Theodore Roosevelt - Fortitude

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt forged his character like a blacksmith forges a sword - only through exposure to the purifying fires and beatings of life, could he mould himself into the man he wanted to become. The foundation of his fortitude was found in his overcoming of great hardships; his greatness came from his embracing of difficulty.

Born in the metropolis of New York City, on October 27th, 1858. His father, Theodore Roosevelt Sr, was a businessman and philanthropist, a figure of emulation for young Theodore. However, as a young boy, Theodore Roosevelt showed only signs of a sickly boy, in need of constant nurturing. His debilitating asthma and general poor health left him home-schooled; isolated and in pain… the perfect ammunition for a man of resilience and self-overcoming.

Bound to his bed, little Theodore had nothing but books and a voracious appetite for stories. He immersed himself in the tales of adventurous explorers, like David Livingstone, and his expeditions into the alien world of Africa. Roosevelt’s passion for danger and exploration was born from coddling security and isolation; he knew he would one day actualise his dreams and be a man of discovery.   

Entering his early teens, Roosevelt began to develop a love of nature and of hunting. At 13 he shot his first rifle, his hopeless efforts revealed young Roosevelt’s short-sightedness and his need for his trademark thick-cut spectacles. 

Being a sickly skinny child, with thick spectacles and debilitating asthma, he was seen only as prey for the older, stronger boys. His experience of beatings and abuse turned him to boxing. Unlike his bullies, he would become strong and disciplined; capable of standing up for himself. Without his bullies, Theodore would never have become the figure of virility and vitality that we know him to be.

Roosevelt’s mindset, and his mission, began to unravel before his short-sighted eyes. He desired the difficulties of life - Pain, loss, failure, and suffering would serve his character of courage, focus and fortitude. Roosevelt saw only opportunity in chaos – when the doctors told him to live a sedentary life, he chose to hunt; he chose to fight. 

In 1875, he passed the Harvard entrance exam and threw himself into university life – boxing, debating, and writing. Roosevelt nurtured a ferocious focus on his studies, later remarking about the headaches he was rewarded with, after intensive studying. He developed into a rising star, holding great ambitions for himself – writing a book on the War of 1812, while studying. However, his momentum was halted; Theodore would encounter the first big loss of his life, the tragic death of his father. 

On February 9th, 1878. His father died on February 9th, 1878. Theodore remained stoic; he loved his father and wished to honour his name, so he carried on. Amidst the tragedy, Roosevelt fell in love, once remarking to a fellow student “you see that girl, she won’t have me, but I’m going to have her”. Her name was Alice Lee, and they were married in 1879.

Foregoing his career in law, Roosevelt turned to politics. He stood for making the American dream possible for all. He honed his skills in oratory and slowly built his reputation as a force to be reckoned with. Although no matter how tough one might be in the political arena, Roosevelt could never prepare himself for his next tragedy. He received a message, while he was out on his ranch, that his wife had given birth, but that both she and his mother had fallen ill. Roosevelt travelled home and lost them both on the same day. Experiencing such a loss, he wrote: 

“the light has gone from my life” 

Theodore Roosevelt did what he did best… he carried on. 

When he wasn’t living as a cowboy, arresting thieves and hunting animals, he ascended the political ranks. He became Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1898, and with the outbreak of war in Cuba, Roosevelt resigned his post so he could fight on the front lines. He formed the First U.S Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, or as the press would call them… ‘The Rough Riders’. Their most famous expedition, the battle of Kettle Hill 1898, resulted in Roosevelt receiving the medal of honour. 

The Rough Riders - 1898

Returning as a war hero, Roosevelt quickly became Vice President, and when President McKinley was shot dead in 1901, Roosevelt became the 26th President of The United States. In power, Roosevelt created five national parks, made 480 speeches in 23 states, and won the Nobel peace prize for brokering peace in the Russo-Japanese war. 

His presidency ended in 1909, however, his resilience endured until his death, when in 1912, during a speech, Roosevelt was shot; his reply:

“Ladies and gentlemen I don’t know if you fully understand that I have just been shot, but it takes more than that to kill a bull moose” 

Roosevelt died in 1919, the vice president at the time, Woodrow Wilson remarked - "Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight." Many have turned to Roosevelt in the last few years, perhaps due to growing support for stoicism. This link would make sense since Roosevelt was a student of the stoics, and would supposedly carry the works of Epictetus around with him.

Central to the tenet of stoicism is to possess mastery over one’s mind. Roosevelt saw the power in tailoring one’s perception to serve one’s needs; in his case – fortitude. The trials and tribulations in Roosevelt’s life were necessary for his fortitude, for how can you be brave when you are not afraid, or strong when there is no weakness. Roosevelt understood that one must desire darkness in this life, only then can one attain a virtuous character. 

The best insight Theodore Roosevelt gives, into how one can cultivate fortitude, is found in his poem – The Man in The Arena. 

“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; 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.” 

By Christian Hotten.