Theodore Roosevelt has always been one of my favorite presidents. His limitless energy, commitment to public service, and unwavering sense of purpose are genuinely inspirational. I’ve always been captivated by his renowned quotes, which seem to capture the core of his personality and beliefs.
Roosevelt’s quotes continue to inspire and motivate people today, from his famous “big stick” foreign policy to his encouraging words about taking risks and pursuing one’s dreams.
In this article, we will look at some of Theodore Roosevelt’s most famous quotes and the messages they express.
Who is Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. He was recognized for his energetic personality, his enthusiasm for conservation, and his foreign policy, which included the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine and the negotiation of the end of the Russo-Japanese War. He was also a prolific writer and historian, and he was instrumental in the establishment of the national park system of the United States.
Here are some well-known facts about Roosevelt:
- Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858, in New York City, and died on January 6, 1919.
- Throughout his presidency, Roosevelt advocated for progressive reforms such as corporate regulation, worker rights protection, and natural resource conservation.
- Roosevelt was an accomplished orator and writer whose speeches and writings continue to inspire people all over the world.
- He was a strong supporter of American imperialism and expansionism, and his foreign policy was marked by a desire to increase American influence and power.
- Roosevelt was a renowned war hero who led the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War.
- During his presidency, he was the first president to invite an African American, Booker T. Washington, to dinner at the White House, and he worked to improve race relations.
Theodore Roosevelt Quotes to Live By
It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.
I am only an average man, but by George, I work harder at it than the average man.
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Believe you can and you’re halfway there.
When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.
The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything.
No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.
Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out.
People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.
Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.
I am a part of everything that I have read.
Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.
Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.
Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.
Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society.
It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.
The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.
In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.
I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life; I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.
People ask about the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.
A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.
If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly, I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.
I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.
The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, and love of soft living and the get-rich-quick theory of life.
Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.
It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.
Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country.
A man who has never gone to school may steal a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.
Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out.
No man needs sympathy because he has to work, because he has a burden to carry. Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants doing, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.
Don’t hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting, but never hit soft!
With self-discipline, almost anything is possible.
When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer ‘Present’ or ‘Not Guilty’.
I don’t always get shot during the middle of a speech, But when I do, I finish the damn speech.
The boy who is going to make a great man must not make up his mind merely to overcome a thousand obstacles, but to win in spite of a thousand repulses and defeats.
Famous Theodore Roosevelt Quotes
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.
Freedom from effort in the present merely means that there has been effort stored up in the past.
Nine-tenths of wisdom is being wise in time.
Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you’ve got to start young.
Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.
Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage.
I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is the character!
Life means change; where there is no change, death comes.
Every reform movement has a lunatic fringe.
This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.
Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.
No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause.
Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive.
We want men who will fix their eyes on the stars, but who will not forget that their feet must walk on the ground.
A stream cannot rise larger than its source.
At some time in our lives a devil dwells within us, causes heartbreaks, confusion, and troubles, then dies.
Great thought speaks only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind.
In life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is: to hit the line hard.
It is out of the question for our people to rise by treading down any of their own numbers.
There is only one quality worse than the hardness of heart and that is the softness of head.
If I must choose between peace and righteousness, I choose righteousness.
I have only a second-rate brain, but I think I have a capacity for action.
The joy of living is his who has the heart to demand it.
Patriotism means standing by the country. It does not mean standing by the president or any other public official.
It is impossible to win the great prizes of life without running risks, and the greatest of all prizes are those connected with the home.
I grew into manhood thoroughly imbued with the feeling that a man must be respected for what he made of himself.
Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.
A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.
It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.
I took the Canal Zone and let Congress debate; and while the debate goes on, the canal also.
No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it.
A great democracy has got to be progressive or it will soon cease to be great or a democracy.
No man is justified in doing evil on the ground of justified.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
The reason fat men are good-natured is they can neither fight nor run.
Politeness is a sign of dignity, not subservience.
If you’ve got them by the balls, their hearts, and minds will follow.
We should not forget that it will be just as important to our descendants to be prosperous in their time as it is to us to be prosperous in our time.
Honesty first; then courage; then brains – and all are indispensable.
Do not hit, at all, if it can be avoided, but never hit softly.
Nothing in this world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, or difficulty.
Dreams are a dime a dozen. it’s their execution that counts.
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in keeping their wits.
Wrapping up:
Theodore Roosevelt quotes remind us of the importance of self-confidence, resilience, and humility, as well as the power of taking action and learning from our mistakes. By keeping these lessons in mind and putting them into practice, we can all strive to be like the trailblazing president who left such an enduring legacy.
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