“That man is the best American who has in him the American spirit, the American soul.”

Speech in New York City
March 17, 1905

“As the years roll by, and as all of us, wherever we dwell, grow to feel . . . a peculiar sense of pride in the mightiest of the mighty men . . . the man whose blood was shed for the union of his people and for the freedom of a race, Abraham Lincoln.”

Speech in Hodgenville, Kentucky
February 12, 1909

“Strength should go hand in hand with courtesy, with scrupulous regard in word and deed, not only for the rights, but for the feelings, of other countries.”

Speech in Waukesha, Wisconsin
April 3, 1903

“A really great people, proud and high-spirited, would face all the disasters of war rather than purchase that base prosperity which is bought at the price of national honor.”

Address as Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Naval War College, June 1897

“They have died with high honor, and not in vain; for it is they, and those like them, who have saved the soul of the world.”

Letter to James Bryce following the combat death of Quentin Roosevelt in WWI
August 7, 1918

“No one quality or virtue is enough; vigor, honesty, sound judgement – all are needed in order to succeed.”

The Key to Success in Life
1916

“I firmly believe that some method will be devised by which the people of the world as a whole, will be able to insure peace, as it can not now be insured. How soon that end will come, I do not know: it may be far distant.”

Speech at the dinner of the Nobel Peace Committee
May 5, 1910

“In order to get good citizenship the average man must have honesty, he must have courage, and united to them he must have the saving grace of common sense.“

Speech in Westfield, MA
September 2, 1902

“Honesty, rigid honesty, is a root virtue; if not present, no other virtue can atone for its lack.”

The Key to Success in Life, 1916

“If the average man has the right stuff in him we will succeed. If he has not the right stuff in him, then you cannot get it out of him, because it is not there.”

Remarks at Oregon City
May 21, 1903

“Every expansion of civilization makes for peace. In other words, every expansion of a great civilized power means a victory for law, order, and righteousness.”

The Strenuous Life, April 10, 1899

“If we are not all of us Americans and nothing else, scorning to divide along lines of section, of creed, or of national origin, then the Nation itself will crumble to dust.”

A Letter to Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge
1916