Theodore Roosevelt

American statesman, 26th President of the United States (1901-1909), born 1858 and died 1919.

11 quotes in the MindQuotes library.

About

Theodore Roosevelt, born in New York in 1858, was the 26th President of the United States. After studying at Harvard, he entered politics as a reform-minded Republican. He served as Civil Service Commissioner, New York City Police Commissioner, and Assistant Secretary of the Navy. During the Spanish-American War, he led the Rough Riders. Governor of New York, he became Vice President and then President in 1901, at age 42, the youngest in history. His 'Square Deal' program included pure food and drug laws and environmental conservation. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. After his presidency, he explored South America and wrote many books. He died in 1919.

* 1858-10-27 — † 1919-01-06

Major works

The Naval War of 1812 (1882)history
The Winning of the West (1889-1896)history
The Rough Riders (1899)memoir
African Game Trails (1910)travelogue
Through the Brazilian Wilderness (1914)travelogue

Key milestones

1901Becomes the 26th President of the United States after McKinley's assassination, at age 42, the youngest president.
1906Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the Treaty of Portsmouth ending the Russo-Japanese War.
1914Leads an expedition down the uncharted 'River of Doubt' in Brazil, later named Rio Roosevelt.

Themes

Progressive reformsConservationAmerican imperialismStrenuous life and masculinityExploration and adventure

Sources: nps.gov · nps.gov · si.edu

“Believe you can and you're halfway there.”

— Theodore RooseveltTheme · Motivation

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“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.”

— Theodore RooseveltTheme · Leadership

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“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

— Theodore RooseveltTheme · Wisdom

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“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

— Theodore RooseveltTheme · Work

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“Far better is it to dare mighty things to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered with failure, than to make rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat.”

— Theodore RooseveltTheme · Courage

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“If we are to be really great people, we must strive in good faith to play a great part in the world. We cannot avoid meeting great issues. All that we can determine for ourselves is whether we shall meet them well or ill.”

— Theodore RooseveltTheme · Leadership

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“Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting, but never hit soft.”

— Theodore RooseveltTheme · Sport

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“People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives.”

— Theodore RooseveltTheme · Leadership

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“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”

— Theodore RooseveltTheme · Leadership

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“People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.”

— Theodore RooseveltTheme · Leadership

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“Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.”

— Theodore RooseveltTheme · Leadership

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