10 inspiring quotes by Stan Lee
Questioned at San Diego Comic-Con in 2010, Stan Lee talked about his comic career: "I used to be embarrassed because I was just a comic-book writer while other people were building bridges or going on to medical careers,” he said. “And then I began to realize entertainment is one of the most important things in people’s lives. Without it they might go off the deep end. I feel that if you’re able to entertain people, you’re doing a good thing." This statement has motivated many young people to dare to pursue their dreams.
In an interview with Playboy in 2014, Stan Lee shared his lifelong motto: "You know, my motto is 'Excelsior.' That's an old word that means 'upward and onward to greater glory.' It's on the seal of the state of New York. Keep moving forward, and if it's time to go, it's time. Nothing lasts forever."
Answering an interview by IGN in 2000, the father of Marvel Comics confessed: "I don’t know where the hell I’ll be in five years. Maybe I’ll be producing movies maybe I’ll be on a corner selling apples. I don’t know, but I’m having a hell of a lot of fun."
In an interview with The Guardian, Stan Lee emphasized that he wanted to make stories of superheroes from fairy tales of ordinary people. "Just because you have superpowers, that doesn’t mean your love life would be perfect.” “I don’t think superpowers automatically means there won’t be any personality problems, family problems or even money problems,” he continued. I just tried to write characters who are human beings who also have superpowers."
Stan Lee repeatedly talked about how he maintained his consistent creativity. To him, ideas or creativity are things that already exist in the universe, our job is to find a way to capture those ideas and make them real. He said: "To have an idea is the easiest thing in the world. Everybody has ideas. But you have to take that idea and make it into something people will respond to. That’s hard.”
Stan Lee’s works always declare racial equality. In 2016, he founded the Respect Initiative organization to encourage people to accept the diversity. He told Business Insider: "I’ve always included minority characters in my stories, often as heroes. 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."
In an interview with The Arts Desk, Stan Lee offered some advices when talking about the lifelong affair between him and his wife, Joan B. Lee. "Luck is one of the most important things in the world and really has a role to play in everything, and in marriage, I’ve been lucky enough to be married to the same girl for all these years." Stan Lee and Joan B. Lee married and lived together for 69 years until her death in 2017.
According to In Touch Weekly, in 2002 a filmmaker made a wish to produce a biographical movie of Stan Lee. But the talented artist refused: "What the hell could you do? I’ve never been arrested, I haven’t taken drugs, and I’ve had the same wife for 54 years. Where’s anything of interest to people?"
He once modestly shared: "I never thought that Spider-Man would become the worldwide icon that he is. I just hoped the books would sell and I’d keep my job."
Stan Lee never slowed down in life. He told The Arts Desk in 2017 that retirement was not his thing. "Most people say, 'I can’t wait to retire so I can play golf,' or go yachting or whatever they do. Well, if I was playing golf, I would want that to finish so I could go and dream up a new TV show."
By: Chris Stewart
