Great Thoughts, Great Actions

“Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Outside of his political career, Roosevelt was both a voracious reader and tireless writer.  He wrote thousands and thousands of letters and essays and had 25 books published about a range of subjects, including history, biology, geography and philosophy. 

 

His writing about the American West, in particular, has stood the test of time and is still often used by those seeking depictions of life on the frontier in those times.  And, of course, his concern for our environment and protecting our land for future generations did more to shape of our current national park system than perhaps any other president before or since.

  When asked once about his decisive leadership in many of these things, he said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”  We can be grateful that he never chose to do nothing.