Henrik Ibsen Quote

“The strongest man in the world is he who stands alone.”

~ Henrik Ibsen


Ratings and Comments


Me Again
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Me Again    8/15/05

I used to believe this also.Now,I would say,the strongest "person" in the world is he/she who has learned to harness the good advice of his allies while maintaining a neutral invisibility with "undesirables."

Reb Aaron, Jerusalem

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Philosophy aside, and speaking practically, the strongest man in the world is the President of the United States. May it be so, for as long as America defends the right of of every man to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Bruce, 'Bama

Makes absolute sense because the alone guy has to be strong. Sometimes it is nice to have friends and allies and stand together. For a character building exercise try a week of backpacking in the mountians alone. Not only is it physical, but mentally challenging.

E Archer, NYC

...and the most courageous. The President is not strong -- he is powerful, but beholden to those that prop him up -- he does not stand alone.

Mike, Norwalk

The man that stands alone can stand with others. The man that can not stand alone must be carried by others.

Anonymous, Abu Dhabi

Very beautiful boys , the strongest man in the world is the one who can control himself when he get angry.

warren, olathe

Just because standing alone makes one vulnerable it does not make one weak. The inability to stand alone is weakness.

Anonymous
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Anonymous    3/13/09

You're all misunderstanding this quote by pulling it out of the context of Ibsen's play. It isn't about literally being alone; it's about overcoming the falsehoods of the majority and standing for what is right regardless of what society thinks. Another famous quote from this play: "The majority never has right on its side." The "strongest man" quote must be considered with this in mind to be fully understood.

G, nyc
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    G, nyc    6/20/09

    The strongest man is one who is guided by his own intuition and not affected by society who try to destroy his individualism and force him to conform.

    ColdConcepts, Canandaigua,NY

    Men like presidents and other powerful politicians are alone psycologically, not physically. This also suggests the opposite, that those who stand alone are the most powerful, which is very true as well.

    Anonymous, D-town

    He who stands alone falls alone he who stands with friends and loved ones falls and is lifted by those who care strong or not if you fall alone you are alone

    Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA

    One man with a new idea has the power to reshape the entire world around him.

    Samantha, Darwin, Aus

    Having a principled position can be difficult, people like to complicate issues. Sometimes, when you have an unwavering view based on pure principle and discover that those around you don't share your point of view, it requires strength to hold true to what you believe is right.

    Geist, China

    You'd have to learn & understand extreme individual anarchism in order to read the context in which this quote comes from. The person that stands most alone-- from the attachments of people, religion, law, morality etc is the strongest. He acts according to his own whims and none of these ideas move him.

    Ronw13, Oregon

    Nature within and without govern the man that stands alone. Our Creator has him covered with all the rest of the beast of the field. Life is not fair, it is a challenge to live with conscience. Even in the most remote of places, one is not alone.

    Mike, Walton

    I am writing a book using a number of quotes - most are 1-5 sentences. Many from your service. How does "fair use" apply. It looks OK, but there don't seem to be any hard and fast guidelines.

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