The American people abhor a vacuum.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Roosevelt claims that people naturally seek to fill empty spaces in society or leadership.
- In plain terms
- People hate emptiness and will rush to fill any gap that appears.
- What can you take from it?
- Empty roles or ideas will quickly be filled by others.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What vacuum are you seeing?
- Should you fill every gap?
Another view
Not all vacuums invite immediate action or entry.
More from Theodore Roosevelt
Some men can live up to their loftiest ideals without ever going higher than a basement.
Permalink to quote #110 The American people are slow to wrath, but once that wrath is kindled, it burns like a consuming flame.
Permalink to quote #112 Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big.
Permalink to quote #109
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