Quote Of The Day By Aaron Pierre: 'What Is Fundamentally Human Is That We Share The Load, We Alleviate Each Other's Burdens...'

By Eammon Parks Jacobs
A Black man with short black hair and a goatee is wearing a black tuxedo and rimless glasses. He's stood against a blackwall with the "EE BAFTA FILM AWARDS" logo on it with a golden mask design. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

HBO's "Lanterns" has finally introduced audiences to John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), two of the most famous members of the Green Lantern Corps in DC Comics' pantheon of heroes. While Chandler delivers a great performance as the snarky superhero teacher, it's British star Pierre who steals the show as the rookie lantern poised to be the next in line to wear the cosmic ring.

Pierre's career has slowly been building for a decade, and "Lanterns" isn't the first time that he's been involved with a comic book property. He cut his teeth in the 2018 "Krypton" series on Syfy as the complex military commander Dev-Em, appearing in both seasons of the show before it was canceled. He later worked with director Barry Jenkins on Prime Video's historical drama series, "The Underground Railroad," where he played a slave named Caesar. Pierre went on to play Malcolm X in National Geographic's "Genius" Season 4 opposite Kelvin Harris Richardson Jr.'s Dr. Martin Luther King. 

Pierre's body of work proves he is able to balance varied performances, and the first episode of HBO's "Lanterns" showcases his capability as a leading man — that's why he's today's quote of the day.

Quote of the Day by Aaron Pierre

A blue image of white text that reads: ""Learning that you don't need to put everything on your back— I learned that later than most. That actually what is fundamentally human is that we share the load. We alleviate each other's burdens; we guide each other through storms. It took me a long time, a really long time." — Aaron Pierre. The TVLine logo is in the bottom right of the image. Static Media

"Learning that you don't need to put everything on your back — I learned that later than most. That actually what is fundamentally human is that we share the load. We alleviate each other's burdens; we guide each other through storms. It took me a long time, a really long time."

The above quote comes from Aaron Pierre's 2025 interview with Men's Health where he looked back on his career leading up to "Lanterns." In the conversation, Pierre discussed his rise working onstage in "Othello" in 2018 and winning smaller roles in movies like M. Night Shyamalan's "Old." Despite the appearance of success, the actor was close to quitting during a quiet period of his career.

Pierre had to learn the hard way that asking for help from family and friends is okay, and he eventually managed to transform his career into the success it is today.

Deeper meaning of Aaron Pierre's quote — asking for help

A Black man with short black hair and a goatee is wearing dark sunglasses and a dark green overshirt with a black t-shirt underneath. There is a silver chain around his neck with a Green Lantern symbol attached. Behind him is the DC Studios logo on top of a large "LANTERNS" logo in white with a shattered green crystal design in the background.. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Aaron Pierre's advice uses his own personal growth to exemplify that being vulnerable with people close to you is not a bad thing. It's about accepting that it's okay to ask for help and get support from others if you're struggling. To quote an age-old proverb, "A problem shared is a problem halved." It might be a cliché, but it's absolutely true. Talking about an issue that's bothering you in life can make it feel like less of a burden, even if just for a moment. 

But in the aforementioned interview with Men's Health, Pierre acknowledged that he spent a long time feeling like he become the burden by asking others for help. He attributed those feelings to his working-class upbringing on a council estate in South London and "being hyper-aware that everybody else was also dealing with hardship." But asking for help is not a sign of weakness, nor does it make you any less capable as a person. 

Ultimately, Pierre's advice reminds us that people should help each other alleviate whatever load one might be carrying. This can apply in relationships, friendships, or even the workplace. Basically, it's up to us look out for one another.

More quotes from Aaron Pierre

A Black man with short black hair and a goatee is wearing a black suit with a dark gray turtle neck sweater and a small silver chain. Kate Green/Getty Images

  • "Never give up on your dream. Never give up on your passion, even in moments it may not seem like it's coming to fruition, don't feel like it's delusion. It's not delusion, it's part of the process. So keep grinding, keep working, keep pushing, keep walking in faith. You will get there and it will be even sweeter and even richer when you get there because of the work that you put in." — from a 2025 interview with Dose of Society

  • "You're all running the same 100 meters, and if somebody gets to the line before you, naturally, you reflect on that. But for me, I sort of became a bit of an experience alchemist. Like: Okay, this happened; I'm gonna transform it into something that inspires me to train harder, to run faster." — from a 2026 interview with GQ

  • "You have to go with your heart, you have to try and ignore the noise. If you listen close enough, you can hear exactly what your gut is telling you to do." — from a 2026 interview with GQ

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