Kevin Vogelsang

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 them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and 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 who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

-Teddy Roosevelt, The Man in the Arena, 1910

The “Man in the Arena”, as dubbed by Teddy, is a powerful psychological symbol.

Criticism has its place.  I can’t remember a time when I made a significant decision that wasn’t criticized.  Criticism is the companion of responsibility.  Criticism helps ensure commitment to decisive action.

And while criticism has its place, critics are relegated to the sidelines.

We are quick to criticize the “Man in the Arena”, but he makes the ground more fertile for others.  Others will stand on his shoulders to see farther.

-Kevin
11.2.2009