Theodore Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt are two of the most influential figures in American history, known not only for their leadership but also for their profound wisdom and inspiring quotes. These quotes have motivated generations to strive for excellence, persevere through challenges, and cultivate strong moral values. This article will delve into over 169 inspirational quotes from both Theodore and Eleanor Roosevelt, offering insights into their perspectives on leadership, perseverance, and personal growth.
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, was renowned for his robust personality and leadership style. He championed progressive reforms and was a strong advocate for conservation and international diplomacy. His quotes reflect his emphasis on action, courage, and the importance of striving for greatness.
Together, their quotes provide a comprehensive guide to living a meaningful and impactful life.
169+ Roosevelt Inspirational Quotes to Achieve Greatness in Life
1. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. ”
2. “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. ”
3. “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. ”
4. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there. ”
5. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. ”
6. “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. ”
7. “The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything. ”
8. “When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on. ”
9. “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength. ”
10. “I am a part of everything that I have read. ”
11. “Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right. ”
12. “To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society. ”
13. “People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives. ”
14. “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much. ”
15. “Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out. ”
16. “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. ”
17. “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it. ”
18. “With self-discipline, almost anything is possible. ”
19. “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people. ”
20. “This country has nothing to fear from the crooked man who fails. We put him in jail. It is the crooked man who succeeds who is a threat to this country. ”
21. “A stream cannot rise larger than its source. ”
22. “It is impossible to win the great prizes of life without running risks, and the greatest of all prizes are those connected with the home. ”
23. “If I must choose between peace and righteousness, I choose righteousness. ”
24. “Peace is normally a great good, and normally it coincides with righteousness, but it is righteousness and not peace which should bind the conscience of a nation as it should bind the conscience of an individual. ”
25. “All the resources we need are in the mind. ”
26. “Speak softly and carry a big stick—you will go far. ”
27. “In any situation, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The second-best thing is the wrong thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing. ”
28. “Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. ”
29. “We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage. ”
30. “I had always felt that if there were a serious war, I wished to be in a position to explain to my children why I did take part in it, and not why I did not take part in it. ”
31. “Sometimes in life, both at school and afterwards, fortune will go against anyone, but if he just keeps pegging away and don’t lose his courage things always take a turn for the better in the end. ”
32. “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. ”
33. “Washington’s career shows that we need to keep our faces steadily toward the sun. You can change the simile, to keep our eyes to the stars, but remember that our feet have got to be on the ground. ”
34. “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. ”
35. “Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the choice that something else is greater than that fear. ”
36. “Americans learn only from catastrophes and not from experience. ”
37. “If we are to be a really great people, we must strive in good faith to play a great part in the world. ”
38. “Books are the ammunition of life. ”
39. “Life means change; where there is no change, death comes. ”
40. “So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat. ”
41. “I have only a second-rate brain, but I think I have a capacity for action. ”
42. “Only those who live and sleep in the open fully realize the beauty of dawn and moonlight and starlight. ”
43. “A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy. ”
44. “The man who really counts in the world is the doer, not the mere critic—the man who actually does the work, even if roughly and imperfectly. ”
45. “Do something now. If not you, who? If not here, where? If not now, when?”
46. “Nothing worth having was ever achieved without effort. ”
47. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. ”
48. “When you are at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. ”
49. “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. ”
50. “Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out. ”
51. “The best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. ”
52. “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it. ”
53. “With self-discipline, almost anything is possible. ”
54. “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people. ”
55. “This country has nothing to fear from the crooked man who fails. We put him in jail. It is the crooked man who succeeds who is a threat to this country. ”
56. “A stream cannot rise larger than its source. ”
57. “It is impossible to win the great prizes of life without running risks, and the greatest of all prizes are those connected with the home. ”
58. “If I must choose between peace and righteousness, I choose righteousness. ”
59. “Peace is normally a great good, and normally it coincides with righteousness, but it is righteousness and not peace which should bind the conscience of a nation as it should bind the conscience of an individual. ”
60. “All the resources we need are in the mind. ”
61. “Speak softly and carry a big stick—you will go far. ”
62. “In any situation, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The second-best thing is the wrong thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing. ”
63. “Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. ”
64. “We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage. ”
65. “I had always felt that if there were a serious war, I wished to be in a position to explain to my children why I did take part in it, and not why I did not take part in it. ”
66. “Sometimes in life, both at school and afterwards, fortune will go against anyone, but if he just keeps pegging away and don’t lose his courage things always take a turn for the better in the end. ”
67. “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. ”
68. “Washington’s career shows that we need to keep our faces steadily toward the sun. You can change the simile, to keep our eyes to the stars, but remember that our feet have got to be on the ground. ”
69. “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. ”
70. “Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the choice that something else is greater than that fear. ”
71. “Americans learn only from catastrophes and not from experience. ”
72. “If we are to be a really great people, we must strive in good faith to play a great part in the world. ”
73. “Books are the ammunition of life. ”
74. “Life means change; where there is no change, death comes. ”
75. “So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat. ”
76. “I have only a second-rate brain, but I think I have a capacity for action. ”
77. “Only those who live and sleep in the open fully realize the beauty of dawn and moonlight and starlight. ”
78. “A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy. ”
79. “The man who really counts in the world is the doer, not the mere critic—the man who actually does the work, even if roughly and imperfectly. ”
80. “Do something now. If not you, who? If not here, where? If not now, when?”
