“In order to get good citizenship the average man must have honesty, he must have courage, and united to them he must have the saving grace of common sense.“

Speech in Westfield, MA
September 2, 1902

“Honesty, rigid honesty, is a root virtue; if not present, no other virtue can atone for its lack.”

The Key to Success in Life, 1916

“If the average man has the right stuff in him we will succeed. If he has not the right stuff in him, then you cannot get it out of him, because it is not there.”

Remarks at Oregon City
May 21, 1903

“Every expansion of civilization makes for peace. In other words, every expansion of a great civilized power means a victory for law, order, and righteousness.”

The Strenuous Life, April 10, 1899

“If we are not all of us Americans and nothing else, scorning to divide along lines of section, of creed, or of national origin, then the Nation itself will crumble to dust.”

A Letter to Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge
1916

“I have studied history a good deal and it is a matter of rather grim amusement to me to listen to the praise bestowed on our national past at the expense of our national present.”

A Letter to Owen Wister, April 27, 1906

“I wonder if you know how much good you do when you go into this active, practical work. It is a help to every man in the country who is striving for decent politics.”

A Letter to G.S. Conway, May 22, 1902

“Good laws can do much. Good administration of the laws can do much. We must have both.”

Speech in Redlands, California, May 7, 1903

“For my fellow countrymen, you can never afford to forget at one moment that in the long run anything that is of benefit to one part of our republic is of necessity a benefit to all the Republic.”

Speech in Denver, Colorado, May 4, 1903

“I believe in the rule of right and justice at home and between nations. I believe in international justice.”

Speech in Montevideo, Uruguay, November 5, 1913

“My own view has been that if I must choose between taking risks by not doing a thing or by doing it, I will take the risks of doing it.”

Speech in Dallas, Texas, April 5, 1905

“…a policy of words unbacked by deeds is considerably worse than useless.”

A Letter to J.W. Jenke, March 15, 1915