special edition of Friday writing for randos: His place will never be with those cold and timid souls

  {First Friday Writings for Randos - A monthly post that features pieces from other writers that touch some facet of the Randonneuring experience, even if that was not the author's intent. It's stuff that's best read out loud - slowly.} This month it's an excerpt from Theodore Roosevelt)

Speech at the Sorbonne
Paris, France
April 23, 1910

  It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust sweat and blood; who strives valiantly,  who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds;  who knows great enthusiasms; the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;  who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of  high achievement and, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place will never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory or defeat.