Source identified
“It is not the critic who counts.”
Participation matters more than detached fault-finding when achievement requires risk, effort, mistakes, and responsibility for an outcome.
Source note: Citizenship in a Republic, commonly called the Man in the Arena speech; Roosevelt contrasts action with spectatorship.
Source identified
“Self-trust is the essence of heroism.”
Heroic action begins with enough trust in one’s judgment to act under uncertainty rather than waiting for unanimous approval.
Source note: Emerson’s essay Heroism identifies self-trust as central to heroic character.
Source identified
“If God be for us, who can be against us?”
The rhetorical question is designed to reduce fear of opposition by shifting attention toward a larger source of confidence.
Source note: Romans 8:31 in the King James Version.
Source identified
“Audacity augments courage; hesitation, fear.”
The maxim contrasts forward movement with hesitation, arguing that bold action can enlarge courage while delay can give fear more room to grow.
Source note: The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, saying 63, D. Lyman Jr. translation (1856).
Source identified
“Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart.”
Courage and strengthened heart are paired, suggesting that bravery can be practiced and reinforced rather than simply possessed.
Source note: Psalm 31:24 in the King James Version; addressed to those who hope in the Lord.
Source identified
“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”
The line makes self-trust a prerequisite for independent thought and action.
Source note: Essay “Self-Reliance.”