In The Arena, Excerpt – By William M. Keever

Introduction to “In The Arena”

By William Keever

One of my favorite quotes is one by President Theodore Roosevelt known as the “man in the arena” or “not the critic” passage.  The quote was actually part of a speech entitled “Citizenship in a Republic” delivered by Roosevelt in Paris at the Sorbonne on April 23, 1910.  The passage of the speech that became famous stated:

“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 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 and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for 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 he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt, Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

There are earlier versions of this quote.  The following quotes were taken from The Works of Theodore Roosevelt – National Edition, A Product of H-Bar Enterprises, Copyright 1997

“…the man who really counts in the world is the doer, not the mere critic-the man who actually does the work, even if roughly and imperfectly, not the man who only talks or writes about how it ought to be done.” (1891)

“Criticism is necessary and useful; it is often indispensable; but it can never take the place of action, or be even a poor substitute for it. The function of the mere critic is of very subordinate usefulness. It is the doer of deeds who actually counts in the battle for life, and not the man who looks on and says how the fight ought to be fought, without himself sharing the stress and the danger.” (1894)

I think the reason why I appreciate the above passages so much is that they describe a noble and valiant concept that has been lost in more recent generations.  Today, people rarely jump into the arena of life.   Because of the internet and other forms of mass communication, everyone these days can be a critic and attack those people who actually participate in the arena of life.  Indeed, the internet has made everyone the worst kind of critic – the anonymous pundit who doesn’t have to take responsibility for their words.  People can complain, attack, malign and slander without fearing their lies or omissions will find them out. No…today we have very few real “doers,” “workers” or achievers.  It’s much safer to sit in safety and be a “mere critic” of those that would dare fight in the real battle. 

Recent events in my life have caused me to take a hard look at myself and what I have or have not accomplished.  I‘ve had to encounter serious hardship and suffering because of what I did while in the arena.  My face is now “marred by dust and sweat and blood.”  Certainly my troubles have come in part because of my own “errors and shortcomings.”   As a result, I came very close to walking out of the arena altogether, just sitting out the remainder of my existence on the sidelines with everyone else.  The critics, pundits and antagonists of my life had so beaten me down that I had lost the enthusiasm and desire for life that had once motivated me to achieve “worthy causes.” 

But…as I sat on the sidelines with the “cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat,” I learned something about myself.  Put simply – I’m not like them.  Thank God – I’m not one of them.  Nor do I think I can ever be one of them.  Go ahead and be the critic.  Live your life in the shadows telling the “doers” all that their doing wrong.  But…at least they are doing!  Doers make mistakes…but it is we “who actually count in the battle for life.” 

Sadly, you may never share in the “stress and danger” of fighting with passion and devotion for something (anything) in which you really believe.  Or… you can jump down from the stands, turn off your computer, and walk with us back onto the battlefield.   Yes…the same people with whom you used to critique others will inevitably turn against you; out of envy they will slander and hate you.  But you will soon realize that its worth what Roosevelt called the “dust, sweat and blood.”  Whether our efforts end in victory or defeat, at least we followed our hearts and “dared greatly” in trying to make a difference.

Excerpt from Book by William Keever