Stan Lee

“I grew up in New York City during the Depression. My earliest recollections were of my parents talking about what they would do if they didn't have the rent money. Luckily, we were never evicted. But my father was unemployed most of the time.”

“Sooner or later, if man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance.”

“I have always included minority characters in my stories, often as heroes.”

“When I was a kid, Disney was one of my gods. I just loved movies like 'Snow White' and 'Pinocchio.'”

“Because I've spent most of my life with such a beautiful, talented, challenging female, I feel I've gained - and am still gaining - a great deal of knowledge about the feminine mystique and about personal relationships - knowledge which is so important to a writer.”

“I always sympathized with the people who did work for hire; I was one of them.”

“I have never had a lap dance in Tampa or any other part of Florida. If I ever did have a lap dance, I don't think I would be discussing television ideas with the girl that was giving it to me.”

“All of the characters at Marvel were my ideas, but the ideas meant nothing unless I had somebody who could illustrate it.”

“I always wrote for myself. I figured I'm not that different from other people. If there's a story I like a lot, there's got to be others with similar tastes.”

“The power of prayer is still the greatest ever known in this endless eternal universe.-The Watcher in The Avengers #14”

“When I was a kid, my favorite superhero was Robin Hood.”

“I was stupid in a business way. I should have been greedier.”

“It's totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race - to despise an entire nation - to vilify an entire religion.”

“I think the world has a place for gay superheroes, certainly.”

“My mother was the greatest mother in the world. She thought I was the greatest thing on two feet. I'd come home with a little composition I had written at school, and she'd look at it and say, 'It's wonderful! You're another Shakespeare!' I always assumed I could do anything. It really is amazing how much that has to do with your attitude.”

“America is made of different races and different religions, but we're all co-travelers on the spaceship Earth and must respect and help each other along the way.”

“We live in a diverse society - in fact, a diverse world - and we must learn to live in peace and with respect for each other.”

“For years, kids have been asking me what's the greatest superpower. I always say luck. If you're lucky, everything works. I've been lucky.”

“Nevermore shall men make slaves of others! Not in Asgard--not on Earth--not any place where the hammer of Thor can be swung--or where men of good faith hold freedom dear!”

“Every kid wants to be an actor. When I was a kid, I thought, 'Oh, it'd be great to be like Errol Flynn. I want to be an actor.'”