It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.
Citizenship in a Republic, speech at the Sorbonne (1910)
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much.
The Strenuous Life (1899)
Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
Labor Day address, Syracuse, New York (1903)
Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground.
Address at the Prize Day Exercises at Groton School (1904)
The only man who makes no mistakes is the man who never does anything.
As quoted by Jacob A. Riis in Theodore Roosevelt, the Citizen (1904)
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.
Address in Des Moines, Iowa (1910)
It is true of the Nation, as of the individual, that the greatest doer must also be a great dreamer.
Speech in Berkeley, California (1911)
We cannot avoid meeting great issues. All that we can determine for ourselves is whether we shall meet them well or ill.
The Strenuous Life (1899)
We shall make mistakes; and if we let these mistakes frighten us from our work we shall show ourselves weaklings.
National Duties, address at Minnesota State Fair (1901)
I have a perfect horror of words that are not backed up by deeds.
Remarks at Oyster Bay, New York (1915)
