"No good poem, however confessional it may be, is just a self-expression. Who on earth would claim that the pearl expresses the oyster?"

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A man must first care for his own household before he can be of use to the state. But no matter how well he cares for his household, he is not a good citizen unless he also takes thought of the state. In the same way, a great nation must think of its own internal affairs; and yet it cannot substantiate its claim to be a great nation unless it also thinks of its position in the world at large.

— Theodore Roosevelt