It is important to know what he thought and did about self-defense
and fighting. Many people dodge this, and other difficult
subjects, when they are talking to boys. It was not Roosevelt's
way to hide his thoughts in silence because of timidity, and then
call his lack of action by some such fine name as "tact" or
"discretion." When there was good reason for speaking out he
always did so. Since a boy who is forever fighting is not only a
nuisance, but usually a bully, some older folk go to the extreme
and tell boys that all fighting is wrong.

Theodore Roosevelt did not believe it. When he was about fourteen,
and riding in a stage-coach on the way to Moosehead Lake, two
other boys in the coach began tormenting him. When he tried to
fight them off, he found himself helpless. Either of them could
handle him, could hit him and prevent him from hitting back. He
decided that it was a matter of self-respect for a boy to know how
to protect himself and he learned to box.

Speaking to boys he said later:

"One prime reason for abhorring cowards is because every good boy
should have it in him to thrash the objectionable boy as the need
arises."

And again:

"The very fact that the boy should be manly and able to hold his
own, that he should be ashamed to submit to bullying, without
instant retaliation, should in return, make him abhor any form of
bullying, cruelty, or brutality."