Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989.
NUMBER:
628
AUTHOR:
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)
QUOTATION:
A man must first care for his own household before he can be of use to the state. But no matter how well he cares for his household, he is not a good citizen unless he also takes thought of the state. In the same way, a great nation must think of its own internal affairs; and yet it cannot substantiate its claim to be a great nation unless it also thinks of its position in the world at large.
ATTRIBUTION:
THEODORE ROOSEVELT, “Nationalism and International Relations,” Social Justice and Popular Rule (vol. 17 of The Works of Theodore Roosevelt, national ed.), chapter 12, p. 108 (1926).
