12 Stirring Roosevelt Quotes to Push You into Action

Theodore Roosevelt Quotes: This article is a collection of inspirational quotes from Theodore Roosevelt. As a part of this article, we have a small intro section about who is Theodore Roosevelt and his inspiration. Followed by that, we will see a gallery of his quotes and a brief section explaining the meaning of these quotes.

Theodore Roosevelt quotes

Theodore Roosevelt was a visionary leader and his quotes continue to inspire and motivate people from all walks of life. Known for his courage, perseverance, and dedication to public service, Roosevelt’s words are timeless and full of wisdom. His famous quotes on leadership, success, and the importance of taking action resonate with individuals seeking guidance and inspiration.

Whether it’s his famous quote, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are,” or his powerful words on courage and determination, Theodore Roosevelt’s quotes remind us to embrace challenges, strive for greatness, and make a positive impact in the world.

Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out

Let us run the risk of wearing out! Such a profound sound to it isn’t it? Often, when you are doing something hard, there is a question which jumps at you. Why am I doing this? What holds me so close to this? It may be a personal/professional question for you. But it is right out there. The WHY! It can give you plenty of answers. The one that matters the most is the one which makes you smile.

It is hard to push on a goal which keeps testing you at different stages. At every stage when you ask this question, you have two options

• Keep Going
• Stop and start something afresh

Neither of these choices are wrong. Ultimately it is your decision as to what matters the most. If you are willing to run a risk, what risk will you run?

Roosevelt Quotes say – Let us run the risk of wearing out than rusting out. As long as you believe in something, you got to give everything you have for that belief. The Brick Walls are there for a reason!

After all, you owe it to yourself to make this dream/passion happen. On that note:

Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out

Theodore Roosevelt

Believe you can and you’re halfway there

It all starts with the beauty of a belief. Nothing worthwhile in the world was ever done by people who doubted their every move. Of course, you have challenges along the way. You will have people who will question your every move. It is not wrong to question your approach. It is wrong to let them shake your convictions thoroughly.

We have all heard of the quote – If you think you can or if you think you can’t, you are right! Beliefs are very powerful emotions. You can use them to serve you or you can serve your beliefs.

Either ways, if it is a strong belief, then you have found a great reason to work for. If you let your beliefs shake you or make you tremble, it is time to question them.

Believe you can and you are halfway there

Roosevelt Quotes

When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on

If you are holding on to a momentous task, you will be fraught with challenges. Sometimes, these challenges are so big that you begin to wonder if you should quit. If there is a speck in your heart which tells you to hold on – then for god’s sake hold on to it!

You will be pushed at times to the end of your rope. You will need to find an anchor and a reason to hold on. It is far too easy to quit sometimes. Feels just about right to quit and move on. There are plenty of things to do in life.

Truth is you never really know until you try every arrow in your quiver. It’s awful to get to a place to question “If only I had done this one little thing”. Never is it easy to stay on when there are so many odds against you – It is difficult to wait at times, but it is way more difficult to give up!

Then again achievements need a few odds to battle and push your way through. After all, you are bigger than your circumstances. And truly so

When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on

Roosevelt Quotes

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed

Failure is an imminent part of anything you try. If it is new, there is a larger likelihood of failure. As a society, we are trained think of failure as a bad thing – something to castaway. But the truth is – you can never really run away from failure. It is an imminent part of life.

As always, you have two choices

• Accept it
• Run away

The second one sounds a bit harsh. But this is what most of us are trained to do. Not in the literal sense of running away, but a metaphorical sense of avoiding talking about it. You need to talk about your failures just as much as your successes. It is a reality in life. Granted no one might care. But there are lessons, you have tried something and failed at it.

Most importantly, you have learnt something. Acceptance of failure is a beautiful thing. You can move forward only when you do that.

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed

Roosevelt Quotes

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are

Have you ever been in the land of “If Only”? I know I have! I could have done X, Y and Z if only I had more resources, time, friends, etc. The list never seems to end because that is what lists are for!

If you ever find yourself making these lists – consciously stop! It is an awful place to be in. The end result is quite simple. You will feel helpless and sad.

You will be asking for sympathy from everyone you meet. Although you may get some, it is never really a true one. So, don’t bother wasting your time and life on these lists. You are given a set of cards and you will have to lead your life with them.

Think about how best you can use your situation and make your life. As a result, you might end up achieving your goals one way or the other. The road to helplessness takes you into a helpless state. You cannot dream for that. You need results and outcomes.

There is not an awful lot of time to waste on self pity!

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are

Roosevelt Quotes

There were all kinds of things I was afraid of at first, ranging from grizzly bears to ‘mean’ horses and gun-fighters; but by acting as if I was not afraid I gradually ceased to be afraid

Fear is a beautiful thing! It makes you question every ounce of strength you have. It also makes you wonder if you are really capable of achieving your dreams.

Fear is also a very beautiful thing because it awakens you to the very reality of the worst that can happen to you. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the worst is going to happen. It is trying to warn you of something which you should be aware of.

The problem is when you let this fear have a debilitating effect on you. Of course, it is hard to face the reality of something worst happening to you. But fear is not telling you that it has happened. Fear is telling you to be prepared. It is asking you nicely about the alternatives for bad situations because FEAR is not real, Danger is!

