Americanism is a question of principle, of idealism, of character. It is not a matter of birthplace, or creed, or line of descent.
Theodore RooseveltRead
It is difficult to make our material condition better by the best law, but it is easy enough to ruin it by bad laws.
Interpretation
Good laws are essential for improving society, while bad laws can easily lead to harm.
The quote by Theodore Roosevelt emphasizes the importance of law in shaping society. While a well-crafted law may not immediately transform or improve the material conditions of people, poor legislation can quickly have detrimental effects, showcasing the delicate balance between governance and societal well-being. This highlights the need for careful legislative processes and the responsibility of lawmakers.
In practice
In a legal discussion about the importance of legislation, this quote can illustrate the impact of laws on society.
Americanism is a question of principle, of idealism, of character. It is not a matter of birthplace, or creed, or line of descent.
It 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.
The GOP of old has grown stale and moss-covered. I don't think we need to name any names, do we? Our party is encumbered by an inconsistent approach to freedom. The new GOP will need to embrace liberty in both the economic and the personal sphere.
You get elected, often, if you're a woman, on the strength of the women's vote; then you get into office, and you have to adapt to an overwhelmingly male environment.
Democracy is the most demanding of all forms of government in terms of the energy, imagination, and public spirit required of the individual.
Ours is a fully democratic government, which in our language we call a people's government.
We still find the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry and grasping at the spoil of the multitude. Invention is continually exercised to furnish new pretenses for revenue and taxation. It watches prosperity as its prey and permits none to escape without a tribute.
Where I think historians can help preserve and actually restore democracy is to remind us of how we got it.
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