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You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. 

Coined in the movie "The Dark Knight Rises" by Harvey Dent, A.k.a. Two-Face.

It is the philisophical summary that, no matter what good you intend to do, as long as you live and continue, you will bring about just as much evil as good, if not more through accident or intent. Death becomes a saving grace, providing vindication for their actions and preventing a worsening of certain outcomes through inactivity.
Examples include:
Falling to the same corrupton you sought to eliminate. ( Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars, Lois Griffin from Family Guy)
Prolonged exposure to evil, despite good intentions. (Frodo from Lord of the Rings, Ice King from Adventure Time)
Narrow minded destruction in belief of a greater goal. (Harvey Dent from "The Dark Knight Rises")

You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain

A quote from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight by the character Harvey Dent in reference to Julius Caesar and Batman. Repeated by Batman at the end of the film.

There are several possible meanings:

1. Absolute power eventually corrupts (as in the case of Julius Caesar).
2. Being consistently heroic is difficult if not impossible, circumstances will eventually push you towards villainy (as in the case of Harvey Dent and Batman).
3. Public opinion can easily change and will eventually change. Many people have the tendency find faults even when there are none. It can also be easily manipulated. You might adhere to your code despite 1. and 2., you can still be painted as a villain by your enemies (as in the case of what Joker did to Batman).
4. Villainy and Heroism are relative and not absolute. "Good" will change with time. Different people have different concepts of "good" (the actions of Julius Caesar can be judged very differently by different people throughout the different ages). In many situations, the line between the two concepts can be very blurry (following the law versus vigilantism).
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain

We all die you either kill yourself or get killed 

Whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do

vines
We all die you either kill yourself or get killed

oh yee i luv dat vine

emtheregootsandhemlos 

Originates from the dialect of the wooded plains of the Albanian south called "shyznyt". The word means "enlightenment" or "to be in a sublime mental state". This state can only be obtained by practicing the art of "parglymontaine" which involves sleeping copiously.
Though Buddha was great, he was never able to achieve emtheregootsandhemlos.

Jesus Emitter 

Something that emits ultraviolet radiation detectable to the human eye.
It's so dark in here...turn on the Jesus Emitter!
Jesus Emitter by ASsdfaklbs6! December 1, 2010

either-or scenario 

Either you are fully compliant with a rule or you don't get the credit
For an exam, it's a either-or scenario, either you pass it or you fail.
either-or scenario by Didou April 5, 2010
More from Urban Dictionary

square grouper

Nickname given to bales of marijuana thrown overboard or out of airplanes. Origin is reportedly from members of the US Coast Guard in the area of Southern Florida.
"Base we've got some square groupers floating outside of Miami harbor."
square grouper by slipsheet November 6, 2004
Word of the Day on October 7, 2026
A girl who does ballet and only talks about ballet. Her schedule is filled with dance classes which does not allow her to do any other activity.
"Hey, do you know that girl Sally?"

"Yeah, she's kind of annoying. All she ever talks about it ballet."

"Wow, what a Bunhead."

"Hey Sally, you want to hang out this weekend?"
"I can't, I have dance."
"You're such a Bunhead."

"Yeah... I know."
Bunhead by Jen00 October 24, 2014
Word of the Day on October 6, 2026

trucker's tan 

A sunburn or suntan focused on the left arm. It is caused by the left side of the body being the only half that gets exposed to sunlight while driving. Presumably, it would be located on the right side of the body in countries where they drive on the left side of the road.
I had a trucker's tan after driving for 10 straight hours on a sunny day.
Word of the Day on October 5, 2026
The phenomenon where adults salivate at children's toys
Every time I walk into the toy aisle, I catch myself kidulting over the latest action figures and LEGO sets!
kidulting by Emotional Cruiser October 12, 2025
Word of the Day on October 4, 2026
British slang for a scientist or technical expert, esp . when the speaker is not certain of the expert’s specific field of study. Not necessarily derogatory, but typically used by persons without a technical background. In the US, the equivalent would be “egghead”, “squint”, or “geek.”

Origin of the word is unknown. Started sometime in World War 2. Given the typical evolution of British slang, could easily have started because what these experts did was confusing or “baffling” to the common person.
According to the boffins downstairs, the murderer used a serrated blade.
Boffin by Agnon February 11, 2023
Word of the Day on October 3, 2026

Pee Calculus

When you have to pee in a movie but don’t want to miss anything, and must do the following mental equation: will the amount I have to pee cause enough discomfort to diminish my attention capacity for the remainder of the movie to an extent which is greater than the amount of the movie I would miss by making a mad dash to the restroom.
I saw Satantango last night, wonderful film but by the 5th hour I had to start doing pee calculus.
Pee Calculus by anorlondo October 1, 2026
Word of the Day on October 2, 2026
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