Americanism is a question of principle, of idealism, of character. It is not a matter of birthplace, or creed, or line of descent.
Absence and death are the same - only that in death there is no suffering.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that absence and death can be viewed similarly as both represent a separation from life, but death offers peace from suffering.
Theodore Roosevelt's quote explores the profound connection between absence and death, implying that both represent a form of loss. While absence from loved ones can cause emotional pain and suffering, death ultimately brings a cessation of all suffering, positioning it as a dark yet peaceful release. This perspective invites reflection on the nature of life and loss, suggesting that the finality of death might be more bearable than the lingering pain of absence.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a eulogy, one might use this quote to emphasize the peace that comes with death.
More from Theodore Roosevelt
All quotes βIt tires me to talk to rich men. You expect a man of millions, the head of a great industry, to be a man worthhearing; but as a rule they don't know anything outside their own business.
No man should receive a dollar unless that dollar has been fairly earned.
Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.
Conservation means development as much as it does protection._x000D_ _x000D_ A man's usefulness depends upon his living up to his ideals insofar as he can.
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 at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.
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