The Man in the Arena

On April 23, 1910, Theodore Roosevelt, former President of the United States, gave a speech titled “Citizenship in a Republic” at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. He spoke of the importance of character, strength and integrity. The most notable excerpt from this speech is known as “The Man in the Arena.”

Here is that passage:

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.

If you just skimmed this excerpt, then I encourage you to read it again. Slowly. Out loud if necessary. So that you feel the full weight of this passage.

This quote reminds me that I want to live my life “in the arena.” And not on the sidelines. I don’t want to be the critic telling someone else that they are doing something the wrong way. When, in fact, I have never done what they are trying to do. I don’t want to be the anonymous internet troll pulling someone else down who is trying something new.

It also reminds me that if I am going to live my life “in the arena,” then sometimes it won’t be pretty. Sometimes my face will be “marred by dust and sweat and blood.” Sometimes I will fail. Sometimes I will come up short. I will weather the times of defeat and failure to someday know the “triumph of high achievement.”

Further, it reminds me to learn from others “in the arena.” Their feedback, support and guidance is invaluable to my development and improvement. They’ve been there. They know how it feels to fail and, ultimately, what it takes to succeed.

Finally, it reminds me that I don’t care what the critic says. Or the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. If you’re not “in the arena” along with me. If you’re not putting yourself out there, facing potential failure, striving valiantly…then I’m not interested in your opinion.

And I’m not the only fan of this quote…

This quote was the inspiration for the title of Brene Brown’s book, Daring Greatly.

Nelson Mandela shared this speech with Francois Pienaar, captain of the South African rugby team, before the 1995 Rugby World Cup, where the South African team defeated the All Blacks of New Zealand. This is the story told in the movie, Invictus.

Multiple US Presidents have referenced this quote.

At the US Naval Academy, incoming freshman are required to memorize this quote.

And, finally, LeBron James has “Man in the Arena” written on his shoes.