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One night, when all the thoughts were coming to me, the concept came to me that Superman could have a dual identity, and that in one of his identities he could be meek and mild, as I was, and wear glasses, the way I do. The heroine, who I figured would be some kind of girl reporter, would think he was some kind of worm; yet she would be crazy about this Superman character who could do all sorts of fabulous things. In fact, she was real wild about him, and a big inside joke was that the fellow she was crazy about was also the fellow whom she loathed.

Jerry Siegel#6

CharacterWritingCreativityDualityIdentityPersonality

About this quote

What does it mean?
Explains the origin of Superman's dual identity, contrasting a meek public persona with a heroic private one.
In plain terms
The creator made Superman have two sides: one weak and one strong.
What can you take from it?
People may hide their true abilities behind a ordinary outward appearance.

Where it applies

  • writing characters
  • social interactions
  • self expression

Putting it to work

  • character development
  • public speaking
  • personal branding

Questions to consider

  • Why do we hide our strengths?
  • Is a dual life necessary for heroes?

Another view

It oversimplifies the complexity of human identity.

More from Jerry Siegel

  1. Clark Kent grew not only out of my private life, but also out of Joe Shuster's. As a high school student, I thought that someday I might become a reporter, and…

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  2. Initially, we were turned down by almost every comics publisher in the country.

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  3. As a science fiction fan, I have long been very familiar with the various themes in the field. The superman theme has been one of them ever since Samson and He…

    Permalink to quote #4

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