--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After that we're going to be heroes. Not…" description: "\"“After that we're going to be heroes. Not because we want to, but because there are no other options.”\" — Stephen King" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/stephen-king-13_hero_after-that-we-re-going-to-be-heroes-not_892517.jpg" --- # After that we're going to be heroes. Not because we want… ![“After that we're going to be heroes. Not because we want to, but because there are no other options.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/stephen-king-13_hero_after-that-we-re-going-to-be-heroes-not_892517.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/stephen-king-13_hero_after-that-we-re-going-to-be-heroes-not_892517.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/stephen-king-13_hero_after-that-we-re-going-to-be-heroes-not_892517.jpg) > ““After that we're going to be heroes. Not because we want to, but because there are no other options.”” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Heroes emerge not by desire but because circumstances leave no alternative, highlighting duty over choice. **In simple terms:** Heroes arise from necessity, not desire. Key Takeaway Embrace responsibility when options are limited. Themes heroism necessity choice duty survival Mood reflective dramatic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - crisis leadership - emergency response - team dynamics Key Concepts existentialism moral philosophy character development Questions to Reflect On - When have you acted heroically out of necessity? - How does lack of choice shape character? A Different Perspective Heroes may face moral dilemmas without choice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [Passengers want options, and when they have options, like passenger rail, they choose them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/passengers-want-options-and-when-they-have-options-like-passenger/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [I always want my options to be open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-owen/i-always-want-my-options-to-be-open/) [Clive Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-owen/) > [I want to give myself options and maybe be able to work at ESPN, or do blogs at NBC or be a sports reporter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-dudley/i-want-to-give-myself-options-and-maybe-be-able-to-work-at-espn-or-do/) [Jared Dudley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-dudley/) > [I do everything I can to have a diverse career because I just want to have options. I know that I can do Hamlet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-rockwell/i-do-everything-i-can-to-have-a-diverse-career-because-i-just-want-to/) [Sam Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-rockwell/) > [I want to keep my options open and make sure I'm doing the best thing for Hannah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-brown/i-want-to-keep-my-options-open-and-make-sure-i-m-doing-the-best-thing/) [Hannah Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-brown/) > [They go in and out of your life because you're the one that will give them what they want when they're out of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/they-go-in-and-out-of-your-life-because-you-re-the-one-that-will-give/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [We all want heroes and we all want somebody to look up to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacie-orrico/we-all-want-heroes-and-we-all-want-somebody-to-look-up-to/) [Stacie Orrico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacie-orrico/) > [Yes, there are plenty of heroes and heroines everywhere you look. They are not famous people. They are generally obscure and modest people doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/yes-there-are-plenty-of-heroes-and-heroines-everywhere-you-look-they/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“Have you ever known there was something you needed to do, but found yourself dreading it with everything you were?" "Once or twice," he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-kurland/have-you-ever-known-there-was-something-you-needed-to-do-but-found/) [Lynn Kurland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-kurland/) > [“You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/you-don-t-want-to-look-like-your-heroes-you-want-to-see-like-your/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [I am just tired of writing about heroes that we're dragging down to our level, and I want to write about heroes that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-am-just-tired-of-writing-about-heroes-that-we-re-dragging-down-to/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [I don't hate men, I just wish they'd try harder. Theyall want to be heroes and all we want is for them to stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-don-t-hate-men-i-just-wish-they-d-try-harder-theyall-want-to-be/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Every actor gets an image without wanting one. A lot of romantic heroes want an action hero tag, but they are unable to succeed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-deol/every-actor-gets-an-image-without-wanting-one-a-lot-of-romantic/) [Bobby Deol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-deol/) > [“For my child, for all our children, I want more options, more paths through the woods, wider ranges of normal, and unconditional love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-frankel/for-my-child-for-all-our-children-i-want-more-options-more-paths/) [Laurie Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-frankel/) > [Not knowing what you really want yet you have both options but still don't know which one to go for even though they hae…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanna/not-knowing-what-you-really-want-yet-you-have-both-options-but-still/) [Alanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanna/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## 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": "“After that we're going to be heroes. Not because we want to, but because there are no other options.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/after-that-we-re-going-to-be-heroes-not-because-we-want-to-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hero" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/after-that-we-re-going-to-be-heroes-not-because-we-want-to-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/stephen-king-13_hero_after-that-we-re-going-to-be-heroes-not_892517.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/stephen-king-13_hero_after-that-we-re-going-to-be-heroes-not_892517.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/stephen-king-13_hero_after-that-we-re-going-to-be-heroes-not_892517.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“After that we're going to be heroes. Not because we want to, but because there are no other options.” — Stephen King", "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": "Stephen King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“After that we're going to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/after-that-we-re-going-to-be-heroes-not-because-we-want-to-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/after-that-we-re-going-to-be-heroes-not-because-we-want-to-but/#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 } } ] } ```