A class of professional non-combatants is as hurtful to the real, healthy growth of a nation as is a class of fire-eaters; for a weakness or folly is nationally as bad as a vice, or worse; and, in the long run, a Quaker may be quite as undesirable a citizen as is a duelist.
Roosevelt emphasizes the importance of active citizenship and the dangers of complacency in a nation.
Share
More from Teddy Roosevelt
I want every labor man, every labor leader, every organized union man, to take the lead in denouncing crime or violence.
I wish to say that the Progressive Party is making its appeal to all our fellow citizens without any regard to their creed or to their birthplace.
The fate of the leader for the time being is of little consequence, but the cause itself must in the end triumph, for its triumph is essential to the well-being of the American people.
Other voices in this conversation
