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As actors it is easy for us to play the hero. We get to fight the bad guys and stand up for justice. In real life, the choices are not always so clear.

— Kirk Douglas

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Source, in full

"Kirk Douglas On Trumbo: 'I Was Threatened That Using A Blacklisted Writer Would End My Career'" by Pete Hammond, Deadline (19 November 2015); also quoted in "Kirk Douglas's stunning political courage" by Gene Seymour, CNN (6 February 2020)

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More quotes by Kirk Douglas

The choices were hard. The consequences were painful and very real. During the blacklist, I had friends who went into exile when no one would hire them; actors who committed suicide in despair.

I love champions. A champion has something special about him.

Interview by Roger Ebert (1969)

There are times when one has to stand up for principle. I am so proud of my fellow actors who use their public influence to speak out against injustice. At 98 years old, I have learned one lesson from history: It very often repeats itself.

I find characters with a little evil in them much more interesting to play than the good guy. I'd rather play Doc Holliday than Wyatt Earp.

Interview by Ron Miller (1984)

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It is better for a leader to make a mistake in forgiving than to make a mistake in punishing.

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It is the law of life that if you are kind to someone you feel happy. If you are cruel you are unhappy. And if you hurt someone, you will be hurt back.

Cary Grant Love – That’s All Cary Grant Ever Thinks About (1964)

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Kirk Douglas (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.