“You must still have chaos in yourself to be able to give birth to a dancing star” — Friedrich Nietzsche

“History as well as life itself is complicated—neither life nor history is an enterprise for those who seek simplicity and consistency.” — Jared Diamond

He was the first American to receive a brown belt in Judo.

He won the largest percentage of the vote ever by a third-party candidate.

He once took a bullet to the chest shot at point blank range, and rather than going to the hospital went to deliver a 90 minute speech.

He survived tragedies that would break lesser men.

He spent his life fighting against the inner demons trying to destroy him.

He was a perfect embodiment of what Nietzsche probably had in mind when he wrote, “You must still have chaos in yourself to be able to give birth to a dancing star."

He was a warmonger with a diplomatic tact. He was a hunter and an environmentalist. He was a nerd and an athlete. He flirted with white supremacist ideas and yet was very progressive about race by the standards of his day. He was a big proponent of personal responsibility and supported quasi-Socialist policies.

Love him or hate him, he was larger than life.

He was Theodore Roosevelt.

In this episode:

A sickly child discovers the joys of the strenuous life

Defeating fear by facing fear

Having the woman you love die in your arms; into the Dakota wilderness

“A six year old child on steroids”

"Black care rarely sits behind a rider whose pace is fast enough"

“Theodore had to hold on to his optimism very tight, otherwise he couldn’t get through the shadows, the darknesses, surrounding him”

Marriage # 2

Why telling Roosevelt “It will break you. You will yield. You are but human;” is a bad idea

The Rough Riders

Going to war against his own party

How Thomas Platt’s plan to eliminate Roosevelt gave him the presidency

This episode is sponsored by www.blueapron.com/onfire For less than $ 10 per meal, Blue Apron delivers straight to your door seasonal recipes along with pre-portioned ingredients to make delicious, home-cooked meals. Get your first three meals free—with free shipping—by going to www.blueapron.com/onfire

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My lady (and author of History on Fire logo) has a FB public page about her art & fighting: https://www.facebook.com/NahryEm/

Here is a link to the audiobook of my “Not Afraid”: http://www.danielebolelli.com/downloads/not-afraid-audiobook/

For those of you who may be interested, here is a lecture series I created about Taoist philosophy: http://www.danielebolelli.com/downloads/taoist-lectures/