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The quality of striving after the ideal, that is, the quality which makes men reformers, and the quality of so striving through practical methods—[is] the quality which makes men efficient. Both qualities are absolutely essential. The absence of either makes the presence of the other worthless or worse.

— Theodore Roosevelt

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More quotes by Theodore Roosevelt

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)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Theodore Roosevelt (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.