This country song is adapted from a portion of a speech given by Teddy Roosevelt in 1910 at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. The talk was titled Citizenship in a Republic and is now commonly known as The Man in the Arena. Source: https://theodorerooseveltcenter.org/encyclopedia/culture-and-society/man-in-the-arena.

Where Credit Belongs lyrics

It is not the critic who countsNot the man who points outHow the strong man stumblesOr where the doer of deedsCould have done them better

The credit belongs to the manWho is actually in the arenaWhose face is marred by dustAnd sweatAnd blood

Who strives valiantlyWho errsWho comes short again and againBecause there is no effortWithout error and shortcoming

But who does actually striveTo do the deedsWho knows the great enthusiasmsThe great devotionsWho spends himself in a worthy cause

Who at the best knowsIn the end the triumphOf high achievementAnd who at the worst if he failsAt least fails while daring greatly

So that his place shall never beWith those cold and timid soulsWho neither know victoryNor know defeatWho fight all the way to the end

The credit belongs to the manWho is actually in the arenaWhose face is marred by dustAnd sweatAnd bloodAnd tearsBut mostly sweat

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