“The worst lesson that can be taught to a man,” Roosevelt would declare, “is to rely upon others and to whine over his sufferings.” Fix your own problems. Strengthen your own weaknesses. TR had exercised his asthma off. To be clear, there was nothing fraudulent in Roosevelt’s claim. But the result of Roosevelt’s conviction would play out over the coming decades. For if Roosevelt could do it—empower himself through exercise and sports and the Strenuous Life—the rest of the nation could be compelled to do the same.
