The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses

TR makes a passionate appeal for manliness and hard work as opposed to idleness. Americans have always valuedrugged individualism but also must be committed to society, the country, and even the family of nations around the world. Today there is a lot of criticism of "colonialism" but Teddy promotes it as development and the expanding of civilization. Some have done it better than others, e.g. England better than Spain. Much of the lectures is a plea notto abandon the Philippines. We are there, we've ended up responsible and we must follow through, because it's a mix of various kinds of Christians, militant Muslims, and wild pagans and not ready for self-governance. There are similar reflections on Puerto Rico and Cuba.We need for men to be men and to work hard and fearlessly. Women need to embrace motherhood and have lots of kids and form and educate them. He praises women serving as teachers, nurses and even doctors. By working hard and raising families, men and women will be happy. They need to work hard. Some will work primarily intellectually, while others will work physically. Some may not have much ability, but they too must strive and participate in the team effort of family, town, state and country and even the project of all mankind. This requires strength physical, intellectual and moral. Usually the problem is not lack of intelligence or physical stamina but the lack of moral excellence and commitment. We need willpower to strive rather than settling for idleness and seeking comfort and luxury. Money is good, but taking pride in work for other causes is better and more satisfying in the long run.Teddy makes a robust international commitment to American involvement around the world. At the turn of thecentury he sees great possibilities for good and ill, and unfortunately there was much evil in the 20th century,but also a lot of American greatness. His examples are Washington, Lincoln and Grant, whom he puts above the"second" tier of Jefferson, Hamilton, Franklin and Jackson. Once again, their source of strength was not primarily physical or intellectual but moral and spiritual. They certainly had aspects of worldly wisdom but needed more than that to accomplish what they did.TR had a good knowledge of the classics of Greece and Rome as did all educated people back then. He is blunt thatcivilization is more advanced than the life of savages. And yet he's sympathetic to the savages, seeking to share the benefits of civilization and help all the world to develop their society. It would be interesting to compare with Churchill, Kipling and Chesterton on these points.Roosevelt praises the YMCA and a number of Catholic organizations, mostly run by priests and nuns to help troubledgirls and others. He exalts the 10 commandments and the Golden Rule as great sources of moral wisdom. Among themany virtues exalted in these lectures are courage, honesty, purity, wholesome family life, and temperance in food and drink. Despite the emphasis on toughness, there's also a call for gentleness, respect and "fellow feeling" and an end to brutality and cruelty.

I just finished reading Theodore Roosevelt’s Autobiography, so it was quite fascinating to read some of the speeches he was giving during the same periods he covered in his memoirs. TR practiced what he preached, and one of his consistent messages is that anything worthwhile is worth the strenuous effort it takes to get it. This collection of speeches is called “The Strenuous Life.”TR himself described the strenuous life like this:“The doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife: to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph. … A life of slothful ease, a life of that peace which springs merely from lack either of desire or of power to strive after great things, is as little worthy of a nation as of an individual.”In “The Strenuous Life,” you will read the consistent message TR delivered to a wide variety of people—from the rough-and-tumble outdoorsmen and women, to the diplomats attending a World’s Fair, to business people—nothing of lasting value ever came to those who sat around and waited for it to come to them. The strenuous life is one of initiative, of hard work, of sacrifice, of perseverance, and ultimately a life rewarded by self-satisfaction in a job well done.This book is inspiring as a stand-alone read, but I highly recommend you read it in conjunction with TR’s “Autobiography," as it adds an extra level of insight to both works.

Not even lying. This is one of my favorite books ever, albeit a short one. I love the crap out of Teddy.

This book is inaccurately represented - it's a (very thin) collection of quotes, which is not what I was expecting. it was my fault for not checking that this was Roosevelt's collection of essays (with the same title). My mistake - also I passed the return date and so cannot get a refund.

It is definitely a 'Little book of wisdom.' I read it cover-to-cover in less than 20 minutes. It is a transcript of a moving speech TR gave in 1905, and is the essence of how he lived his life and how he thought others should. Worth reading, but expect to be done with it in no time. However, I will likely revisit it in the future.

I have been delighted in getting to know this man through his memoir of the Spanish American War and Candice Millard's great account "River of Doubt" - this is a welcome addition and good reading for audiences, young and old, a century later.

Best essay ever about what we ought to do with our free time and why from one of our best presidents.

Excellent advice on how challenge molds character.

The Rough Rider wasn't the best president, but he had wonderful thoughts.One of the passible to Good presidents of the 20th century, one of 4 (Kennedy and Reagan, and the best Calvin Cooledge being the best). But a man who had great points, and is nothing like McCain thank heavens.