I find it amazing that more people are not curious as to why so many people that personally knew Theodore Roosevelt were eagerly compelled to write about what they witnessed. This compulsion, exhibited in such a high percentage of acquaintances, to tell others of their experiences could be considered a scientific anomaly that indicates something out of the ordinary was taking place.

What is equally amazing is that independently reported observations consistently confirm seeing the same character traits exhibited throughout his life. One might even consider that independently reported observation of character traits would differ from a loving sister’s recorded accounts, but they do not. Studying TR’s life through the numerous eyes of those that met him and wrote about their experiences validates the accuracy of facts regarding TR’s motivation to do what ought to be done by a good citizen.

 Good citizenship was patriotism that needed to be acted upon in day-to-day life. In this book you can find his Religious Creed that was strictly adhered to throughout his life. His Religious Creed, Good Citizenship, Patriotism and Free Masonry were all part of his chosen path through life. The character traits which his accomplishments in life have proven valuable are: Sincerity, Honesty, Fearlessness in doing what ought to be done, wisdom to study history for answers.

TR's ability to articulate a wide range of view points while offering simple analogies to point out errors in reasoning, surrounding problems he wished to solve is often overlooked. By taking the time to lay out problems from diverse positions in the above manner it was hard for anyone to think their position did not receive consideration. This was the first step before he offered clear reasons backed up with strong analogies as to why a particular long-range course was the best common sense course of action.

Needless to say a high percentage of those, without a preconceived bias, that were looking for solutions often came away from a discussion with TR supporting his position. It is a definite possibility that one of the reasons that compelled people to write about TR was that age-old human trait that loves to discover wisdom and tell others what they witnessed. Think about it, is it not the love of knowledge and the desire to share knowledge that sparks a great deal of human motivation? Through the ages people have been compelled to write and talk about those that had the ability to make wise decisions.

The author John Leary counts sincerity of convictions as one of the traits, which enabled TR to turn many enemies that met him into friends. But perhaps sincerity of conviction is one of those traits that always accompany the wise person. The wise person may not always know the perfect course of action but they often have the ability to recognize the less desirable courses of action to be avoided and are sincere in offering their opinion.

Authors Dedication

TO
THE MEMORY OF MY PARENTS
JOHN JOSEPH AND MARY CRONIN LEARY
NATIVES OF IRELAND, WHO LIVED AND DIED
100 PER CENT AMERICANS
THIS LITTLE BOOK IS
AFFECTIONATELY
DEDICATED

This book features 61 short topics.