who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again
because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but
who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great
enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a wor-
thy cause; who at the best knows in the end triumph of high
achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while
daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold
and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
It would be instructive to consider Roosevelt himself at some
length, for he was a remarkable example of just that spirit. Four
presidents grace Mount Rushmore. Three, it could be said, were
pressed into greatness by circumstance. Washington, Jefferson,
and Lincoln led in times of national crisis. T.R., by sheer force of
his personality and leadership, stepped into a series of great chal-
lenges and opportunities and shaped the nation for a new cen-
tury. Charles Krauthammer has said that “the only great president
we have had in good times is Theodore Roosevelt.”
Many who hear of his prodigious enthusiasm and athletic
energies, his determination to conquer fear and taste all of life, to
be scrupulously honest and constantly lifting others—especially
the downtrodden—have wondered where all that came from.
What got all those engines firing? How did this man of great
causes and purpose and drive become Theodore Roosevelt?
In ways more dramatic than the early experiences of Billy
Graham, yet similar in spiritual heritage, Teddy was a product of
the furnace of personal suffering and disappointment.
As a boy, he was quite the opposite of the dramatic president
with the “bully pulpit.” He was thin like Billy Graham, but no ath-
lete! Asthmatic, fearful, he was often horribly sick. Like Billy, no
one expected great things from him; in fact, considering his frail-
ties, they simply hoped for his survival.
Yet in a remarkable process, this fearful boy “remade himself”
and was ignited into the powerful and inspirational world figure that
went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize and a large place in history.
What forces came together to make this leader? The factors in
his transformation start with the president’s father.
Igniting!