quote · Legacy record
In the long run, success or failure will beconditioned upon the way in which the average man, the average women, does his or her duty, first in the ordinary, every-day affairs of life, and next in those great occasional cries which call for heroic virtues. The average citizen must be a good citizen if our republics are to succeed. The stream will not permanently rise higher than the main source; and the main source of national power and national greatness is found in the average citizenship of the nation.
In the long run, success or failure will beconditioned upon the way in which the average man, the average women, does his or her duty, first in the ordinary, every-day affairs of life, and next in those great occasional cries which call for heroic virtues. The average citizen must be a good citizen if our republics are to succeed. The stream will not permanently rise higher than the main source; and the main source of national power and national greatness is found in the average citizenship of the nation.
Approximate author period: c. 1888 AD · industrial
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- Author or tradition
- Theodore Roosevelt
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
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- Approximate author period: c. 1888 AD · industrial
Approximate author-period anchor from life dates 1858 to 1919; Wikidata Q33866, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q33866 (accessed 2026-10-08). Not a quotation composition date.
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Supplied reference C; CSV row 360355; supplied attribution, independently unverified
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