Theodore Roosevelt Quotes

I am not a pessimist; to perceive evil where it exists is, in my opinion, a form of optimism.

The world isn't always great.

If pessimism is despair, optimism is cowardice and stupidity. Is there any need to choose between them?

I can see a great beauty in acknowledging the fact that the world is dark.

When God calls a man to be upright and pure and generous, he also calls him to be intelligent and skillful, and strong and brave.

What a liberating thing to realize that our problems are probably our richest sources for rising to the ultimate virtue of compassion.

It's a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.

The values transmitted through oral history are many - courage, selflessness, the ability to endure, and to do so with humor and grace. I got those values listening to my dad's stories about the Depression and how their family survived. It gave me courage that I, too, could survive hard times.

Every silver lining has a cloud.

Where fear is present, wisdom cannot be.

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.

Hope may give a man strength, but not sense.

When there is no hope, there can be no endeavor.

The higher classes of a nation can communicate virtue and wisdom to the government, if they themselves are virtuous and wise: but they can never give it strength; for strength always comes from below; it always proceeds from the masses

He who despairs over an event is a coward. He who holds hope for the human condition is a fool.

I am not Pollyannaish about the depths of the challenges we face.

People have always painted me like a pessimist, like somebody who sees the glass half-empty. But I think the fact that I keep showing up and saying, 'No, there must be a way for me to live in this world,' that shows I'm an eternal optimist.

I have a 'hope for the best, expect the worst' mentality.

My mom has always just been one of those people who handle adversity and challenges, and really everything, with so much grace and elegance. I saw it all the time.

Back when I was an idealistic 18-year-old on my way to Chicago, I might have believed that being on the side of virtue would guarantee a good outcome. These many years later, I know better.

No matter how bad any situation, cynicism has no positive impact. Watching the news, you might notice that cynicism and victimhood often seem to go hand-in-hand, but not for veterans.

We believe faith and freedom must be our guiding stars, for they show us truth, they make us brave, give us hope, and leave us wiser than we were.

Give us the strength, give us the wisdom, and give us tomorrow.

If a warrior lacked wisdom, courage alone would not keep him alive for long.

You’re so American. You believe everything is possible, everything will come. I know differently.