Christopher Reeve

“What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting point of view, that's how I approached the part.”

“It never occurred to me that I was a leading man until I was 19 years old. I had been acting since I was 10, so that's nine years and 30 or 40 plays, in school and summer stock, professional theater, too.”

“I did my first apprenticeship when I was 15, then joined the union when I was 17. I worked every summer in high school and college.”

“My father is an intellectual and physical man, which is a rather unusual combination. He's great. As he brought up me and my brothers and sisters, he ingrained in us that your appearance is not your responsibility, other than that you should not be a slob.”

“I never said I will stand, I said I hoped to stand. It wasn't a prediction.”

“Your body is not who you are. The mind and spirit transcend the body.”

“You should take some responsibility for the way you present yourself. But you should not be hung up on your looks, whether you are ugly or handsome, because it isn't an achievement.”

“All the scientists who are working on solving the problem of curing paralysis say that it won't do you any good if you don't keep your body in shape.”

“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

“Success is finding satisfaction in giving a little more than you take.”

“We have a government that, generally speaking, does not respond to the people.”

“Never accept ultimatums, conventional wisdom, or absolutes.”