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 them 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, who 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 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 fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
- Theodore Roosevelt
This deceptively long is well worth dissecting. There are a number of perspectives at play. Firstly to live your life ‘in the arena’ to be brave, to be bold, to stumble and rise again. Secondly a reminder that it is easy to judge from the sidelines (as soccer fans will know well!). Acknowledge a man/woman for being in the arena in the first place. It is a bold step to live life in the arena, taking risks and standing for what you believe in.
