All we could decide was whether we should shrink like cowards from the contest, or enter into it as beseemed a brave and high-spirited people; and, once in, whether failure or success should crown our banners.
From his speech on the strenuous life, this passage describes the limited but crucial choice a nation faces when confronted with unavoidable conflict.
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More from Teddy Roosevelt
I will accept the nomination for President if it is tendered to me, and I will adhere to this decision until the convention has expressed its preference.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles.
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