It 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.
Theodore RooseveltRead
Americanism is a question of principle, of idealism, of character. It is not a matter of birthplace, or creed, or line of descent.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Americanism is defined by principles and ideals rather than by where one is born or their background.
In this quote, Theodore Roosevelt emphasizes that Americanism is rooted in fundamental values such as principle, idealism, and character, rather than superficial attributes like birthplace or ancestry. It implies that what truly defines a person's identity and belonging to a nation are their beliefs and integrity, rather than their lineage or origin.
Themes
AmericanismPrinciplesIdealismCharacterIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about citizenship and national identity.
More from Theodore Roosevelt
All quotes →No man should receive a dollar unless that dollar has been fairly earned.
Theodore RooseveltRead
Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.
Theodore RooseveltRead
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.
Theodore RooseveltRead
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.
Theodore RooseveltRead
There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother.
Theodore RooseveltRead
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