Top 500 Theodore Roosevelt Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Positive Quotes, Courage Quotes, Confidence Quotes, Feel Good Quotes

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

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Motivational Quotes, Positive Quotes, Inspirational Quotes, Personal Responsibility Quotes

3. “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Happiness Quotes, Emotion Quotes, Quality Quotes, Wise Quotes

4. “It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Motivational Quotes, Inspirational Quotes, Courage Quotes, Perseverance Quotes, Leadership Quotes

5. “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Courage Quotes, Perseverance Quotes, Action Quotes, Positive Life Quotes

6. “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Positive Quotes, Life Quotes, Goal Quotes, Interesting Quotes

7. “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Inspiring Quotes

8. “When you play, play hard; when you work, don’t play at all.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Hard Work Quotes

9. “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty. I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Success Quotes, Persistence Quotes, Hard Work Quotes, Live Life Quotes

10. “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.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Leadership Quotes, Change Quotes, Motivational Monday Quotes, Inspirational Life Quotes

11. “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Inspirational Quotes, Courage Quotes, Persistence Quotes, Positive Inspirational Quotes

12. “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Life Quotes, Failure Quotes, Inspirational Life Quotes, Empowerment Quotes

13. “Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Complaining Quotes

14. “Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell them, “Certainly I can!”. Then get busy and find out how to do it.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Confidence Quotes, Learning Quotes, Motivational Quotes for Success, Inspirational Quotes for Work

15. “The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Courage Quotes, Persistence Quotes, Failure Quotes, Opportunity Quotes

16. “Knowing what's right doesn't mean much unless you do what's right.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Integrity Quotes, Morality Quotes, Choices Quotes, Quotes for Better Decisions

17. “Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Challenges Quotes, Greatness Quotes, Ambition Quotes, Important Quotes

18. “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with dust and sweat; who strives valiantly; who errs and may fall again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Courage Quotes, Leadership Quotes, Persistence Quotes, Action Quotes

19. “Nothing worth having was ever achieved without effort.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Persistence Quotes, Hard Work Quotes, Motivational Quotes for Work, Motivational Monday Quotes

20. “When you're at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Perseverance Quotes, Positive Life Quotes, Short Inspiring Quotes, Never Give Up Quotes

21. “No man needs sympathy because he has to work, because he has a burden to carry. Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Hard Work Quotes, Motivational Quotes for Work, Inspirational Quotes for Work, Friday Quotes for Work

22. “I am a part of everything that I have read.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Quotes About Books And Reading, Knowledge Quotes

23. “If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Accountability Quotes, Challenges Quotes, Witty Quotes, Humor Quotes

24. “Do Something Now. If not you, who? If not here, where? If not now, when?”

— Theodore Roosevelt

25. “All the resources we need are in the mind. ”

— Theodore Roosevelt

26. “Work hard at work worth doing.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Hard Work Quotes, Motivational Quotes for Work, Inspirational Quotes for Work, Motivational Work Quotes

27. “Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Startup Quotes, Confidence Quotes, Change Quotes, Action Quotes

28. “With self-discipline most anything is possible.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Personal Responsibility Quotes, Performance Quotes, Work Ethic Quotes, Taking Action Quotes

29. “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Military Quotes, Greatness Quotes, Being Strong Quotes, Past Quotes

30. “It is not often that a man can make opportunities for himself. But he can put himself in such shape that when or if the opportunities come he is ready.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Work Ethic Quotes, Taking Action Quotes, Preparation Quotes, Motivational Quotes for Men

31. “To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

32. “To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Morality Quotes, Values Quotes

33. “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Inspirational Quotes for Work, Friday Quotes for Work, Efficiency Quotes, Boss Quotes

34. “It is not the critic who counts.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Self-Worth Quotes, Excellence Quotes, Performance Quotes, Inspirational Quotes for Men

35. “To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Hard Hitting Quotes, Accountability Quotes, Resistance Quotes, Freedom Quotes

36. “I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Integrity Quotes, Personality Quotes, Personal Responsibility Quotes, Character Quotes

37. “The joy in life is his who has the heart to demand it.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

38. “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

39. “It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Perseverance Quotes, Hard Work Quotes, Never Give Up Quotes, Excellence Quotes

40. “For those who fight for it life has a flavor the sheltered will never know.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

41. “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Country Quotes

42. “Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Environment Quotes, Nature Quotes, Earth Day Quotes

43. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

44. “People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Boss Quotes

45. “Character is far more important than intellect in making a man a good citizen or successful at his calling- meaning by character not only such qualities as honesty and truthfulness, but courage, perseverance and self-reliance.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Personality Quotes, Character Quotes, Virtue Quotes, Motivational Quotes for Men

46. “The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we will.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Nature Quotes

47. “The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Regret Quotes

48. “Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action...”

— Theodore Roosevelt

49. “I have often been afraid, but I would not give in to it. I made myself act as though I was not afraid and gradually my fear disappeared.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Featured in: Boldness Quotes, Willpower Quotes, Mental Strength Quotes, Resilience Quotes

50. “Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you’ve got to start young.”

— Theodore Roosevelt