Saturday 15 September 2012

Teddy Roosevelt day

The youngest president was the all action hero who assumed office as the president when McKinley was assassinated on September 14 1901. He went to work the next day 111 years ago as president. Teddy was robust in everything but health, but overcame this by sheer force of will. One of the great police commissioners of new york he was also a countryman, naturalist, soldier in Cuba, multi published writer and the man who really first addressed the problem of race in the usa. On the world stage, Roosevelt's policies were characterized by his slogan, "Speak softly and carry a big stick". Roosevelt was the force behind the completion of the Panama Canal; He also came up with one of my favourite quotes: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." "Man in the Arena" Speech given April 23, 1910 26th president of US (1858 - 1919)