Christopher Reeve

Christopher Reeve (25 September 1952 - 10 October 2004) American actor, director, producer, writer, and lobbyist; husband of Dana Reeve.

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The key word for me on him is 'inspiration.' He is a leader by inspiration. He sets an example. It's quite important that people realize that I don't see him as a glad-handing show-off, a one-man vigilante force who rights every wrong. Basically, he's a pacifist, a man who comes along and says, 'What can I do to help?' He stands on the sidelines until there is real trouble. He does not want to get involved unless it's absolutely necessary because he thinks people should learn to make their own decisions.
- On the role of "Superman" in an interview with Gene Siskel (1978)

So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.
- Speech at the Democratic National Convention (26 August 1996)

I'm starting a new chapter in my life, and you have no idea how much that means.
- At the premiere of his first work as a director, after his injuries of 1995 (1997)

We live in a time when the words impossible and unsolvable are no longer part of the scientific community's vocabulary. Each day we move closer to trials that will not just minimize the symptoms of disease and injury but eliminate them.
- Testimony to a U.S House of Representatives subcommittee, on NIH funding for the year 2000 (14 April 1999)

I have a creative life and a political life, and they're both equally important.

In the morning, I need twenty minutes to cry, to wake up and make that shift, you know, and to just say, "This really sucks"...to really allow yourself the feeling of loss, even two years later...still needs to be acknowledged.

The fact is that even if your body doesn't work the way it used to, the heart and the mind and the spirit are not diminished.

There will be ups and there will be downs, there will be times when things make sense, there will be times when they won't, but you'll always be on an adventure of meaning if you live for self, family, and others.

When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked 'What is a hero?' I remember the glib response I repeated so many times. My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences— a soldier who crawls out of a foxhole to drag an injured buddy to safety. And I also meant individuals who are slightly larger than life: Houdini and Lindbergh, John Wayne, JFK, and Joe DiMaggio. Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.

Christopher Reeve turned his focus away from his paralysis and began figuring out how he could live afresh. Reeve decided that a lot of people might like to hear his story. Instead of limiting the communication of his story to letters, books and videos subject to edit, Reeve chose the lecture circuit. That meant showing up in public, allowing the public to gawk at his incapacity, talking about his condition and sharing lessons learned. Thus, Christopher Reeve has become Superman for real.
- Go Make A Life sermon by Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton