He said himself that he made up his mind that it was his duty to establish the canal and have the debate about it afterwards, which seemed to him better than to begin with indefinite debate and have no canal at all.
This quote captures Roosevelt's decisive approach to establishing the Panama Canal despite potential controversy.
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More from Henry Cabot Lodge
The blood of some ancestral Scotch covenanter or of some Dutch reformed preacher facing the tyranny of Philip of Spain was in his veins, and with his large opportunities and his vast audiences he was always ready to appeal for justice and…
But his own personal ideals he never attempted to thrust upon the world until the day came when they were to be translated into realities of action.
He was also--and this is very revealing and explanatory, too, of his vast popularity--a man of ideals.
His ideal of public service was to be found in his life, and as his life drew to its close he had to meet his ideal of sacrifice face to face.