--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: September 11th has produced only…" description: "\"September 11th has produced only miniature heroes because our culture has freed itself from many of the old, dangerous, elitist fantasies of heroism......" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8b/rory-stewart-11028_because_september-11th-has-produced-only-miniatu_2993657.jpg" --- # September 11th has produced only miniature heroes because… ![“September 11th has produced only miniature heroes because our culture has freed itself from many of the old, dangerous, elitist fantasies of heroism... But in so doing, we have not only tamed and diminished heroes. We have risked taming and diminishing ourselves.” quote by Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8b/rory-stewart-11028_because_september-11th-has-produced-only-miniatu_2993657.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8b/rory-stewart-11028_because_september-11th-has-produced-only-miniatu_2993657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8b/rory-stewart-11028_because_september-11th-has-produced-only-miniatu_2993657.jpg) > “September 11th has produced only miniature heroes because our culture has freed itself from many of the old, dangerous, elitist fantasies of heroism... But in so doing, we have not only tamed and diminished heroes. We have risked taming and diminishing ourselves.” [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern culture downplays traditional heroic ideals, creating smaller, safer role models while risking loss of boldness in society. **In simple terms:** We now celebrate modest heroes, which may limit our own daring. Key Takeaway Embrace boldness while appreciating everyday courage. Themes heroism culture individualism risk identity Mood reflective critical inspirational Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - leadership development - community activism - personal growth - creative risk-taking Key Concepts social narrative heroic archetype collective self-perception Questions to Reflect On - What does heroism mean to you today? - How can we balance humility with courageous action? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on safety can stifle innovation and personal ambition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Fantasies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasies/) [Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes/) [Heroism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroism/) [September](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/september/) ## Related quotes > [“Today the word "hero" has been diminished. confused with "celebrity." But in my father's generation the word meant something. celebrities seek fame. They take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bradley/today-the-word-hero-has-been-diminished-confused-with-celebrity-but/) [james bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bradley/) > [“War diminished you. It chipped chunks from your soul, took the man and molded him into a darker shadow of his real self. But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-leadbeater/war-diminished-you-it-chipped-chunks-from-your-soul-took-the-man-and/) [David Leadbeater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-leadbeater/) > [“So it is that some things are increased by being diminished, and others are diminished by being increased.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/so-it-is-that-some-things-are-increased-by-being-diminished-and/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [It's quite rare for a group of people to come together for a live event that isn't loud music. A live event that enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-crouch/it-s-quite-rare-for-a-group-of-people-to-come-together-for-a-live/) [Tim Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-crouch/) > [We are not diminished when someone else is added upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/we-are-not-diminished-when-someone-else-is-added-upon/) [Jeffrey R. 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The kind of authority that the presidents asserted during the Cold War has now been diminished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/the-cold-war-is-over-the-kind-of-authority-that-the-presidents/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [“I cannot live without you. For to attempt to do so would be to rob both of us of each other, and that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/i-cannot-live-without-you-for-to-attempt-to-do-so-would-be-to-rob/) [Craig D. 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The world is diminished when it loses its human sayings, just as when it loses its diversity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/every-two-weeks-a-language-dies-the-world-is-diminished-when-it-loses/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [In city after city, newspaper after newspaper has diminished its staff of critics, sometimes to zero. Film and T.V. critics have been dropped and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/in-city-after-city-newspaper-after-newspaper-has-diminished-its-staff/) [Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/) > [“When we believe a wounding story, our whole world is diminished.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/when-we-believe-a-wounding-story-our-whole-world-is-diminished/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) ## More by Rory Stewart > [This idea that failure is not an option: It makes failure invisible, inconceivable and inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/this-idea-that-failure-is-not-an-option-it-makes-failure-invisible/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [If a relationship is going wrong, if a marriage is going wrong, the answer cannot simply be to say, 'You can't afford to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/if-a-relationship-is-going-wrong-if-a-marriage-is-going-wrong-the/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [ “He \[Babur\] was a ype of mastiff, bred to fight against wolves, dogs, and humans. . . . The mastiff is perhaps the oldest… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/he-babur-was-a-ype-of-mastiff-bred-to-fight-against-wolves-dogs-and/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [The politicians think the journalists have power, the journalists think bankers have power, bankers think lawyers have power. The truth is, nobody has power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/the-politicians-think-the-journalists-have-power-the-journalists/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“I recited and followed this song-of-the-places-in-between as a map.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-recited-and-followed-this-song-of-the-places-in-between-as-a-map/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [The Afghan government is much better informed, much more intrusive and ambitious than I had guessed. There are amazing craftsmen in Kabul but few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/the-afghan-government-is-much-better-informed-much-more-intrusive-and/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [I have planted over 6,000 trees at home in Scotland, some of them oak. I'd like my children to be able to watch them grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-have-planted-over-6-000-trees-at-home-in-scotland-some-of-them-oak/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“Man's life is brief and transitory, Literature endures forever”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/man-s-life-is-brief-and-transitory-literature-endures-forever/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [If things are going wrong in a country, it's not usually that we don't have enough foreigners. It's usually that we have too many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/if-things-are-going-wrong-in-a-country-it-s-not-usually-that-we-don-t/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [For politicians to be honest, the public needs to allow them to be honest, and the media, which mediates between the politicians and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/for-politicians-to-be-honest-the-public-needs-to-allow-them-to-be/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“My feet beat out a steady muffled rhythm. My thoughts participated in each step, never getting ahead of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/my-feet-beat-out-a-steady-muffled-rhythm-my-thoughts-participated-in/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [I left things out - my motivations, my history, my emotional responses - because I am not good at understanding them or writing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-left-things-out-my-motivations-my-history-my-emotional-responses/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [I like connecting to places by foot, and I'm interested in experiencing how somewhere like Crieff connects to somewhere like London.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-like-connecting-to-places-by-foot-and-i-m-interested-in/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [Religions . . . seem to avoid mountain passes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/religions-seem-to-avoid-mountain-passes/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [Democracy is not simply a question of structures. It is a state of mind. It is an activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/democracy-is-not-simply-a-question-of-structures-it-is-a-state-of/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) [Explore all 62 Rory Stewart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. 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I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. 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