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1 " On hearing of the interesting events which have happened in the course of a man's experience, many people will wish that similar things had happened in their lives too, completely forgetting that they should be envious rather of the mental aptitude which lent those events the significance they possess when he describes them ; to a man of genius they were interesting adventures; but to the dull perceptions of an ordinary individual they would have been stale, everyday occurrences.This is, in the highest degree, the case with many of Goethe's and Byron's poems, which are obviously founded upon actual facts; where it is open to a foolish reader to envy the poet because so many delightful things happened to him, instead of envying that mighty power of fantasy which was capable of turning a fairly common experience into something so great and beautiful. "
― Arthur Schopenhauer , The Wisdom of Life, and Other Essays
2 " The people in charge can always justify doing terrible things in the name of the greater good. A slaughter here, a little torture there. It becomes moral to do things that would be immoral if an ordinary individual did ’em. "
― Joe Hill , The Fireman
3 " A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. "
4 " I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. "
