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Theodore Roosevelt Quotes

Theodore Roosevelt
  • Mini Bio
  • Name: Theodore Roosevelt
  • Born: 27th October 1858, New York City, New York, U.S.
  • Died: 6th January 1919, Oyster Bay, New York, U.S.
  • Resting place: Youngs Memorial Cemetery, Oyster Bay, New York, U.S.
  • Alma mater: Harvard College and Columbia Law School
  • Occupation: Statesman, president and conservationist
  • Political party: Republican (1880–1911, 1916–1919) and Progressive "Bull Moose" (1912–1916)
  • Presidency: 26th President of the United States, in office from 14th September 1901 until 4th March 1909
  • Other notable positions: Assistant Secretary of the Navy (1897 - 1898), 33rd Governor of New York (1899 - 1900) and U.S. Vice President (4th March 1901 - 14th September 1901)
  • Major awards: He was awarded the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for his assistance in arbitrating the treaty that ended the Russo-Japanese war making him the first American citizen to achieve this worthy honour
  • Height: 5' 10" (1.78 m)
  • Nicknames: Teddy, The Old Lion, The Bull Moose and The Great White Chief
  • Trivia: Following the assassination of William McKinley in September 1901 Theodore Roosevelt became the youngest ever U.S. president after being sworn in at the tender presidential age of 42 years and 322 days

"Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground"

Theodore Roosevelt

"The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Legislation will generally be both unwise and ineffective unless undertaken after calm inquiry and with sober self-restraint"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Death is always and under all circumstances a tragedy, for if it is not, then it means that life itself has become one"

Theodore Roosevelt

"We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Justice and generosity in a nation, as in an individual, count most when shown not by the weak but by the strong"

Theodore Roosevelt

"A sound body is good; a sound mind is better; but a strong and clean character is better than either"

Theodore Roosevelt

"The joy of life is won in its deepest and truest sense only by those who have not shirked life's burdens"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing"

Theodore Roosevelt

"There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains"

Theodore Roosevelt

"A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Efficiency is as essential as patriotism; one is useless without the other"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Believe you can and you're halfway there"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far"

Theodore Roosevelt

"No prosperity and no glory can save a nation that is rotten at heart"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining"

Theodore Roosevelt

"I have a perfect horror of words that are not backed up by deeds"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Each people can do justice to itself only if it does justice to others"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Full knowledge of the past helps us in dealing with the future"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Success comes only to those who lead the life of endeavour"

Theodore Roosevelt

"Power invariably means both responsibility and danger"

Theodore Roosevelt

"The greatest doer must also be a great dreamer"

Theodore Roosevelt
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Theodore Roosevelt Biography

You can be fairly certain the Olympics will come around every 4 years and whilst electing a new U.S. president usually runs on the same cycle there are sometimes unexpected events that take place that have a significant effect on history. Theodore Roosevelt was urged to run for Vice President in William McKinley 1900 re-election campaign and he helped him romp to victory in the largest Republican triumph since 1872.

The vice presidency did not suit Theodore as he was more used to the cut and thrust of life on the edge, this was the man that had led the "rough riders" into war a couple of years previously and he found the role a monotonous bore. Things took a completely unexpected turn after the assassination of president McKinley and Roosevelt was sworn in as his successor.

His presidency was a remarkable difference to most of his predecessors as Roosevelt brought an energy and vigour into the White House that had seldom been seen before. He had drive and determination in abundance, he was decisive and when making speeches he could charm any crowd with his timing and elegance.

Roosevelt was also a mans man who believed in what he described as a "strenuous lifestyle", he partook in vigorous exercise including boxing where during one bout he lost vision in his left eye. He believed that a man should always uphold good principles and he always spoke of having good "character" being the trait most important to mankind.

He understood diplomacy but he was never weak as a famous Theodore Roosevelt quote articulated both his temperament and his determination when he said: "speak softly and carry a big stick". When Theodore spoke people listened, he had the respect of the nation, he understood what the people wanted and his policies reflected that.

Roosevelt's achievements in conservation were visionary, he used his powers of veto time and again to protect forest and wildlife lands and drawing inspiration from Upton Sinclair's book "The Jungle" he introduced the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and the Pure Food and Drug Act.

Teddy, as he had been nicknamed, was responsible for breaking up monopolies on the rail roads and in the oil industry and during his tenure at the helm he proved his corruption busting reputation by raising 44 antitrust suits which was more than the previous 3 presidents combined.

His foreign policy rewarded him with a Nobel Peace prize and saw him instigate the building of the Panama Canal. Even an assassins bullet could not stop him in 1912 as Teddy continued to make his speech despite being shot while campaigning in Milwaukee, his steel framed glass case in his jacket took the brunt of the force of the bullet although it did penetrate his skin to lodge in his chest.

Roosevelt continued and completed his speech before seeking medical treatment. He is often voted as one of the greatest ever presidents and was honoured with his inclusion at the Mount Rushmore Memorial. His eloquent speaking gave great meaning to his speeches and he was good for a thoughtful one liner, so here is my compilation of 23 of the best Theodore Roosevelt quotes

Quotes About Theodore Roosevelt

The author Bram Stoker was impressed and recognised his statesmanship years before he was a presidential candidate: "Must be President some day. A man you can't cajole, can't frighten, can't buy"

The French journalist Georges Clemenceau recognised how respected he was in France: "The name Roosevelt has this legendary force in our country at this time"

The historian Thomas Andrew Bailey spoke of his electability: "He dominated his era as he dominated conversations … the masses loved him; he proved to be a great popular idol and a great vote getter"

One man not impressed by his presidency was the author Mark Twain who was quoted as saying: "Mr. Roosevelt is all that a president ought not to be - he covers the entire ground"

Upon hearing of his sad demise Vice-president of the U.S. Thomas R. Marshall was moved to say: "Death had to take him in his sleep, for if he was awake there'd have been a fight"

The historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. once asked Alice Roosevelt Longworth why her father (Theodore) held Winston Churchill in such disdain, to which she was quoted as saying: "Because, they were so much alike"


Theodore Roosevelt image quote