Theodore Roosevelt

“I was glad to hear that you were to be confirmed.”

“Wars are, of course, as a rule to be avoided; but they are far better than certain kinds of peace.”

“It is difficult to make our material condition better by the best law, but it is easy enough to ruin it by bad laws.”

“Bodily vigor is good, and vigor of intellect is even better, but far above both is character. It is true, of course, that a genius may, on certain lines, do more than a brave and manly fellow who is not a genius; and so, in sports, vast physical strength may overcome weakness, even though the puny body may have in it the heart of a lion. But, in the long run, in the great battle of life, no brilliancy of intellect, no perfection of bodily development, will count when weighed in the balance against that assemblage of virtues, active and passive, of moral qualities, which we group together under the name of character; and if between any two contestants, even in college sport or in college work, the difference in character on the right side is as great as the difference of intellect or strength the other way, it is the character side that will win.”

“No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it.”

“A man who has never gone to school may steal a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.”

“The lack of power to take joy in outdoor nature is as real a misfortune as the lack of power to take joy in books”

“That is why I decline to recognize the meremultimillionaire, the man of mere wealth, as an asset of value to any country;and especially as not an asset to my own country. If he has earned or uses hiswealth in a way that makes him a real benefit, of real use- and such is often thecase- why, then he does become an asset of real worth.”

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

“No great intellectual thing was ever done by great effort.”

“Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.”

“To befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business & corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.”

“For unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison.”

“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.”

“To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”

“The citizen must have high ideals, and yet he must be able to achieve them inpractical fashion.”

“The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.”

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

“Politeness [is] a sign of dignity, not subservience.”

“The American people abhor a vacuum.”