The Strenuous Life: The Works of Theodore Roosevelt, Volume 12 (of 14)Roosevelt, Theodore
General
The Strenuous Life: The Works of Theodore Roosevelt, Volume 12 (of 14)
Roosevelt, Theodore
United States -- Colonial question; United States -- Politics and government
as to enable him to get the years of additional mental training. The
trouble with the two rich men whose views are above quoted was that,
owing largely perhaps to their own defects in early training, they did
not know what success really was. Their speeches merely betrayed their
own limitations, and did not furnish any argument against education.
Success must always include, as its first element, earning a competence
for the support of the man himself, and for the bringing up of those
dependent upon him. In the vast majority of cases it ought to include
financially rather more than this. But the acquisition of wealth is
not in the least the only test of success. After a certain amount of
wealth has been accumulated, the accumulation of more is of very little
consequence indeed from the standpoint of success, as success should
be understood both by the community and the individual. Wealthy men who
use their wealth aright are a great power for good in the community,
and help to upbuild that material national prosperity which must
underlie national greatness; but if this were the only kind of success,
the nation would be indeed poorly off. Successful statesmen, soldiers,
sailors, explorers, historians, poets, and scientific men are also
essential to national greatness, and, in fact, very much more essential
than any mere successful business man can possibly be. The average man,
into whom the average boy develops, is, of course, not going to be a
marvel in any line, but, if he only chooses to try, he can be very
good in any line, and the chances of his doing good work are immensely
increased if he has trained his mind. Of course, if, as a result of
his high-school, academy, or college experience, he gets to thinking
that the only kind of learning is that to be found in books, he will do
very little; but if he keeps his mental balance,—that is, if he shows
character,—he will understand both what learning can do and what it
can not, and he will be all the better the more he can get.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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