About the Man

Theodore Roosevelt was the first great president America had since Abraham Lincoln. You cannot believe how excited I was to finally paint a recognizable face after what seemed like the longest stretch of unmemorable presidents.

This description of him could get long. He was a great man, one of my favorites growing up. If you are short on time, read only that which is highlighted by grey boxes. The man was a genius with words and I highlighted a few of the many great quotes he said.

TR was the first president to be known by his initials and that name fit him well, short and to the point. He was the manliest president we’ve had since Andrew Jackson, and likely the manliest president since. It’s common knowledge that he liked to hunt elephants on safaris in Africa (get over it PETA, it was 100 years ago) and his fiery nature led to riotous speeches. But he also liked to parlay his energy into boxing matches in the White House gym, one with boxing champ John L. Sullivan. He also enjoyed obstacle walks and was photographed on top of Yosemites Glacier Point after hiking there in 1906.

After his presidency, TR went on an expedition to South America to study the area for the American Museum of Natural History. This famous expedition almost led to his death – he caught malaria, lost 50 pounds, became delirious and asked his companions to leave him behind. It’s fitting that this is the kind of trip he wanted to take for fun an relaxation.

As far as his presidency goes, he approached it with the same vigor. He was the youngest president to hold office at the time and his “Big Stick” approach spared no one from his scrutiny. Often seen as an anti-capitalist, this actually isn’t the case. He fought against unruly use of power a certain few big businesses at the time made use of. Roosevelt himself was a capitalist, but his moves in office officially ushered in the progressive era. I quote him directly:

“Our aim is not to do away with corporations; on the contrary, these big aggregations are an inevitable development of modern industrialism, and the effort to destroy them would be futile unless accomplished in ways that would work the utmost mischief to the entire body politic. We can do nothing of good in the way of regulating and supervising these corporations until we fix clearly in our minds that we are not attacking the corporations, but endeavoring to do away with any evil in them. We are not hostile to them; we are merely determined that they shall be so handled as to subserve the public good. We draw the line against misconduct, not against wealth.“

He fought against segregation by bringing Booker T Washington to the White House, a controversial move. He fought misleading labels in the food and drug industry. He was the first to fight for preservation of our natural resources. He did nothing but fight and for that he is remembered as one of the greatest leaders our country has ever had.

TR was a treasure trove of great quotes. For the first time I had a hard time choosing one. Here are a few of my favorites:

Of course he made famous the African proverb “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” Something Capitol Hill could use a little more of today.

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

“We stand at Armageddon and we battle for the Lord!”

“The light has gone out of my life.” This is the only thing he wrote in his diary on the day his wife AND mother died within hours of each other. He also put a large X on the page. View it here.

“Death is always and under all circumstances a tragedy, for if it is not, then it means that life itself has become one.”

“The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his weight; that he shall not be a mere passenger, but shall do his share in the work that each generation of us finds ready to hand; and, furthermore, that in doing his work he shall show, not only the capacity for sturdy self-help, but also self-respecting regard for the rights of others.” Here here!

“If I must choose between righteousness and peace I choose righteousness.”

“There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism…. The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities.”

“The United States of America has not the option as to whether it will or it will not play a great part in the world…It must play a great part. All that it can decide is whether it will play that part well or badly.”

“In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

“Please put out the light, James.” His last words.

If you are a Theodore Roosevelt admirer and would like to order this print with any one of his great quotes, contact me directly and I will put whatever quote you want on his print.

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