STAN LEE QUOTES
American comic book writer & creator (1922- )
With great power there must also come ... great responsibility!
STAN LEE
Amazing Fantasy, #15, August 1962
'Nuff Said!
STAN LEE
often-used line on "Stan Lee's Soapbox" editorial pages
There is only one who is all powerful, and his greatest weapon is love.
STAN LEE
Silver Surfer
I never thought that Spider-Man would become the world wide icon that he is. I just hoped the books would sell and I'd keep my job.
STAN LEE
interview, March 13, 2006
What did Doctor Doom really want? He wanted to rule the world. Now, think about this. You could walk across the street against a traffic light and get a summons for jaywalking, but you could walk up to a police officer and say "I want to rule the world," and there's nothing he can do about it, that is not a crime. Anybody can want to rule the world. So, even though he was the Fantastic Four's greatest menace, in my mind, he was never a criminal!
STAN LEE
Stan Lee's Amazing Marvel Universe
I don't really see a need to retire as long as I am having fun.
STAN LEE
interview, Feb. 6, 2006
Excelsior!
STAN LEE
closing signature line on "Stan Lee's Soapbox" editorial pages
I just figured that Bruce Banner had probably been a friend of Reed Richards, and Reed had given him some elastic trousers. There's an explanation for everything, but you may not be technically advanced enough to follow me on all of this.
STAN LEE
"Spidey Bites: Stan Lee's Secret for Saving Spider-Man the Musical?", Vanity Fair, March 10, 2011
The power of prayer is still the greatest ever known in this endless eternal universe.
STAN LEE
The Avengers, #14
Everybody wants to feel that you're writing to a certain demographic because that's good business, but I've never done that ... I tried to write stories that would interest me. I'd say, what would I like to read?... I don't think you can do your best work if you're writing for somebody else, because you never know what that somebody else really thinks or wants.
STAN LEE
Brandweek, May 2000
I try not to do anything that's too close to what I've done before. And the nice thing is we have a big universe here. It's filled with new ideas. All you have to do is grab them.
STAN LEE
Brandweek, May 2000
If we don't blow ourselves up, the future will be wonderful.
STAN LEE
interview with Steve Aoki, Neon Future Sessions
It's geeks who really make or break a TV show or movie or videogame.
STAN LEE
The Washington Post, July 23, 2010
I'm a frustrated actor. My ... goal is to beat Alfred Hitchcock in the number of cameos. I'm going to try to break his record.
STAN LEE
interview, February 6, 2006
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. 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.
STAN LEE
The Washington Post, July 23, 2010
It's a tremendous challenge, because there have been so many characters created over the years. Every time you think you come up with a great name, you find out somebody has already done it. Dreaming up the stories isn't that hard, but coming up with a good title is the toughest part.
STAN LEE
online interview, Esquire, July 3, 2012
If you're writing about a character, if he's a powerful character, unless you give him vulnerability I don't think he'll be as interesting to the reader.
STAN LEE
interview, March 13, 2006
DC, of course, is trying to catch up to Marvel. More power to them. It's good if everybody does well, but they're certainly starting from a ways back. They have a lot of catching up to do ... Marvel has so many heroes. DC just has Superman, Batman and maybe Wonder Woman. Perhaps they'll use The Flash. Green Lantern wasn't very successful, but we'll see.
STAN LEE
Toronto Sun, April 17, 2015
If Shakespeare and Michelangelo were alive today, and if they decided to collaborate on a comic, Shakespeare would write the script and Michelangelo would draw it. How could anybody say that this wouldn't be as worthwhile an artform as anything on earth?
STAN LEE
Stan Lee: Conversations
Someone wants to do a movie of my life now and he's writing a script, and I said to him, "What the hell could you do? I've never been arrested, I haven't taken drugs, I've had the same wife for 54 years -- where's anything of interest to people?"
STAN LEE
interview, April 30, 2002