--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This thing of being a hero, about the…" description: "\"This thing of being a hero, about the main thing to it is to know when to die.\" — Will Rogers" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/will-rogers-272_hero_this-thing-of-being-a-hero-about-the-mai_782761.jpg" --- # This thing of being a hero, about the main thing to it is… ![“This thing of being a hero, about the main thing to it is to know when to die.” quote by Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/will-rogers-272_hero_this-thing-of-being-a-hero-about-the-mai_782761.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/will-rogers-272_hero_this-thing-of-being-a-hero-about-the-mai_782761.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/will-rogers-272_hero_this-thing-of-being-a-hero-about-the-mai_782761.jpg) > “This thing of being a hero, about the main thing to it is to know when to die.” [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A hero’s true value lies in recognizing the right moment to sacrifice oneself for a greater cause. **In simple terms:** Heroes know when to die for others. Key Takeaway Know when to act selflessly. Themes heroism sacrifice valor Mood serious inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - military service - civil rights activism - medical emergencies Key Concepts ethical duty martyrdom Questions to Reflect On - When is sacrifice necessary? - How do you balance self‑preservation and duty? A Different Perspective Self‑sacrifice can be misused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) ## Related quotes > [Songwriting is my main thing. 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Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmine-galenorn/here-s-the-thing-about-being-a-hero-only-a-few-ever-make-it-into-the/) [Yasmine Galenorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmine-galenorn/) > [The thing about a hero, is even when it doesn't look like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, he's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/the-thing-about-a-hero-is-even-when-it-doesn-t-look-like-there-s-a/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [In a career playing heroes, I learned a little about the real thing. A hero stands up-for himself, for herself, but most importantly for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sorbo/in-a-career-playing-heroes-i-learned-a-little-about-the-real-thing-a/) [Kevin Sorbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sorbo/) > [Death alone gives meaning to life, and you will never fully live until you know you must die. And make your peace with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-borchardt/death-alone-gives-meaning-to-life-and-you-will-never-fully-live-until/) [Alice Borchardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-borchardt/) > [When you know how to die, you know how to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/movie/when-you-know-how-to-die-you-know-how-to-live/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/movie/) > [“Now I see that if one doesn’t know how to die, one can hardly know how to live—because death is a part of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/now-i-see-that-if-one-doesn-t-know-how-to-die-one-can-hardly-know-how/) [Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [“One day, you’ll fall for somebody. At first, you’ll fight it, because you won’t understand. 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If you know you would do anything in the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udigwe-vinsnt/if-you-put-her-before-yourself-know-you-d-die-if-anything-happened-to/) Udigwe Vinsnt > [You dont know what you're alive for until you know what you would die for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie/you-dont-know-what-you-re-alive-for-until-you-know-what-you-would-die/) [Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie/) > [Most of us are frightened of dying because we don't know what it meant to live.We don't know how to live,therefore we don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/most-of-us-are-frightened-of-dying-because-we-don-t-know-what-it/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Not all of us know what we are. Some of us die without ever knowing. Some of us know, and never get caught. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-shannon/not-all-of-us-know-what-we-are-some-of-us-die-without-ever-knowing/) [Samantha Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-shannon/) > [I know that I will not die until my time comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-know-that-i-will-not-die-until-my-time-comes/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) ## More by Will Rogers > [She was so ugly she could make a mule back away from an oat bin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/she-was-so-ugly-she-could-make-a-mule-back-away-from-an-oat-bin/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [We are always saying: Let the Law take its Course but what we really mean is: Let the Law take OUR Course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/we-are-always-saying-let-the-law-take-its-course-but-what-we-really/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [The Democrats and the Republicans are equally corrupt where money is concerned. It's only in the amount where the Republicans excel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-democrats-and-the-republicans-are-equally-corrupt-where-money-is/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Farmers, get out your sense of humor. Congress meets to relieve you again next week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/farmers-get-out-your-sense-of-humor-congress-meets-to-relieve-you/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Politicians, after all, are not over a year behind public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/politicians-after-all-are-not-over-a-year-behind-public-opinion/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [American invents everything, but the trouble is we get tired of it the minute the new is wore off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/american-invents-everything-but-the-trouble-is-we-get-tired-of-it-the/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [I don't know what humor is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/i-don-t-know-what-humor-is/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [There are two things I don't care how smart you are, you will never understand. One is an alienist's testimony, and the other is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/there-are-two-things-i-don-t-care-how-smart-you-are-you-will-never/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-more-you-observe-politics-the-more-you-ve-got-to-admit-that-each/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [I don't think you can make a lawyer honest by an act of legislature. You've got to work on his conscience. And his lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/i-don-t-think-you-can-make-a-lawyer-honest-by-an-act-of-legislature/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [There are two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/there-are-two-theories-to-arguing-with-a-woman-neither-works/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [America is a great country, but you can't live in it for nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/america-is-a-great-country-but-you-can-t-live-in-it-for-nothing/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [There ought to be one day - just one - when there is open season on senators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/there-ought-to-be-one-day-just-one-when-there-is-open-season-on/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Every Gag I tell must be based on truth. No matter how much I may exaggerate it, it must have a certain amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/every-gag-i-tell-must-be-based-on-truth-no-matter-how-much-i-may/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [So live that you would not mind selling your pet parrot to the town gossip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/so-live-that-you-would-not-mind-selling-your-pet-parrot-to-the-town/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) [Explore all 776 Will Rogers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) ## 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": "This thing of being a hero, about the main thing to it is to know when to die.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Will Rogers" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/this-thing-of-being-a-hero-about-the-main-thing-to-it-is-to-know-when/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hero" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/this-thing-of-being-a-hero-about-the-main-thing-to-it-is-to-know-when/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/will-rogers-272_hero_this-thing-of-being-a-hero-about-the-mai_782761.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/will-rogers-272_hero_this-thing-of-being-a-hero-about-the-mai_782761.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/will-rogers-272_hero_this-thing-of-being-a-hero-about-the-mai_782761.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This thing of being a hero, about the main thing to it is to know when to die.” — Will Rogers", "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": "Will Rogers", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This thing of being a hero,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/this-thing-of-being-a-hero-about-the-main-thing-to-it-is-to-know-when/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/this-thing-of-being-a-hero-about-the-main-thing-to-it-is-to-know-when/#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 } } ] } ```