Theodore Roosevelt

1858–1919 · 26th U.S. President · the quote is falsely attributed to him

Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States (1901–1909), a prolific author, and one of the most heavily quoted figures in American history — which makes him a magnet for invented sayings. This partisan zinger is one of many lines pinned on him with no basis in his actual speeches or writings. As scholars note, the modern political labels “liberal” and “conservative” were not even used this way in his era, where “progressive” was the more common term.

Traced to source

5 quotes we’ve traced to Theodore Roosevelt

Not actually Theodore Roosevelt

Often misattributed to Theodore Roosevelt

Famous lines widely pinned on Theodore Roosevelt that we’ve traced to someone else.

On the research bench

Commonly pinned on Theodore Roosevelt — under review

3 lines flagged as pinned on Theodore Roosevelt and queued for a full source trace — not yet verified.

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