Man in the Arena — Theodore Roosevelt Quote

Theodore Roosevelt

“…who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…”

“Citizenship in a Republic,” the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Documented source

Source

Theodore Roosevelt, “Citizenship in a Republic,” the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

In full

“It is not the critic who counts… The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly… who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…”

Note

The design carries the heart of the passage — the full text above is the source

Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), New York · speech delivered at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

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About this line

Roosevelt gave this speech a year into his post-presidency, telling a packed hall what it actually costs to attempt anything real. The credit, he says, never belongs to the critic in the seats — only to the one down in the dust, daring greatly whether he wins or loses.

We compressed to give you the heart of his speech. The full passage is in the source block above.