What a man was is ever more important than what he did, because it is upon what he was that all his achievement depends and his value and meaning to his fellow men must finally rest.
Henry Cabot Lodge: “What a man was is ever more important than what he did, because it is upon what he was that all his achievement depends…”
Editor's note · Context
Lodge emphasizes the importance of a person's character over their achievements in this reflection on Theodore Roosevelt.
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The vulgar hatred of wealth found no place in his heart.
He accomplished this great labor more successfully by honest and lawful methods than if he had taken the path of the strong-handed savior of society, and his work in this field did more for the welfare of his country than all his battles.
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