Teddy would not be very well received in much of our “woke” society today.
In this speech at the Sorbonne, delivered on May 5, 1910, Roosevelt speaks about the importance of rewarding hard work and capability, while warning against the dangers of encouraging laziness and mediocrity.
His timeless message calls for helping those who stumble but not enabling those who refuse to make an effort.
Consider the relevance of this wisdom in today's world and its implications for personal responsibility and societal progress.
“To say that the thriftless, the lazy, the vicious, the incapable, ought to have the reward given to those who are far-sighted, capable, and upright, is to say what is not true and cannot be true. Let us try to level up but let us beware of the evil of leveling down. If a man stumbles, it is a good thing to help him to his feet. Every one of us needs a helping hand now and then. But if a man lies down, it is a waste of time to try to carry him; and it is a very bad thing for everyone if we make men feel that the same reward will come to those who shirk their work and those who do it.”
Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne, May 5, 2010
Leveling Down