HomeQuotesTheodore Roosevelt
Leadership
I could a great deal rather have him show true manliness of character than show either intellectual or physical prowess.
Letters to His Children, letter to Ted, October 2, 1903, 1903
Leadership
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What this means, and why it matters to a father

Roosevelt wrote regularly to his son Ted while Ted was at Groton, navigating the pressures of athletics and academics as the President's son. This line makes the priority explicit: character above achievement.

There is more to this one. The full context — the events behind the words, what the author was living through, and how it applies to the specific situations of fatherhood — is in the app under Deeper Understanding.

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