--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For one thing, I don't think that anybody…" description: "\"For one thing, I don't think that anybody in any war thinks of themselves as a hero.\" — Steven Spielberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/steven-spielberg-963_hero_for-one-thing-i-don-t-think-that-anybody_3035767.jpg" --- # For one thing, I don't think that anybody in any war… ![“For one thing, I don't think that anybody in any war thinks of themselves as a hero.” quote by Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/steven-spielberg-963_hero_for-one-thing-i-don-t-think-that-anybody_3035767.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/steven-spielberg-963_hero_for-one-thing-i-don-t-think-that-anybody_3035767.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/steven-spielberg-963_hero_for-one-thing-i-don-t-think-that-anybody_3035767.jpg) > “For one thing, I don't think that anybody in any war thinks of themselves as a hero.” [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Notes that war participants rarely view themselves as heroes. **In simple terms:** War obscures heroic self‑image. Key Takeaway Recognize war's complexity. Themes war heroism humility Mood reflective somber Type historical psychological When to use this quote - military training - veteran counseling - peace activism - historical analysis Key Concepts Moral ambiguity psychology of combat Questions to Reflect On - Why do societies create war heroes? - How does this affect veterans' mental health? A Different Perspective Heroic narratives can oversimplify conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think that anybody in any war thinks of themselves as a hero. The minute anybody presumes that they are heroes, they get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-don-t-think-that-anybody-in-any-war-thinks-of-themselves-as-a-hero/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Everyone thinks they're the hero in their own story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-keery/everyone-thinks-they-re-the-hero-in-their-own-story/) [Joe Keery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-keery/) > [Is it possible that where the subject is socially approved (tah tah tah TAH tah, it's war) almost no one thinks we're "stuck," but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mullen/is-it-possible-that-where-the-subject-is-socially-approved-tah-tah/) [Laura Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mullen/) > [“Maybe this is the way to come out of a war, he thinks. A burned man to care for, some sheets to wash in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/maybe-this-is-the-way-to-come-out-of-a-war-he-thinks-a-burned-man-to/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [I don't think anybody in the NFL is tied to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-taylor/i-don-t-think-anybody-in-the-nfl-is-tied-to-each-other/) [Sean Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-taylor/) > [I don't think anybody can replace Mr. Miyazaki.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/makoto-shinkai/i-don-t-think-anybody-can-replace-mr-miyazaki/) [Makoto Shinkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/makoto-shinkai/) > [I don't think anybody wants to be mediocre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooks-koepka/i-don-t-think-anybody-wants-to-be-mediocre/) [Brooks Koepka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooks-koepka/) > [We don't think about what anybody else with the media or other teams think about us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-jokic/we-don-t-think-about-what-anybody-else-with-the-media-or-other-teams/) [Nikola Jokic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-jokic/) > [I don't think anybody likes losing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lopez/i-don-t-think-anybody-likes-losing/) [Robin Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lopez/) > [Well, I try not to think about the general public since I have no idea what the general public is and I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-smith/well-i-try-not-to-think-about-the-general-public-since-i-have-no-idea/) [Elliott Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-smith/) > [I think anybody should be confident in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyler-murray/i-think-anybody-should-be-confident-in-themselves/) [Kyler Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyler-murray/) > [“If there's one thing I've learned in my long life, it's that every villain thinks they're the hero of their own story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soman-chainani/if-there-s-one-thing-i-ve-learned-in-my-long-life-it-s-that-every/) [Soman Chainani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soman-chainani/) > [I'm no hero. Heroes don't come back. Survivors return home. Heroes never come home. If anyone thinks I'm a hero, I'm not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-feller/i-m-no-hero-heroes-don-t-come-back-survivors-return-home-heroes-never/) [Bob Feller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-feller/) > [“Do you know what’s worse than a villain? A villain who thinks he’s a hero. A man like that, there’s nothing he won’t do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/do-you-know-what-s-worse-than-a-villain-a-villain-who-thinks-he-s-a/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“But you love to play the good man, don't you? Do you know what's worse than a villain? A villain who thinks he's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/but-you-love-to-play-the-good-man-don-t-you-do-you-know-what-s-worse/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) ## More by Steven Spielberg > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Making a movie and not directing the little moments is like drinking a soda and leaving the little slurp puddle for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/making-a-movie-and-not-directing-the-little-moments-is-like-drinking/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Once scouting fully opens its doors to all who desire the same experience that so fully enriched me as a young person, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/once-scouting-fully-opens-its-doors-to-all-who-desire-the-same/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I don't dream at night, I dream at day, I dream all day; I'm dreaming for living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-don-t-dream-at-night-i-dream-at-day-i-dream-all-day-i-m-dreaming/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I think the secret of great acting is that you have to bring your imagination to the party. You have to have a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-think-the-secret-of-great-acting-is-that-you-have-to-bring-your/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I think the greatest thing about DVD is the quality of sound and picture; the real estate to put more extras on; and, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-think-the-greatest-thing-about-dvd-is-the-quality-of-sound-and/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Audience members are only concerned about the story, the concept, the bells and whistles and the noise that a popular film starts to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/audience-members-are-only-concerned-about-the-story-the-concept-the/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I was fifteen, or sixteen. I was in high school. I was spending a summer in California with my second cousins. And I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-was-fifteen-or-sixteen-i-was-in-high-school-i-was-spending-a-summer/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [You know, I don't really do that much looking inside me when I'm working on a project. Whatever I am becomes what that film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/you-know-i-don-t-really-do-that-much-looking-inside-me-when-i-m/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Casting sometimes is fate and destiny more than skill and talent, from a director's point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/casting-sometimes-is-fate-and-destiny-more-than-skill-and-talent-from/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [The costume the actors wear and if they're in stylized makeup and wigs in a live-action movie let's say, in a big costume drama,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/the-costume-the-actors-wear-and-if-they-re-in-stylized-makeup-and/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I didn't read reviews earlier in my career, but I read them now as I'm older. I read them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-didn-t-read-reviews-earlier-in-my-career-but-i-read-them-now-as-i-m/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Whatever affect any of my films have on audiences, I just kind of stop at the door. I make them and I just don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/whatever-affect-any-of-my-films-have-on-audiences-i-just-kind-of-stop/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [ I've kept the people who've been in my career who I feel are my family. Kathy \[Kennedy\] had been with me since 1978. Janusz… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-ve-kept-the-people-who-ve-been-in-my-career-who-i-feel-are-my/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Desperate times require desperate measures. What Lincoln and the Lobbyist for the Amendment and the Manager of the Amendment and himself, what they did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/desperate-times-require-desperate-measures-what-lincoln-and-the/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) [Explore all 319 Steven Spielberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) ## 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. 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