Theodore Roosevelt Quotes
Roosevelt wrote dozens of books and many thousands of letters, and his speeches were printed at the time. The quotes below come from those. Two of the most-shared Roosevelt quotes have no source at all.
4 real Theodore Roosevelt quotes, with sources
“Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are.”Theodore Roosevelt — An Autobiography (1913), quoting Squire Bill Widener of Virginia
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much.”Theodore Roosevelt — “The Strenuous Life”, speech in Chicago, 10 April 1899
“It is not the critic who counts… the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.”Theodore Roosevelt — “Citizenship in a Republic”, speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, 23 April 1910
“There were all kinds of things I was afraid of at first… but by acting as if I was not afraid I gradually ceased to be afraid.”Theodore Roosevelt — An Autobiography (1913)
Famous quotes Theodore Roosevelt never said
“Believe you can and you're halfway there.”No record of it in Roosevelt's books, letters or speeches. The attribution is modern.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”No source in Roosevelt's writings or speeches; it is credited to him only in recent books, without a citation.
Who was Theodore Roosevelt?
A sickly, asthmatic child who remade himself through hard exercise, Roosevelt became a rancher, soldier, explorer, Nobel Peace laureate and president. He protected millions of acres of wilderness and championed “the strenuous life”. Read more on Wikipedia.
One real quote from history, every morning.
Kleos sends you a verified quote, the story behind it and a wallpaper, every day. Free to start.
Join the waitlistQuestions
What is Theodore Roosevelt's most famous quote?
One of the best known is “It is not the critic who counts… the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.” (“Citizenship in a Republic”, speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, 23 April 1910)
Did Theodore Roosevelt really say “Believe you can and you're halfway there.”?
No. No record of it in Roosevelt's books, letters or speeches. The attribution is modern.
Did Theodore Roosevelt really say “Comparison is the thief of joy.”?
No. No source in Roosevelt's writings or speeches; it is credited to him only in recent books, without a citation.
Where do these Theodore Roosevelt quotes come from?
Roosevelt wrote dozens of books and many thousands of letters, and his speeches were printed at the time. The quotes below come from those. Two of the most-shared Roosevelt quotes have no source at all.
More real quotes from history
