The Strenuous Life is a collection of many of Theodore Roosevelt’s works and speeches. This collection was published in 1900, and it contains a speech of the same name. “The Strenuous Life” is a speech that Teddy Roosevelt gave in 1899 in Chicago, Illinois. Roosevelt clearly expresses his opinion that all must work hard and overcome difficulties in order to achieve improvement and eventually success in America and in the entire world.
Roosevelt believed that anyone can be successful, if he works hard at it, to live a meaningful life. Not only is it good for the hard worker himself, but also for his society and his country, and the world. Using this as an excuse to expand imperialism, Roosevelt reasons that America must expand its work in global matters and build a stronger military to prove its power. In everyday life, that meant that Roosevelt expected every American citizen to participate actively in improving his own skills and the capital of America.