If you ever find fear debilitate you

• Think of all the things you were afraid of
• How many of these are you still afraid of?
• What do you feel knowing that you have beaten so many of them?
• Does it fill you with confidence that you can beat the others?

This is precisely what this Roosevelt Quote is telling you. Fear has a way of fizzling out if you act on it!

There were all kinds of things I was afraid of at first, ranging from grizzly bears to ‘mean’ horses and gun-fighters; but by acting as if I was not afraid I gradually ceased to be afraid

Roosevelt Quotes

Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right

We are all very smart people. You know what is right for you! You do not need someone telling you what to do. I agree with all the above. Knowledge is absolute power and a beautiful tool. But it is pretty useless unless you decide to make good use of it.

Given a chance, half this world can be way smarter than you can even imagine. But that doesn’t mean that it is going to be. Thought is a useless emotion if you are not willing to do something about it.

The world is shaped by extraordinarily smart people who know exactly what to do. Some of them even take the liberty to tell you. At times, even you tell your mind that you know what to do. Unfortunately, you also come up with a list of rationalisations about why you should not do it.

We are all very good at rationalisations. In fact, it is one of the strongest suits of a human mind. We are amazing at finding peace with our own actions even though we know they are wrong.

You may be honourable, noble and the best man/woman on earth with the humblest thoughts. But all of them are useless because You are not just responsible for what you do, but also for what you don’t do

Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right

Roosevelt Quotes

I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!

Man is a social being! We are all bound by the rules of society and is often hard to break away from that.

But you must note that there are two factors here:

Personal Space

This is all about you! It is quite literally your sanctuary where people are not allowed to trample upon your desires, dreams and passions. Only you can take a call on what happens here.

Societal Space

This is a space which you share with your fellow beings. They will an influence on you or atleast want to be heard. It is often very hard to escape from this frame of reference as a social being.

Regardless, you must be very careful about who or what you let into these spaces. You character is very much a personal space. If you let the societal framework push you around, you can be a people pleaser but not what you want to be.

If you really want to make a difference for your own life, look at what your character tells you:

I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!

Roosevelt Quotes

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell them, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it

This quote speaks about the adventurous nature you can imbue to gain more opportunities.

I believe in the spirit which takes the notion that you can achieve anything you can put your mind to. Opportunities are never easy to come by.

You will never be a 100% prepared to perform a task given to you. There is usually a learning curve which defines your next steps.

Learning Curve

Learning curves never come by easy. These are opportunities which go amiss if you don’t make full use of. If you are confident that you can at least do more than 50% of the job assigned to you, pick it up.

You can figure out the rest and do justice to the task. If you are wrong, find a way to fix it. Don’t shun opportunities to grow wand widen your horizon. It is easy to only stick to what you know and not undertake anything else.

Try some other things,

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell them, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it

Roosevelt Quotes

No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care

Nobody likes a smarty pant!

It is great to have someone with a lot of knowledge and talent on your side. But talent alone is not everything. You may be smart and capable, but unless you care about someone/something the effect you can have is less.

Empathy drives more results than sheer smarts. Fact is that the smarts is a tangible talent and is available out there.

The Ease of Smart!

We may be using this a bit loosely but smart people are out there. It is a codified skill making the smarts easier to find. If there is no emotional connection, the relationship is merely transactional. For a transactional relationship, alternatives are easy to find.

If you want to be memorable, try empathising and being with people. That will take you a longer way.

No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care

Roosevelt Quotes

The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything

It is easy to be perfect! Don’t try anything!

It may sound a bit harsh, but if your primary goal is perfection, you are headed for a nosedive. It is great to be meticulous and do a great job at what you are given.

Sometimes, it is more important to get the job done rather than being perfect. Of course, it should be of good quality, but timely delivery takes more precedence than perfection. Given enough time we all can do a perfect job at everything we have.

Growth Vs Perfection

That is not the point! If you stick to only things you know, where is growth? It comes from doing things which you are not comfortable with.

If you are worried about doing mistakes, then you are really worried about the wrong things. There is no sense in perfection if it limits you at every stage.

Try to respect the mistakes you can make and it can take you a long way.

The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything

Roosevelt Quotes

When you play, play hard; when you work, don’t play at all

As we come to and end in this post of Roosevelt quotes, we finish with the simplest message. We are all leading a very busy life.

I have heard people say that work is fun. And then I wonder, if you do something do in and day out, there ought to be things you don’t like as well. At some point, work is just work. You are given a task and paid for it. You might enjoy it, but I feel a bit reluctant to say that work is play!

Work is work, play is play!

This quote speaks to the segregation of work and personal life. Your personal life is a little more important than work. You can always find other work to do. It cannot dictate how you lead your life. Work gives you an opportunity to lead a lifestyle.

But this cannot lead your personal life. You r personal life is YOU, friends, family and that spirit which makes you who you are. You will need to create that balance and make sure that you enjoy everyday of it. Dedicate each day to separate the two out and make the most of a day. You are never going to get that back again. After all, time is of primal importance. The rest will follow.

When you play, play hard; when you work, don’t play at all

Roosevelt Quotes