“The greatest benefit to the people, I am convinced, is the enforcement of the laws, without fear or favor.”
New York City, October 25, 1895
“The greatest benefit to the people, I am convinced, is the enforcement of the laws, without fear or favor.”
New York City, October 25, 1895
“It should be taken as axiomatic that when a man in public life pledges himself to a certain course of action he shall as a matter of course do what he said he would do.”
Outlook, July 27, 1912
“Our standard of public and private conduct will never be raised to the proper level until we make the scoundrel who succeeds feel the weight of a hostile public opinion even more strongly than the scoundrel who fails.”
Century, June 1900
“I abhor injustice and bullying by the strong at the expense of the weak.”
An Autobiography, 1913
“Weakness invites contempt. Weakness combined with bluster invites both contempt and aggression. Self-respecting strength that respects the rights of others is the only quality
that secures respect from others.”
Kansas City, Missouri, May 30, 1916
“The performance of duty, and not the indulgence in vapid ease
and vapid pleasure, is all that makes life worth while.”
An Autobiography, 1913
“It is by no means necessary that a great nation should always stand at the heroic level. But no nation has the root of greatness in it unless in time of need it can rise to the heroic mood.”
Fear God and Take Your Own Part, 1916
“Self-reliance is the key to a vigorous life. A man must look inward to find his own answers.”
President Theodore Roosevelt, as played by the great Robin Williams in the 2006 movie, Night at the Museum
“The wisdom of one generation may seem the folly of the next.”
History as Literature, 1913
“Self-government can never be bestowed by outsiders upon any people. It must be achieved by the people themselves.”
Speech in Washington, DC, January 18, 1909
“I advocate preparation for war in order to avert war; and I should never advocate war unless it were the only alternative to dishonor.”
An Autobiography, 1913
“Better ‘trial and error’ than no trial at all.”
The Foes of Our Own Household, 1917
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