The Man In The Arena

“Citizenship in a Republic”, which, among some, would come to be known as “The Man in the Arena.”

Roosevelt railed against cynics who looked down at men who were trying to make the world a better place. “The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer,” he said. “A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticize work which the critic himself never tries to perform... Then he delivered this inspirational and impassioned message that drew huge applause:

The speech was a wild success. According to Morris—who calls it “one of [Roosevelt’s] greatest rhetorical triumphs”—“Citizenship in a Republic” ran in the Journal des Debats as a Sunday supplement, got sent to the teachers of France by Le Temps, was printed by Librairie Hachette on Japanese vellum, was turned into into a pocket book that sold 5000 copies in five days, and was translated across Europe.’”