Inspirational Quotes by Eleanor Roosevelt (American Humanitarian)

Inspirational Quotations by Eleanor Roosevelt (American Humanitarian)

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) was an American humanitarian and diplomat. She was the first lady from 1933 until 1945, longer than any other president’s wife. She was an active advocate for human and civil rights and an early icon of the women’s rights movement.

Born in New York City to a prosperous family, Eleanor was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1905, she married Franklin D. Roosevelt, her fifth cousin (once removed.) After he developed poliomyelitis in 1921, Eleanor helped him deal with the ailment and became his confidante and adviser. She assumed many of his public duties when he served first as governor of New York and then as president.

As her husband’s “eyes and ears,” Eleanor oversaw government officials as well as American troops before and during World War II. She also campaigned for improved employment opportunities for women and minorities.

Eleanor served a U.S. representative to the General Assembly of the United Nations (1945–53, 1961–62.) As chairperson of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, she helped draft the Declaration of Human Rights (1948.)

Roosevelt was a prolific writer; she wrote a syndicated and influential newspaper column for over twenty years. She also wrote It’s Up to the Women (1933,) This Troubled World (1938,) The Moral Basis of Democracy (1940,) and India and the Awakening East (1953.) She is also noted for her autobiographies This Is My Story (1937,) This I Remember (1949,) and On My Own (1958.)

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Eleanor Roosevelt

Character building begins in our infancy and continues until death.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Character

You get more joy out of giving joy to others and should put a good deal of thought into the happiness you are able to give.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Joy

A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and in all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably with the circumstances of life, knowing that in this world no one is all-knowing and therefore all of us need both love and charity.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

A stumbling block to the pessimist is a stepping-stone to the optimist.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Attitude, Perception

The only advantage in not being too good a housekeeper is that your guests are so pleased to feel how very much better they are.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

The hard part of loving is that one has to learn so often to let go of those we love, so they can do things, so they can grow, so they can return to us with an even richer, deeper love.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Rich, Love, Learn

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it ‘The Present’.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

Remember always that you have not only the right to be an individual; you have an obligation to be one. You cannot make any useful contribution in life unless you do this.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Obligation, Being Ourselves

Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

I have spent many years of my life in opposition, and I rather like the role.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Dissent, Opposition

Do not be afraid of mistakes, providing you do not make the same one twice.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Failures, Mistakes

One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And, the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Choice, Being True to Yourself, Responsibility, Philosophy, Confidence, Self-reliance, Choices

When you ceased to make a contribution you begin to die.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Realization, Friendship, Friends and Friendship, Awareness, Acceptance

We must preserve our right to think and differ.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Thinking

Perhaps nature is our best assurance of immortality.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Immortality

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look at fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along”. You must do the think you think you cannot do.”
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Fear, Anxiety, Experience, Live, Discovery, Think, Courage, Confidence

Do one thing every day that scares you.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

I learned then that practically no one in the world is entirely bad or entirely good, and that motives are often more important than actions.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Action, Learn, Good, Act

Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively, unless you can choose a challenge instead of a competence.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Adventure, Security, Life, Live, Thinking, Think

All human beings have failings, all human beings have needs and temptations and stresses. Men and women who live together through long years get to know one another’s failings; but they also come to know what is worthy of respect and admiration in those they live with and in themselves. If at the end one can say, This man used to the limit the powers that God granted him; he was worthy of love and respect and of the sacrifices of many people, made in order that he might achieve what he deemed to be his task, then that life has been lived well and there are no regrets.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Failure

Never allow a person to tell you ‘no’ who doesn’t have the power to say ‘yes.’
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Confidence

Somewhere along the line of development we discover what we really are and then we make our real decision for which we are responsible. Make that decision primarily for yourself because you can never really live anyone else’s lie, not even your child’s. The influence you exert is through your own life and what you become yourself.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Discover, Live, Decision, Decisions, Life

I could not, at any age, be content to take my place in a corner by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. The fatal thing is the rejection. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Curiosity, Living Well, Life and Living, Living, Life, How to Live

If you are interested, you never have to look for new interests. They come to you. When you are genuinely interested in one thing, it will always lead to something else.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Thought, Life, Success, Compassion, Knowledge, People, Kindness

When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Work, Service, Giving, Living, Kindness

Every time you meet a situation, though you think at the time it is impossibility and you go through the tortures of the damned, once you have met it and lived through it, you find that forever after you are freer than you were before.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

Handle yourself, use head; Handle others, use heart.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Kindness

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by each experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, “I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Fear, Feelings

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” … You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Motivational

Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes over night. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Heroes

The war for freedom will never really be won because the price of freedom is constant vigilance over ourselves and over our Government.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Freedom

Perhaps in His wisdom the Almighty is trying to show us that a leader may chart the way, may point out the road to lasting peace, but that many leaders and many peoples must do the building.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Leaders, Leadership

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Nature, Success, Living, Life

There is nothing to regret—either for those who go or for those who are left behind.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Remorse, Regret, Disappointment

A trait no other nation seems to possess in quite the same degree that we do—namely, a feeling of almost childish injury and resentment unless the world as a whole recognizes how innocent we are of anything but the most generous and harmless intentions.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: America

You must do the things you think you cannot do.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: One liners, Achievement, Think, Action, Challenges

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Strength

It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Topics: Planning, Energy