“He did not entirely believe himself, but he knew he had best pretend he did.”
Source: The Goblin Emperor (2014), Chapter 15, "The Problem of Setheris" (p. 175)
“Like all real heroes, Charley had a fatal flaw. He refused to believe that he had gonorrhea, whereas the truth was that he did.”
On Charley Warmergran, the Fire Chief of Rosewater.
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965)
Help us to complete the source, original and additional information
Do you have more details about the quote "Like all real heroes, Charley had a fatal flaw. He refused to believe that he had gonorrhea, whereas the truth was that…" by Kurt Vonnegut?
Kurt Vonnegut 318
American writer 1922–2007Related quotes
Let the Great World Spin (2009), Let the Great World Spin Forever Down
Source: Bleak House (1852-1853), Ch. 14
Richard Stallman
(1953) American software freedom activist, short story writer and computer programmer, founder of the GNU project
2000s, Free Software: Freedom and Cooperation (2001)
Umberto Eco
(1932–2016) Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist
Source: "Why Are They Laughing In Those Cages?", in Travels in Hyperreality : Essays (1986), Ch. III : The Gods of the Underworld, p. 122
Context: The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else. If it had been possible he would have settled the matter otherwise, and without bloodshed.
Context: The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else. If it had been possible he would have settled the matter otherwise, and without bloodshed. He doesn't boast of his own death or of others'. But he does not repent. He suffers and keeps his mouth shut; if anything, others then exploit him, making him a myth, while he, the man worthy of esteem, was only a poor creature who reacted with dignity and courage in an event bigger than he was.
Leigh Brackett
(1915–1978) American novelist and screenwriter
Source: The Ginger Star (1974), Chapter 3 (p. 18)
Edward Teller
(1908–2003) Hungarian-American nuclear physicist
On the creation of the hydrogen bomb, in "Infamy and honor at the Atomic Café : Edward Teller has no regrets about his contentious career" by Gary Stix in Scientific American (October 1999), p. 42-43.
Charles de Lint
(1951) author
“Bird Bones and Wood Ash”, p. 169
The Ivory and the Horn (1996)
Context: I had the same questions for Superman as I did for God: If he was so powerful, why didn’t he deal with some real problems? Why didn’t he stop wars, feed the starving in Ethiopia, cure cancer? At least God had the Church to do His PR work for Him — if you can buy their reasoning, they have any number of explanations ranging from how the troubles of this life build character to that inarguable catchall, “God’s will.” And the crap in this life sure makes heaven look good.
When I was growing up, the writers and artists of Superman never even tried to deal with the problem. And since they didn’t, I could only see Superman as a monster, not a hero. I couldn’t believe his battles with criminals, superpowered geniuses and the like.
I never believed in God either.
Ernest Hemingway
(1899–1961) American author and journalist
Luis Miguel Dominguin was another famous bullfighter and friend of Hemingway's.
Source: The Dangerous Summer (1985), Ch. 10