“A spear carrier is somebody who stands in the hall when Caesar passes, comes to attention and thumps his spear. A spear carrier is the anonymous character cut down by the hero as he advances to save the menaced heroine. A spear carrier is a character put in a story to be used like a piece of disposable tissue. In a story, spear carriers never suddenly assert themselves by throwing their spears aside and saying, “I resign. I don’t want to be used.“ They are there to be used, either for atmosphere or as minor obstacles in the path of the hero. The trouble is that each of us is his own hero, existing in a world of spear carriers. We take no joy in being used and discarded. I was finding then, that wet, chilly, unhappy night, that I took no joy in seeing other people used and discarded.””

— Alexei Panshin , book Rite of Passage

Source: Rite of Passage (1968), Chapter 18 (p. 222).

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Alexei Panshin 13

American writer and critic 1940

Natsuki Takaya (1973) Manga artist

Source: Fruits Basket, Vol. 21

“I make all my decisions on intuition. I throw a spear into the darkness. That is intuition. Then I must send an army into the darkness to find the spear. That is intellect.”

Ingmar Bergman (1918–2007) Swedish filmmaker

As quoted in "Ingmar Bergman Confides in Students" http://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/08/movies/ingmar-bergman-confides-in-students.html New York Times, May 7, 1981.

“Do you still throw spears at each other?”

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921) member of the British Royal Family, consort to Queen Elizabeth II

Said in 2002 to an Indigenous Australian businessman, as quoted in "Prince Philip's spear 'gaffe'" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1848813.stm, BBC News (1 March 2002)
2000s

“You can use a spear for a walking stick, but it will not change its nature.”

Madeline Miller book The Song of Achilles

Variant: He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature.
Source: The Song of Achilles