81. “Nothing worth having was ever achieved without effort. ”
82. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. ”
83. “When you are at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. ”
84. “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. ”
85. “Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out. ”
86. “The best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. ”
87. “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it. ”
88. “With self-discipline, almost anything is possible. ”
89. “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people. ”
90. “This country has nothing to fear from the crooked man who fails. We put him in jail. It is the crooked man who succeeds who is a threat to this country. ”
91. “A stream cannot rise larger than its source. ”
92. “It is impossible to win the great prizes of life without running risks, and the greatest of all prizes are those connected with the home. ”
93. “If I must choose between peace and righteousness, I choose righteousness. ”
94. “Peace is normally a great good, and normally it coincides with righteousness, but it is righteousness and not peace which should bind the conscience of a nation as it should bind the conscience of an individual. ”
95. “All the resources we need are in the mind. ”
96. “Speak softly and carry a big stick—you will go far. ”
97. “In any situation, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The second-best thing is the wrong thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing. ”
98. “Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. ”
99. “We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage. ”
100. “I had always felt that if there were a serious war, I wished to be in a position to explain to my children why I did take part in it, and not why I did not take part in it. ”
101. “Sometimes in life, both at school and afterwards, fortune will go against anyone, but if he just keeps pegging away and don’t lose his courage things always take a turn for the better in the end. ”
102. “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. ”
103. “Washington’s career shows that we need to keep our faces steadily toward the sun. You can change the simile, to keep our eyes to the stars, but remember that our feet have got to be on the ground. ”
104. “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. ”
105. “Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the choice that something else is greater than that fear. ”
106. “Americans learn only from catastrophes and not from experience. ”
107. “If we are to be a really great people, we must strive in good faith to play a great part in the world. ”
108. “Books are the ammunition of life. ”
109. “Life means change; where there is no change, death comes. ”
110. “So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat. ”
111. “I have only a second-rate brain, but I think I have a capacity for action. ”
112. “Only those who live and sleep in the open fully realize the beauty of dawn and moonlight and starlight. ”
113. “A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy. ”
114. “The man who really counts in the world is the doer, not the mere critic—the man who actually does the work, even if roughly and imperfectly. ”
115. “Do something now. If not you, who? If not here, where? If not now, when?”
116. “The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything. ”
117. “When you are at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. ”
118. “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. ”
119. “Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out. ”
120. “The best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. ”
121. “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it. ”
122. “With self-discipline, almost anything is possible. ”
123. “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people. ”
124. “This country has nothing to fear from the crooked man who fails. We put him in jail. It is the crooked man who succeeds who is a threat to this country. ”
125. “A stream cannot rise larger than its source. ”
126. “It is impossible to win the great prizes of life without running risks, and the greatest of all prizes are those connected with the home. ”
127. “If I must choose between peace and righteousness, I choose righteousness. ”
128. “Peace is normally a great good, and normally it coincides with righteousness, but it is righteousness and not peace which should bind the conscience of a nation as it should bind the conscience of an individual. ”
129. “All the resources we need are in the mind. ”
130. “Speak softly and carry a big stick—you will go far. ”
131. “In any situation, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The second-best thing is the wrong thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing. ”
132. “Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. ”
133. “We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage. ”
134. “I had always felt that if there were a serious war, I wished to be in a position to explain to my children why I did take part in it, and not why I did not take part in it. ”
135. “Sometimes in life, both at school and afterwards, fortune will go against anyone, but if he just keeps pegging away and don’t lose his courage things always take a turn for the better in the end. ”
136. “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. ”
137. “Washington’s career shows that we need to keep our faces steadily toward the sun. You can change the simile, to keep our eyes to the stars, but remember that our feet have got to be on the ground. ”
138. “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. ”
139. “Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the choice that something else is greater than that fear. ”
140. “Americans learn only from catastrophes and not from experience. ”
141. “If we are to be a really great people, we must strive in good faith to play a great part in the world. ”
142. “Books are the ammunition of life. ”
143. “Life means change; where there is no change, death comes. ”
144. “So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat. ”
145. “I have only a second-rate brain, but I think I have a capacity for action. ”
146. “Only those who live and sleep in the open fully realize the beauty of dawn and moonlight and starlight. ”
147. “A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy. ”
148. “The man who really counts in the world is the doer, not the mere critic—the man who actually does the work, even if roughly and imperfectly. ”
149. “Do something now. If not you, who? If not here, where? If not now, when?”
150. “Nothing worth having was ever achieved without effort. ”
151. “The advantage of being busy is that you don’t have time to think about yourself. ”
152. “A woman cannot meet adequately the needs of those who are nearest to her if she has no interests, no friends, no occupations of her own. ”
153. “We create vacuums for ourselves by sheer apathy. ”
154. “Nobody really does anything alone…it is only by inducing others to go along that changes are accomplished and work is done. ”
155. “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature but beautiful old people are works of art. ”
156. “Age needs the company of youth. ”
157. “Unless indoctrinated, a child is too logical to understand discrimination. ”
158. “I think I would rather spoil a child a little and have more fun out of it. ”
159. “Because they have so little, children must rely on imagination rather than experience. They naturally live in a dream world. ”
160. “Do one thing every day that scares you. ”
161. “Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done. ’”
162. “Do the things you think you cannot do. ”
163. “Do what you feel in your heart to be right—for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do and damned if you don’t. ”
164. “Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ”
165. “Do not even attempt a job if you do not plan to do the best you know how. ”
166. “Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier. ”
167. “You are unique. No one can tell you how to use your time. It is yours. Your life is your own. You mold it. You make it. ”
168. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. ”
169. “Whatever comes, we have to meet it. ”
170. “Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. ”
171. “It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness. ”
Concluion
This collection of quotes from Theodore and Eleanor Roosevelt offers a wide range of themes, from leadership and perseverance to personal growth and social responsibility. Their words encourage readers to embrace challenges, cultivate resilience, and strive for excellence in all aspects of life. Whether you are seeking motivation for personal endeavors or guidance on how to make a positive impact in the world, these quotes are sure to inspire and empower.
