History Main / IgnorantOfTheCall

--->"The Oracle" Being The One is like being in love. You don't think you are, you just KNOW it, through and through, balls to bone.\\
I'm sorry, kiddo. You've got the gift, but it looks like you're waiting for something. [[{{Foreshadowing}} Your next life, maybe?]] Who knows?

* Neo is [[ExactWords told]] he's not The One by The Oracle in the first ''Film/TheMatrix''. He then denies he's The One to the surviving members of the team despite him fitting the role exactly.
---> Being The One is like being in love. You don't think you are, you just KNOW it, through and through, balls to bone.\\

* HonorHarrington turned down the Medal Of Honor (awarded for actions "above and beyond the call of duty") several times, because she believes she has never done anything more than her duty. She's very embarrassed about being made a Countess, Duchess, Steadholder, and multi-millionaire. And even some of her friends agree the five-meter statue in front of the Council Building is a bit much.
* Amazingly enough, JamesBond doesn't think of himself as a hero.
* CiaphasCain is an interesting case: the galaxy at large proclaims him as the HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!, and he finds the reputation worth upholding, but privately thinks it's a big lie. Howwever, the action he's describing doesn't always jibe with his claims that he was only saving his own skin or trying to avoid greater danger.

-->--''VideoGame/FarCry3BloodDragon''

* In ''TheGoldenChild'', Chandler Jarrell does many good deeds, but refuses to believe that he's TheChosenOne, despite being repeatedly told it by Kee and Doctor Hong. Eventually, he reluctantly comes to accept it.
* In ''FirstKnight'', Launcelot doesn’t consider himself a hero. His attitude is “it needed to be done, I knew I could do it, so I did” and that is all.
* Walt Kowalski in ''GranTorino''.
* In ''MyFavoriteYear'', Alan Swann profanely swears that he is just a flesh-and-blood man, life-sized and no larger, and is absolutely not the heroes he has been protraying on screen for years. And then goes on to utterly save the day.

* Sam Gamgee, from ''Literature//TheLordOfTheRings''. He refuses to accept the idea that he's any kind of hero. He sees himself as "just a gardener", even while he's in the middle of slaughtering orcs and beating Shelob into paste on his way to rescue Frodo.

* In Literature/TheDresdenFiles, Harry himself fits this. Although he is an extremely powerful wizard, and Archangel Gabriel takes a personal interest, with the implication that God himself is taking some interest, he doesn't see himself as a hero. His stated primary motivation is paying his rent. It just so happens he takes on powerful forces and saves the world numerous times.

* Glenn Holland, from ''Mister Holland’s Opus'', believes he wasted his life because he became a music teacher instead of becoming famous as a composer. His current and former students, his friends, and his family (all of whose lives he shaped for the better) disagree.

->'''Dr. Darling''': Rex, that was amazing!\\
'''Rex Colt''': No. Paintings of sad clowns and dogs playing poker are amazing. This is just the job.

* Neo is TOLD he's not The One by The Oracle (in a BatmanGambit to make him into The One) in the first ''Film/TheMatrix''. He then denies he's The One to the surviving members of the team despite him fitting the role exactly.
** Actually, if you carefully listen to what the Oracle says, she does NOT say that. She implies it strongly but has these 2 things to say on the matter:

* In Literature/TheDresdenFiles, arguably Harry himself fits this. Although he is an extremely powerful wizard, and Archangel Gabriel takes a personal interest, with the implication that God himself is taking some interest, he doesn't see himself as a hero. His stated primary motivation is paying his rent. It just so happens he takes on powerful forces and saves the world numerous times.

* JonahHex from DC Comics. One of those "there's a job that has to be done, I can do it, so I will" types.

* In "Hero" by Music/{{Nickelback}}, the singer acknowledges that "a hero can us", but that he's not going to stand around waiting for one to show up. He thus unknowingly becomes the very hero he wasn't going to wait around for, all the while denying that he's any kind of hero at all.

* In "Hero" by Music/Nickelback, the singer acknowledges that "a hero can us", but that he's not going to stand around waiting for one to show up. He thus unknowingly becomes the very hero he wasn't going to wait around for, all the while denying that he's any kind of hero at all.

--> Being The One is like being in love. You don't think you are, you just KNOW it, through and through, balls to bone.\\

-->''"I ain't no hero. I'm a fireman..."
-->- '''Tommy Gavin''', ''RescueMe'',

* In the DresdenFiles, arguably Harry himself fits this. Although he is an extremely powerful wizard, and Archangel Gabriel takes a personal interest, with the implication that God himself is taking some interest, he doesn't see himself as a hero. His stated primary motivation is paying his rent. It just so happens he takes on powerful forces and saves the world numerous times.

* In the rebooted ''Film/StarTrek'' film, James T. Kirk is not interested in joining Starfleet, despite incredible aptitude scores, until Christopher Pike gives him a challenge:
--> '''Christopher Pike:''' You know, your father was captain of a starship for twelve minutes. He saved 800 lives, inclding your mother's...and yours. I dare you to do better.

--> Being The One is like being in love. You don't think you are, you just KNOW it, through and through, balls to bone.
--> I'm sorry, kiddo. You've got the gift, but it looks like you're waiting for something. [[{{Foreshadowing}} Your next life, maybe?]] Who knows?

* Arthur Dent in ''TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''. His usual course of action is to simply react to events around him. This has led him to activate the Infinite Improbability Drive just in time to save the starship ''Heart of Gold'' from incoming nuclear missiles, learning to fly, and saving the universe at least twice.

* Hawke in ''DragonAgeII'' has personal motivations for getting involved in the events of the game. Near the end of [[FramingDevice Cassandra's interrogation of Varric]], they both acknowledge the scope of his/her importance, both in the story and [[SequelHook the future]].