Today, America is facing a great economic situation where most people are out of a job and many have lost their homes. Many are out in the streets or in their cars and there is no food for their family. The situation seems bad and many are calling it “worse than the Great Depression.” It seems like a time most people would give up on life and just float along, waiting to see what will happen next. Many have lost Eleanor Roosevelt’s favorite word: hope. But we cannot let go of life. Hope is a big essence in life. So what do you do when life brings you down? You think: WWERD. What would Eleanor Roosevelt do?
Eleanor Roosevelt is one of the greatest women in the 20th century and has many great quotes. She was born on October 11, 1884 in New York City. In 1905, she married her fifth cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt. When Franklin Roosevelt suffered a polio attack in 1921, a disease where you lose function of your legs, Eleanor Roosevelt stepped into the spotlight of politics. She was not the typical first lady that fade into the background, oh no, she fought for the things she believed in. Back then, women didn’t have the rights that we have now. They couldn’t vote, own property, or play sports. She fought for those rights, along with the rights of racial equality and peace. She was outspoken and she hated losing. “Ultimately, ER morphed into a heavyweight champion of the oppressed, the poor, the underdog. Her all time favorite word was hope.” (“33 things”,106)
Many people hated her for her words, because it was uncommon for women to speak or be so powerful. But that didn’t stop her from fighting. When her husband died in 1945, she took the podium and continued fighting for the things she believed in. She charged through clouds of hardships and discrimination, and not only did she hang on, she prospered and changed America for the better.
While reading a book on women’s history, I stumbled upon some interesting facts, but this quote stood out the most:
“When you get to the end of your rope- tie a knot and hang on.” –Eleanor Roosevelt 1960
I thought it drew some parallel to today’s hard times. The end of the rope stands for your tolerance level for things being thrown at your face. Everyone has a certain tolerance level for bad things. Some have more than others. But when there is just too much, like losing your house, we have to do something about it. Here, Eleanor Roosevelt said we should just tie a knot using the last bit of rope we have left and HANG ON. What does hanging on mean? It means to lever let go of that last bit of hope, to never give up on life, to keep moving forward. When time times seem tough, just remember that the great Eleanor Roosevelt is here for you to share some of her wisdom.
Other great Eleanor Roosevelt quotes:
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
“I have never been bored.”
“It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”
“Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.” (My mom says that all the time!!)
“If someone betrays you once, it’s their fault; if they betray you twice, it’s your fault.”
“It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.”
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”
“People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.”
Eleanor Picture: http://z.about.com/d/history1900s/1/0/h/H/fdr149.gif
Hang on picture: http://lh5.ggpht.com/_OVpgGzy0wII/RqNud_PeJpI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/HzZfKlIfgic/Hold+On+Kitty.JPG
Website: http://www.biography.com/articles/Eleanor-Roosevelt-9463366
Quotes page: http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Eleanor_Roosevelt
Book: Bolden, Tonya. 33 Things every girl should know about women’s history. New York: Crown Publishers. 2002.
