What Franklin D. Roosevelt Told Me About Myself by Melissa

What Franklin D. Roosevelt Told Me About Myself by Melissa - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” Surprisingly, the first time I heard that quote was in my chemistry class. My teacher presented the quote, gave a few thoughts on it, and moved on to explain ionic and covalent bonds. The powerful words of this quote stuck with me more than the chemistry did, because it shows that I would rather fail, fail doing something than not trying at all. To me, keeping in mind the end goal I want to achieve, keeps me going through the low points of life. When I decided that Franklin D Roosevelt’s compelling words would be my senior quote, I showed a very important part who I am, that I should always aim to have high goals because I am not scared of failure.

Failure is just a stepping stone to success. If you are not failing you're not trying hard enough. By choosing this as my senior quote it is a glimpse into how I am as a goal-setter and achiever. It shows my attitude towards the future and shows how what an optimistic person I am. I believe it is better to try to obtain greatness than to remain in the safe zone. Trying new things is just as important to me as experience victory or defeat. As a outgoing person, who loves to look towards the future, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s words stuck out to me because I agree with him that it is important to not let the fear of failing hold you back from your awaiting victory.

Failing greatly means that you are trying to reach your goal, and are giving it your all, even if you do not make it. For example, last year I was training for a big running race. During one of the runs, leading up to the big race, I stumbled over an uneven part of the road and twisted my ankle. Although I was incredibly sad about missing the opportunity to run the race, I knew that before I had twisted my ankle I had given everything I could give to prepare for the race. When I was able to move on and decide on my next mighty goal, I decided to move past the fear of spraining my ankle again and instead look at the potential victory ahead of me. The stirring words of Mr. Roosevelt showed me what I already believe to be true: that it is better to suffer defeat and experience joy then never feel anything because you are scared. By encouraging others to look past potential failures and instead see the end goal, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s powerful words have become my senior quote.