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/king-arthur-was-one-of-my-heroes-because-he-was-such-a-marvelous/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Admire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/king-arthur-was-one-of-my-heroes-because-he-was-such-a-marvelous/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/lloyd-alexander-1645_admire_king-arthur-was-one-of-my-heroes-because_1294140.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/lloyd-alexander-1645_admire_king-arthur-was-one-of-my-heroes-because_1294140.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/lloyd-alexander-1645_admire_king-arthur-was-one-of-my-heroes-because_1294140.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“King Arthur was one of my heroes because he was such a marvelous, heroic, courageous, and magnificent person…” — Lloyd Alexander", "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": "Lloyd Alexander", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "King Arthur was one of my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/king-arthur-was-one-of-my-heroes-because-he-was-such-a-marvelous/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/king-arthur-was-one-of-my-heroes-because-he-was-such-a-marvelous/#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 } } ] } ```