245 quotes
It is true of the Nation, as of the individual, that the greatest doer must also be a great dreamer.
I have always been fond of the West African proverb "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
All really civilized communities should have effective arbitration treaties among themselves.
Nobel lecture (1910)
We propose to make the process of constitutional amendment far easier, speedier, and simpler than at present.
The performance of duty, and not an indulgence in vapid ease and vapid pleasure, is all that makes life worth while.
Theodore Roosevelt — An Autobiography (1913)
The country is the place for children, and if not the country, a city small enough so that one can get out into the country.
Theodore Roosevelt — An Autobiography (1913)
Happiness can not come to any man capable of enjoying true happiness unless it comes as the sequel to duty well and honestly done.
Address at the Prize Day Exercises at Groton School (1904)
In short, in life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is: Hit the line hard; don't foul and don't shirk, but hit the line hard!
No hard-and-fast rule can be laid down as to where our legislation shall stop in interfering between man and man, between interest and interest.
The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses (1900)
The government is us; we are the government, you and I.
Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are.
Theodore Roosevelt — An Autobiography (1913)
The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants.
Aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords.
There are many kinds of success in life worth having.
Theodore Roosevelt — An Autobiography (1913)
A sound body is good; a sound mind is better; but a strong and clean character is better than either.
Address at the Prize Day Exercises at Groton School (1904)
Life can mean nothing worth meaning, unless its prime aim is the doing of duty, the achievement of results worth achieving.
A Square Deal (1903)
In private life there are few beings more obnoxious than the man who is always loudly boasting; and if the boaster is not prepared to back up his words his position becomes absolutely contemptible.
The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses (1900)
I'm as strong as a bull moose and you can use me to the limit.
A heavy progressive tax upon a very large fortune is in no way such a tax upon thrift or industry as a like would be on a small fortune.
Seventh Annual Message (1907)
Full knowledge of the past helps us in dealing with the future.
The Progressives, Past and Present (1910)