---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A hero is one who knows how to hang on…"
description: "\"A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer.\" — Novalis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/novalis-1989_hero_a-hero-is-one-who-knows-how-to-hang-on-o_1749056.jpg"
---

#  A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer.

![“A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer.” quote by Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/novalis-1989_hero_a-hero-is-one-who-knows-how-to-hang-on-o_1749056.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/novalis-1989_hero_a-hero-is-one-who-knows-how-to-hang-on-o_1749056.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/novalis-1989_hero_a-hero-is-one-who-knows-how-to-hang-on-o_1749056.jpg)

> “A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer.”

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

## About This Quote

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

Heroism lies in perseverance, extending effort just beyond the point of giving up.

**In simple terms:** Heroes keep going a bit longer.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate resilience in adversity.

Themes

resilience perseverance heroism determination

Mood

inspirational reflective encouraging

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- sports competitions
- personal setbacks
- career challenges
- health recovery
- creative pursuits

Key Concepts

psychological endurance moral courage inner strength

Questions to Reflect On

- When is it wiser to pause?
- How does persistence affect wellbeing?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on endurance may ignore need for rest.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hang Minute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hang-minute-739042/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Hero Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero-knows-1589777/) [Knows Hang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows-hang-1589779/) [Minute Longer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minute-longer-1589778/)

## Related quotes

> [Usually I can go for three or four weeks and then I start to bake cakes or make jewellery and I think, 'hang on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-mckee/usually-i-can-go-for-three-or-four-weeks-and-then-i-start-to-bake/)

[Gina McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-mckee/)

> [She knows how to hang on to my money. I wish her mom were the same way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orville-moody/she-knows-how-to-hang-on-to-my-money-i-wish-her-mom-were-the-same-way/)

[Orville Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orville-moody/)

> [Every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-hatch/every-good-fighter-knows-when-to-hang-up-the-gloves/)

[Orrin Hatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-hatch/)

> [A hero knows it takes hard work and a long time to get published; a fool thinks it should happen immediately, because he thinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-scott/a-hero-knows-it-takes-hard-work-and-a-long-time-to-get-published-a/)

[James Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-scott/)

> [Sam, there comes a time when the world no longer needs heroes. And then the true hero knows to walk away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sam-there-comes-a-time-when-the-world-no-longer-needs-heroes-and-then/)

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

> [If anyone on the verge of action should judge himself according to the outcome, he would never begin. Even though the result may gladden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-anyone-on-the-verge-of-action-should-judge-himself-according-to/)

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

> [“I will love you until the end of time, but not a minute longer. (From It's Time I Told You)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-preston/i-will-love-you-until-the-end-of-time-but-not-a-minute-longer-from-it/)

[Dave Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-preston/)

> [Let's say music is needed for only 43 seconds of film. You have to score it so it is an entity, so it won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-hamlisch/let-s-say-music-is-needed-for-only-43-seconds-of-film-you-have-to/)

[Marvin Hamlisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-hamlisch/)

> [Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-is-fear-holding-on-a-minute-longer/)

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

> [“When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-brallier/when-a-man-sits-with-a-pretty-girl-for-an-hour-it-seems-like-a-minute/)

[Jess Brallier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-brallier/)

> ['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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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'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/)

## More by Novalis

> [To get to know a truth properly, one must polemicize it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/to-get-to-know-a-truth-properly-one-must-polemicize-it/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Character is a wish for a perfect education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/character-is-a-wish-for-a-perfect-education/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [“Whoever sees life other than as a self-destroying illusion is himself still preoccupied with life. Life must not be a novel that is given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/whoever-sees-life-other-than-as-a-self-destroying-illusion-is-himself/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [“Inspiration without intellect is useless and dangerous; and the poet will be able to perform few wonders, when he is astonished by wonders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/inspiration-without-intellect-is-useless-and-dangerous-and-the-poet/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [It is not merely the multiplicity of tints, the gladness of tone, or the balminess of the air which delight in the spring; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/it-is-not-merely-the-multiplicity-of-tints-the-gladness-of-tone-or/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [“The world must be romanticized. Only in that way will one rediscover its original senses. Romanticization is nothing less than a qualitative raising of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-world-must-be-romanticized-only-in-that-way-will-one-rediscover/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Nature is an aeolian harp, a musical instrument whose tones are the re-echo of higher strings within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/nature-is-an-aeolian-harp-a-musical-instrument-whose-tones-are-the-re/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Our bodies are molded rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/our-bodies-are-molded-rivers/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Where are we really going? Always home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/where-are-we-really-going-always-home/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Darwin remarks that we are less dazzled by the light at waking, if we have been dreaming of visible objects. Happy are those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/darwin-remarks-that-we-are-less-dazzled-by-the-light-at-waking-if-we/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [We are near waking when we dream we are dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/we-are-near-waking-when-we-dream-we-are-dreaming/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Man has his being in truth--if he sacrifices truth he sacrifices himself. Whoever betrays truth betrays himself. It is not a question of lying--but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/man-has-his-being-in-truth-if-he-sacrifices-truth-he-sacrifices/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Every beloved object is the center point of a paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/every-beloved-object-is-the-center-point-of-a-paradise/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [In a work of art, chaos must shimmer through the veil of order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/in-a-work-of-art-chaos-must-shimmer-through-the-veil-of-order/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

> [Many things are too delicate to be thought; many more, to be spoken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/many-things-are-too-delicate-to-be-thought-many-more-to-be-spoken/)

[Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

[Explore all 167 Novalis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/)

## 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": "A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Novalis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/a-hero-is-one-who-knows-how-to-hang-on-one-minute-longer/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hero"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/a-hero-is-one-who-knows-how-to-hang-on-one-minute-longer/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/novalis-1989_hero_a-hero-is-one-who-knows-how-to-hang-on-o_1749056.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/novalis-1989_hero_a-hero-is-one-who-knows-how-to-hang-on-o_1749056.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/novalis-1989_hero_a-hero-is-one-who-knows-how-to-hang-on-o_1749056.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer.” — Novalis",
                "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": "Novalis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A hero is one who knows...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/a-hero-is-one-who-knows-how-to-hang-on-one-minute-longer/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/a-hero-is-one-who-knows-how-to-hang-on-one-minute-longer/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
