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Wherever the hero may wander, whatever he may do, he is ever in the presence of his own essence — for he has the perfected eye to see. There is no separateness.

— Joseph Campbell The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949)

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Heroes

More quotes by Joseph Campbell

It's only when a man tames his own demons that he becomes the king of himself if not of the world.

Comments on a passage in Where the Wild Things Are (1963)

The achievement of the hero is one that he is ready for and it's really a manifestation of his character.

The Power of Myth (1988)

The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is to be read, not as a contradiction, but as a transcendence of the universal tragedy of man.

The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949)

People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking.

The Power of Myth (1988)

I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.

All Joseph Campbell quotes →

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Heroing is one of the shortest-lived professions there is.

Will Rogers

The grandest of heroic deeds are those which are performed within four walls and in domestic privacy.

Jean Paul Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895)

The blood of the heroes is closer to God than the ink of the philosophers and the prayers of the faithful.

Julius Evola Revolt Against the Modern World (1934)

Heroism is a myth you tell idealistic young people—specifically when you want them to go bleed for you.

Brandon Sanderson Rhythm of War (2020)

Attribution

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