“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt continues, “Who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; 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, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
It seems that everyone is a critic these days about every topic imaginable. Unlimited information at our fingertips seems to make everyone believe they are an expert in all things. Scrolling through a Twitter timeline portrays a society that delights in taking down others, pointing out flaws and Monday-Morning-Quarterbacking every utterance and action. People would rather read the comments to an article than the actual article. It’s time we all reflect on this state of affairs, get out into the world to take action, try something new, take chances, and experience things for ourselves. That way, at the very least, our opinions and criticisms will come from a place of experience, be more constructive and beneficial to all.
“It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things.” – Teddy Roosevelt
To read more of Teddy Roosevelt’s writings, read “The Man in the Arena: Selected Writings of Theodore Roosevelt.”
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