Theodore Roosevelt Quotes

We've placed a lot of emphasis in this country on the idea of people's rights. That's how it should be, but it makes no sense to talk about rights without also talking about responsibilities.

Much has been given us, and much will rightfully be expected from us. We have duties to others and duties to ourselves; and we can shrink neither.

There comes a time in the life of a nation, as in the life of an individual, when it must face great responsibilities, whether it will or no. We have now reached that time. We cannot avoid facing the fact that we occupy a new place among the people of the world.

I don't think of myself as a hard man, but other people may think otherwise. You know you have obligations to do the best you can for people, for your job, for your shareholders... it all has to be balanced between the hardness and the softness.

No Georgian has the right to evade or neglect his duties and responsibilities.

If I weren't doing the politics, I wouldn't be doing my job.

The government, whether state or central, is elected. That means we have a responsibility to elect the right kind of leaders.

Duties and rights are reciprocal

This is the American moment in world history and one for which we shall ever be judged.

We cannot fly from our world duties.

I have an obligation to the people of Illinois, to the Senate and to myself to leave the Senate while I am still eager to serve, not after I tire of serving.

God puts no nation in supreme place which will not do supreme duty. God keeps no nation in supreme place which will not perform its supreme duty …

People hold elected officials to a higher ethical standard than most others.

Rights! There are no rights whatever without corresponding duties.

As the leaders of this great country, I urge my fellow colleagues in the House, governors, and presidential candidates alike to hold ourselves up to a higher standard.

If I had chosen the populist course, it would have been a breach of the trust placed in me by the people.

I have spent my life fighting for our country and our values. When those values are jeopardized, when our democracy is threatened, I believe it is our responsibility to speak out and demand accountability.

A lot of people expect a lot of things out of me.

I've been blessed with a platform and a voice, and I owe it to myself and my family and our people to use it responsibly.

The officials have a tough job to do. But that's what they're hired to do and that's what they spend all their time doing.

Power breeds responsibilities, in international affairs as in domestic - or even private. To dodge or disclaim these responsibilities is one form of the abuse of power.

It is not in violence and crime that our greatest danger lies. These evils are so perfectly apparent that they very quickly arouse the moral power of the people for their suppression. A far more serious danger lurks in the shirking of those responsibilities of citizenship, where the evil may not be so noticeable but is more insidious and likely to be more devastating.

You can't run a society or cope with its problems if people are not held accountable for what they do.

Our privileges can be no greater than our obligations. The protection of our rights can endure no longer than the performance of our responsibilities.

When declaring your rights, don't forget your responsibilities.