However, it is not merely the fact that these flaws exist that makes these heroes endearing, rather it is the fact that both Sam and Daniel themselves are painfully aware of the existence of these flaws - so much so that when both men are required to judge the extent of their personal heroic acts upon coming to a crossroads in their journey, they are both too humble and consumed by self doubt to fully comprehend how much these simple acts have changed their world for the better:

MIRROR IMAGE:
BARTENDER AL: Why did you want to travel through time?
SAM: Because... I (fumble-stutter) I wha-wah-wanted to uh...
BARTENDER AL: To make the world a better place?
SAM: Of course; to make the world a better place.
BARTENDER AL: To put right what once went wrong?
SAM: Yes... But not one life at a time.
BARTENDER AL: Ah! I've got Mother Teresa here. Do you really think that all you've done is change a few lives?
SAM: Basically, yes.
(http://gcalvarez.tripod.com/fanfic/balogh.reunions.ip.html)

MERIDIAN:
DANIEL: You said I was the only one qualified to judge myself? So no matter how much I want to achieve enlightenment or whatever you want to call it, what happens if I look at my life and I don't honestly believe I deserve it?
OMA: The success or failure of your deeds does not add up to the sum of your life. Your spirit cannot be weighed. Judge yourself by the intention of your actions and by the strength with which you faced the challenges that have stood in your way.
DANIEL: What if I can't?
OMA: The people closest to you have been trying to tell you that you have made a difference, that you did change things for the better.
DANIEL: Not enough.
(transcribed by me)

Continuing the similarities, Sam and Daniel have both experienced significant loss in their lives, and, as we see in "The Leap Home" (Sam) and "The Gamekeeper" and "Forever In a Day" (Daniel), the fact that they were unable to prevent this loss causes both men considerable guilt. For instance, as he re-witnesses the death of his parents in the episode "The Gamekeeper", Daniel confides "You know I used to replay this over and over in my mind trying to think if there's anything I could've done to make a difference."
(http://www.moon-catchin.net/transcripts/s2/204%20the%20gamekeeper.htm)
Further, both characters display a preference for reason over violence, although they have both shown they are prepared to shoot or fight when reason fails. They both, also, began their travels into the unknown possessing personality traits of naiveté, shyness, and an almost fanatical devotion to their work - traits which, possibly stem from their childhood: at school, Sam was placed in classes with children much older than he, and, given Daniel's intellect, and the fact that his parents were academics, it is quite likely that he, too, had a sheltered school career. Thus, being denied contact with children their own age, it could be surmised that they both retreated into study as a substitute for friends. In this way, both Sam and Daniel appear to have been changed by their heroic journey, and their friendship with Al and Jack respectively. Scott Bakula (who portrays Sam) believes that, over time, Sam has become "much more accepting of different aspects of the world than he was in the beginning…he's much less shockable." (Chunovic, 1993, pg140). Similarly, Daniel has become more pragmatic, and in no episode is this more evident than "Beast of Burden" when Daniel must confront the reality that, sometimes, there are no easy solutions:

JACK: You sent em out to start a war.
DANIEL: Well, it was his choice. I told them they didn't have to kill.
JACK: You think he understands that?
DANIEL: They know what freedom is and are willing to fight for it. They deserve a chance.
(http://www.moon-catchin.net/transcripts/s5/507%20beast%20of%20burden.htm)

Furthermore, it is interesting to note that the converse is also true: the changes brought about by Sam and Daniel's friendship with Al and Jack respectively are mirrored by the effect that Sam and Daniel have had on their respective friend. As we learn in the episode "Play Ball", when Sam met al, Al was at a very low point in his life and he admits to Sam that it was the faith that the younger man placed in him that motivated Al to pick himself up and make a positive change in his life. Similarly, when Daniel meets Jack, in the Stargate feature film, Jack is on a path to self-destruction following the accidental death of his son, until Daniel inspires him to see his future in a different light:

DANIEL: I don't wanna die. Your men don't wanna die and these people here don't wanna die. It's a shame you're in such a hurry to.
(Transcribed by me)

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