Political Quotes

Teddy Roosevelt

The Public Record

Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. A member of the Republican Party, he was born on October 27, 1858, in New York. Roosevelt was a prominent leader of the Progressive Movement, advocating for domestic policies that included trust-busting, regulation of corporations, and conservation of natural resources. His administration is noted for significant reforms and the establishment of national parks and forests.

Quotes by year · 1902–19122,139 total · peak 1905 (747)
1902: 355 quotes1903: 523 quotes1904: 179 quotes1905: 747 quotes1906: 135 quotes1907: 46 quotes1908: 56 quotes1909: 60 quotes1910: 20 quotes1912: 18 quotes
Oct 20, 1905

This republic is not, and never shall, be the government of a plutocracy.

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Oct 20, 1905

If he is a straight man we should be for him, and if he is a crooked man we should be against him.

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Oct 20, 1905

If we treat the mighty heroes of the past merely as excuses for sitting lazily down in the present, or for standing aside from the rough work of the world, then these memories will prove a curse instead of a blessing.

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Oct 20, 1905

We are knit together by the bond of our common interests in the future.

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Oct 20, 1905

We do not wish another foot of territory; and I think our conduct toward Cuba is a guaranty that this is our genuine attitude toward all our sister republics.

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Oct 20, 1905

This government is not, and never shall be, the government of a mob.

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Oct 19, 1905

Presidents may come and Presidents may go, but Uncle Remus stays, put.

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Oct 19, 1905

The fearless condemnation of what is wrong; the standing up for what is decent, for what is straight.

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Oct 19, 1905

I want to say that one of the great reasons why I like what he has written is because after reading it I rise up with the purpose of being a better man.

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Oct 19, 1905

We can not afford in this country to draw the distinction as between rich man and poor man.

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Oct 19, 1905

Above all we should treat with a peculiarly contemptuous abhorrence the man who in a spirit of sheer cynicism debauches either our business life or our political life.

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Oct 19, 1905

There is nothing that the islands need more than to have their great natural resources developed.

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Oct 18, 1905

Experience has shown that the present laws are defective and need amendment.

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Oct 18, 1905

The man who fails to be honest and brave both in his political franchise and in his private business contributes to political and social anarchy.

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Oct 18, 1905

The valor shown alike by the men of the North and the men of the South as they battled for the right as God gave them to see the right, is now part of what we, all of us, keep with pride.

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Oct 18, 1905

I realize to the full, as does every good citizen, that there must be a foundation of material prosperity upon which to build the welfare of State or nation.

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Oct 18, 1905

We despise the boy who treats the fact that his father counted for something as being an excuse for his counting for nothing.

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Oct 18, 1905

I am glad to say that going through your State the children seem to be all right in quality and quantity, and I congratulate you on them.

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Oct 18, 1905

The preservation of the forests is vital to the welfare of every country.

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Oct 18, 1905

We can not afford to wait longer before assuming control, in the interest of the public, of these forests.

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Oct 18, 1905

The man who would teach either wage worker or capitalist that the other is his foe is a bad citizen and a faithless American.

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Politicians like Teddy Roosevelt