DO THE BEST YOU CAN
Image courtesy of Brett Jordan (Unsplash)
Earlier this week, one of my Twitter connections posted the following quote from President Theodore Roosevelt's Man in the Arena speech:
"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."
According to World Atlas, former President Roosevelt delivered this speech in Paris, France, on April 23rd, 1910. He had left office one year prior and traveled the world for speaking engagements. In this instance, Roosevelt spoke in a masculine tone, but in my humble opinion, he addressed all human beings. I had not read this quote in several years and began to ponder its meaning.
The quote appears to talk about those engaged in military combat or sporting events. Taken at face value, one could make a valid case in point. However, while reading between the lines, I came to a different conclusion. What Roosevelt delivered was a call to action.
Image courtesy of Maxime Horlaville (Unsplash)
We will bump up against many obstacles on our journey through this lifetime. Most we will overcome, but several we will struggle with and stumble. We must get back up, dust ourselves off, and absorb the lessons learned at these times. Life is not easy, and no one should tell you otherwise. I suggest finding an inner circle of like-minded persons who work to do the best they can with what they have in each moment to make this world a better place for themselves and others in kind. I find this to be the message tucked between the lines of TR's quote.
I leave you with another snippet from President Roosevelt:
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Until next time -
Namaste,
Tim
References
Teddy Roosevelt's Man in the Arena Speech (2019, July 17th). Retrieved September 29th, 2022, from World Atlas: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/man-in-the-arena.html