It Is Not the Critic Who Counts!
At a recent upper school assembly, Mr. MacMullan addressed the students in the audience with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt. He made it a point to recognize those students who had decided to run for student government. He reminded us that we should be proud of those who ultimately decided to enter the arena.
“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 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 errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
—Theodore Roosevelt
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
I walked away hoping that some in the audience would find courage in the quote that Mr. MacMullan shared. Perhaps, to even serve as a catalyst for action, prompting people to pursue leadership roles they had previously hesitated to consider. I hope the quote provides all of us the strength to continue when things are difficult and gives us hope that setbacks are not signs of failure but rather opportunities for growth.
I am thankful for every student who made the decision to run for office. You made us proud!
I look forward to seeing you around campus!
Stuart
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