Theseus was, of course, bravest of the brave, as all heroes are; but, unlike other heroes, he was as compassionate as he was brave, and a man of great intellect as well as great bodily strength.
- Quotes about Theseus (Hero)
Edith Hamilton, in Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes (1942), Ch. 11
It was natural that the Athenians should have such a hero, because they valued thought and ideas, as no other part of the country did. In Theseus their ideal was embodied.