Rusesabagina wants people to know what happened in Rwanda, and what he did. He is humble, and reluctant to take credit for his deeds: "There was nothing particularly heroic about it." His language is plain but conveys the immensely horrific situation he lived through: "I can't bear to think about it for long... the best you can say is that my hotel saved about four hours' worth of people." The book's title echoes what Rusesabagina says. Readers know that his actions were extraordinary, but he doesn't think so. His only goal was to save as many lives as possible.