Where enthusiasts are ready to destroy or be destroyed for trifles magnified into importance by a squeamish conscience, it is not strange that the very name of conscience should become a byword of contempt to cool and shrewd men of business.
In an essay on the strenuous life, this passage reflects on how extreme enthusiasm and a "squeamish conscience" can lead practical people to disdain the concept of conscience.
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More from Teddy Roosevelt
I speak of the men of the past partly that they may be honored by our praise of them, but more that they may serve as examples for the future.
I absolutely agree with you that this matter is not one to be decided with any reference to the personal preferences or interests of any man, but purely from the standpoint of the interests of the people as a whole.
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