Eleanor Roosevelt Quotes

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 in New York City. Her parents were Elliot Roosevelt and Anna Hall. Eleanor Roosevelt was a famous American First Lady. She was perhaps the most politically active First Lady of all times.

Even after the death of her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of United States, she worked for various social and political causes. She made many invaluable contributions during her illustrious life. In this we look at some of her famous quotes.

★ "As for accomplishments, I just did what I had to do as things came along."

★ "A woman is like a tea bag - you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water."

★ "Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art."

★ "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."

★ "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 you think you cannot do."

★ "He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more. He who loses faith, loses all."

★ "Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect."

★ "Happiness is not a goal...it's a by-product of a life well lived."

★ "I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experience behind him."

★ "I used to tell my husband that, if he could make me 'understand' something, it would be clear to all the other people in the country."

★ "If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor."

★ "It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it."

★ "Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life."

★ "Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn't have the power to say yes."

★ "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."

★ "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."

★ "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

★ "The only things one can admire at length are those one admires without knowing why."

★ "Too often the great decisions are originated and given form in bodies made up wholly of men, or so completely dominated by them that whatever of special value women have to offer is shunted aside without expression."

★ "Understanding is a two-way street."

★ "People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built."

After the demise of her husband in 1945, Eleanor had to step down from the position of the First Lady. In the following year, she chaired the UN Human Rights Committee.

She drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, thereby establishing equality in society. She worked for the upliftment of the underprivileged and opened the doors of hope for many. Her death on November 7, 1962 meant the loss of an able diplomat, activist, and a great leader.