“Worth knowing, worth revering, worth holding to”

“I believe thoroughly in the sound and vigorous body. I believe still more in the vigorous mind. And I believe most of all in what count for more than body, for more than mind, and that is character. That is the sum of the forces that make the man or the woman worth knowing, worth revering, worth holding to.” 

Theodore Roosevelt
Address to the University of Minnesota, April 1903

Recently a friend asked me “who is speaking into your life these days?”

It was a peculiar question, and it had me racking my brain for podcasts and speakers who would make me sound smart.

Weeks later, when I stumbled on this quote from Theodore Roosevelt, it got me thinking about my friend’s question. He wasn’t asking “what fitness influencers do you follow” or “who is making you smarter?” His question was deeper, I think. Who is influencing your character?

There are plenty of fitness influencers and intellectual influencers. There are plenty of classes and programs and institutions to help us develop a sound body or a vigorous mind. 

But what about developing character?

Well, that’s not so popular. That’s not so easy to sell. 

Character development seemingly happens in between the other good stuff in life. When we don’t get the job we wanted or when we get sick or injured or when someone treats us with disrespect. 

But character development is not a given. Going through hard things doesn’t automatically give us good character. How we deal with hard things is what develops our character. How we respond, whether consciously or subconsciously, to less-than-ideal moments in life is what not only develops, but proves our character. 

If character is worth more than the body and the mind, but harder to develop, then it really must be one of those rare and valuable things. 

Go seek it out. Make the most of every opportunity to develop it. 

I’d guess we all want to be someone “worth knowing, worth revering, worth holding to.”