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| THEODORE ROOSEVELT |
| A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education. Americanism is a question of principle, of idealism, of character: it is not a matter of birthplace or creed or line of descent. Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out where the strong man stumbled, or where a doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, and who comes up short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause. The man who at best knows the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, fails while daring greatly, so that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who never knew victory or defeat. Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground. Let the fight come if it must; I don't care whether our sea coast cities are bombarded or not; we would take Canada. No man can be a good citizen unless he has a wage more than sufficient to cover the cost of living, and hours of labor short enough so that after his day's work is done he will have time and energy to bear his share in the management of the community. We keep countless men from becoming good citizens by the conditions of life by which we surround them. The man who holds that every human right is secondary to his profit must now give way to the advocate of human welfare. The successful politician is he who says what everybody is thinking most often and in the loudest voice. This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in. To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society. Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. |
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