In this afternoon's press conference at the Baltimore Ravens Training Complex in Owings Mills, Maryland, head coach John Harbaugh took questions from the media on yesterday's thrilling 23-20 comeback victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Within the context of one question, coach Harbaugh pulled out a quick quote from Theodore Roosevelt, which he used in the post-game press conference in Pittsburgh immediately after the game, to which a member of the media asked him if he recalled the entire quote. Harbaugh quickly accepted the challenge and with only a minor pause, belted it out with enough emotion and affect that drew applause from this writer and others in attendance.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
-Theodore Roosevelt (26th US President 1901-09)