It starts with the writer-it's a familiar dictum, but somehow it keeps getting forgotten along the way. No film-maker, irrespective of his electronic bag of tricks, can ever afford to forget his commitment to the written word.
Steven SpielbergRead
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 their boots taken away from them and buried in the sand.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that true heroes in war do not see themselves as such, as it can lead to arrogance and downfall.
Steven Spielberg's quote highlights the humility that often characterizes true bravery in the context of war. It implies that those who view themselves as heroes may lose their grounding and face dire consequences, as self-importance can cloud judgment and lead to recklessness. Authentic valor is rooted in the recognition of sacrifice and vulnerability, rather than in glorifying one's own role.
Themes
HeroismWarHumilityCourageSacrificeValor
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the nature of true courage in challenging situations.
More from Steven Spielberg
All quotes →When I was a kid, there was no collaboration; it's you with a camera bossing your friends around. But as an adult, filmmaking is all about appreciating the talents of the people you surround yourself with and knowing you could never have made any of these films by yourself.
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I just had a crazy, wild imagination all my life, and science fiction is the greatest outlet for me.
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From a very young age, my parents taught me the most important lesson of my whole life: They taught me how to listen. They taught me how to listen to everybody before I made up my own mind. When you listen, you learn. You absorb like a sponge - and your life becomes so much better than when you are just trying to be listened to all the time.
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I wanted to do another movie that could make us laugh and cry and feel good about the world. I wanted to do something else that could make us smile. This is a time when we need to smile more and Hollywood movies are supposed to do that for people in difficult times.
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There are so many rumours about so many of us in the public eye. Sometimes it's too hard to deny what is not true.
Steven SpielbergRead
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