I was only a gun captain on the battleship Alabama for 34 months. People have called me a hero for that, but I'll tell you this - heroes don't come home. Survivors come home.
Bob FellerRead
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.
Interpretation
The quote distinguishes between heroes and survivors, emphasizing the resilience of those who return from hardship.
Bob Feller's quote reflects on the nature of heroism versus the experience of survival. He suggests that true heroes do not return from battle, while survivors endure and find their way back home. This statement humbly positions himself as a survivor rather than claiming heroic status, acknowledging that enduring struggles and returning from them carries its own kind of bravery.
In practice
During a speech at a veterans' event, this quote could be used to honor returning soldiers.
I was only a gun captain on the battleship Alabama for 34 months. People have called me a hero for that, but I'll tell you this - heroes don't come home. Survivors come home.
The soldiers that didn't come back were the heroes. It's a roll of the dice. If a bullet has your name on it, you're a hero. If you hear a bullet go by, you're a survivor.
Possessed with a full confidence of the certain success which British valor must gain over such enemies, I have led you up these steep and dangerous rocks, only solicitous to show you the foe within your reach.
True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.
A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.
There are moments in our lives when we summon the courage to make choices that go against reason, against common sense and the wise counsel of people we trust. But we lean forward nonetheless because, despite all risks and rational argument, we believe that the path we are choosing is right and best thing to do. We refuse to be bystanders, even if we do not know exactly where our actions will lead.
I don't think nations can stand aside for ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Getting sober was one of the three pivotal events in my life, along with becoming an actor and having a child. Of the three, finding my sobriety was the hardest thing.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.