Americanism is a question of principle, of idealism, of character. It is not a matter of birthplace, or creed, or line of descent.
Absence and death are the same - only that in death there is no suffering.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that absence and death can be viewed similarly as both represent a separation from life, but death offers peace from suffering.
Theodore Roosevelt's quote explores the profound connection between absence and death, implying that both represent a form of loss. While absence from loved ones can cause emotional pain and suffering, death ultimately brings a cessation of all suffering, positioning it as a dark yet peaceful release. This perspective invites reflection on the nature of life and loss, suggesting that the finality of death might be more bearable than the lingering pain of absence.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a eulogy, one might use this quote to emphasize the peace that comes with death.
More from Theodore Roosevelt
All quotes βIt tires me to talk to rich men. You expect a man of millions, the head of a great industry, to be a man worthhearing; but as a rule they don't know anything outside their own business.
No man should receive a dollar unless that dollar has been fairly earned.
Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.
Conservation means development as much as it does protection._x000D_ _x000D_ A man's usefulness depends upon his living up to his ideals insofar as he can.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.
Similar quotes
It's important for people of colour to have the opportunities to play characters that are as nuanced - as three-dimensional, as human - as the characters who we traditionally see getting to play the protagonist. The good guys and the bad guys. The reason that is important is because it's a better reflection of the reality of the world we live in.
If truth were everywhere to be shown, a scarlet letter would blaze forth on many a bosom.
I tend to identify with my roles to such an extent that I appear to be totally convinced about certain statements that, in real life, I would never believe in.
Nay, do not think I flatter. For what advancement may I hope from thee, That no revenue hast but thy good spirits To feed and clothe thee? Why should the poor be flattered?
Far too many young people today have no spiritual roots. The've been deprived of values by an agnostic, contemporary culture.
I don't mind what happens. That is the essence of inner freedom. _x000D_ _x000D_ It is a timeless spiritual truth: release attachment to outcomes, _x000D_ _x000D_ deep inside yourself, you'll feel good no matter what.