“Civic greatness is at an end when civic righteousness is no longer its foundation.”

The Strenuous Life
1900

“Reformers, if they are to do well, must look both backward and forward; must be bold and yet must exercise prudence and caution in all they do.”

Introduction to The Wisconsin Idea
1912

“The most practical kind of politics is the politics of decency.”

Remarks at Sagamore Hill
June 1901

“Without honesty, the brave and able man is merely a civic wild beast.”

Outlook Magazine, May 12, 1900

“Alike for the nation and the individual, the one indispensable requisite is character.”

The Outlook, March 31, 1900

“Be honest, and remember that honesty counts for nothing unless back of it lie courage and efficiency.”

Speech in Groton, Massachusetts
May 24, 1904

“As a people we must be united. If we are not united we shall slip into the gulf of measureless disaster. We must be strong in purpose for our own defense and bent on securing justice within our borders.”

Before Knights of Columbus, New York City
October 12, 1915

“Bodily vigor is good, and vigor of intellect is even better, but far above both is character.”

Outlook Magazine, March 31, 1900

“Ease and rest and pleasure are good things, but only if they come as the reward of work well done.”

At Pilgrim Memorial Monument, Mass., August 20, 1907

“We need absolute honesty in public life; and we shall not get it until we remember that truth-telling must go hand in hand with it.”

Outlook, May 12, 1900

“Whether it is the forest, the water, the scenery. Whatever it is, handle it so that your children’s children will get the benefit of it.”

At Grand Canyon, Arizona, May 6, 1903

 “A young man who has broken a running or jumping record, who has stroked a winning club crew or played on his college nine or eleven, has a distinct claim on our respect.”

North American Review, August 1890