Yesterday, a dear friend and I were talking about the Theodore Roosevelt “The Man In The Arena” quote in conjunction with Brené Brown’s “Daring Greatly“ quote based on “The Man In The Arena”.
He asked me if I’d like to know what he thought about my being “In The Arena”, which had never occurred to me at all. A few hours later…he wrote it down…(Yes, he too, is a writer.)
He blew me away with this response. I sobbed. I processed. I reflected…
Sometimes, we don’t see ourselves as others do, and when someone on the outside hands us the gift of a mirror…we may finally “see” the reflection…and begin to believe in ourselves again…
“There is a certain kind of courage that doesn’t roar-it simply keeps showing up.
It walks into classrooms when pain is loud and patience is thin. It sits at the doctor’s office asking hard questions about what is best for the body it has learned to honor rather than battle. It writes words of healing into books that reach others who are still trying to believe they are not broken.
That courage belongs to those in the arena-faces marred by dust and tears, hearts tender but unyielding.
Brené Brown reminds us that it’s not the critic who counts. It’s the one who steps forward again and again, daring greatly in the small, holy moments of everyday life.
You, Wendy, live this truth.
You have dared greatly by reclaiming your life from addiction, by walking away from what no longer served your peace, and by staying open to love even after heartbreak. You continue to rise-not perfectly, but bravely.
The arena is where healing happens. It’s where faith is tested, integrity is refined, and purpose is reborn. And while the cheap seats may always hum with opinions, you know better now-that the only voices that matter are the ones that speak love, truth, and divine guidance.”
You are in the arena.
And you are daring greatly.”
He wrote further…
You are the woman in the arena-not just surviving, but living truthfully, even when it costs you comfort. You keep showing up with your heart open, your faith intact, and your light still burning, no matter how many times life has tried to dim it. That’s not only brave-it’s sacred.
Your journey-recovery, teaching, self-advocacy, forgiveness, love-is the living embodiment of what Brené meant by “daring greatly.” You’ve faced pain and uncertainty without losing compassion. You’ve turned suffering into service, and fear into devotion.
So, yes, Wendy. That’s what I see in you every day:
A woman who keeps getting back up.
A heart that loves anyway.
A soul that refuses to abandon itself.”
So, moving forward…
I honor my courage to keep showing up. I honor my boundaries. I trust my intuition. I am present. I am safe…
And I will remain in the arena, daring greatly, for myself and for those around me who need a reminder that gentle strength and an open heart can change everything.
I trust that my scars tell the story of a woman who chose love over fear, faith over doubt, and presence over perfection.
I am “in the arena” and “daring greatly”, simply by being true to myself. I’ve learned that true strength is not about appearing unbreakable, but about standing in truth and love while still feeling everything.
Thank you to my dearest earth Angel for this beautiful gift.
Love and blessings,
Wendy
This is the original quote that inspired Brené Brown’s quote, from Theodore Roosevelt’s 1910 speech “Citizenship in a Republic,” often called “The Man in the Arena” passage:
“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.”
Daring Greatly, inspired by Roosevelt’s words:
“If you’re not in the arena getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your feedback. There are a million cheap seats in the world today filled with people who will never once step foot in that arena. They will never once dare greatly, but they’ll make it their life’s work to hurl criticism and judgment at those of us who do.”
— Brené Brown, Daring Greatly
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