The Speech that Helped Scale to a $200M Exit

This 100+ year-old speech helped a founder scale his company to a $200M exit:

I love gathering founders together in big, beautiful spaces—not just to relax, but to push each other to go deeper towards something within ourselves. Every time, I walk away feeling more determined to face challenges bigger than myself.

One of the most memorable moments from a recent Inflection retreat was a conversation with Patrick Campbell. Patrick comes from humble beginnings in the Midwest, put himself through college on a speech and debate scholarship, and became a national debate champion. Later, he scaled his startup to a $200M exit.

When I asked him what kept him motivated on the long road to building his company to such a blockbuster sale, he shared a unique practice: turning to a speech that’s over 100 years old.

Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Strenuous Life” (April 10, 1899)

Each month, Patrick re-reads this speech, which Theodore Roosevelt delivered to a room full of wealthy, comfortable Americans at a fancy club in Chicago. It's a masterful call to action that urges his fellow citizens to resist comfort, to choose struggle, and to face challenges bigger than themselves.

This speech has become a favorite of mine as well. Not for the call to US imperialism in the middle but rather the deep call to go beyond oneself. 

In 2024, it’s never been easier to sit in comfort and do little.

Yet, it’s never been easier to stand out by doing more.

To resist comfort. To find the glory in pushing beyond it.. 

Here are some of the passages that are worth study for anyone interested in leading people:

The Opening Paragraph

“In speaking to you, men of the greatest city of the West, men of the State which gave to the country Lincoln and Grant, men who pre-eminently and distinctly embody all that is most American in the American character, I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph.”

Why It’s Great

1. He appreciates the audience first, showing great respect for their city and what they have achieved.
2. Then he pays respect to hometown heroes Lincoln and Grant, but in doing so he suggests that the men in the room share that same potential and character.
3. He links the essence of the “American character” to the “strenuous life” — the pursuit of effort and struggle leading to “splendid ultimate triumph.”

In a single paragraph, Roosevelt appreciates his audience, reminds them of their highest potential, and connects struggle with greatness, setting them up for the challenges ahead.

On Duty and Wealth

“If you are rich and are worth your salt, you will teach your sons that though they may have leisure, it is not to be spent in idleness; for wisely used leisure merely means that those who possess it, being free from the necessity of working for their livelihood, are all the more bound to carry on some kind of non-remunerative work in science, in letters, in art, in exploration, in historical research-work of the type we most need in this country, the successful carrying out of which reflects most honor upon the nation.”

Why It’s Great

1. Roosevelt addresses his wealthy audience, challenging them to prove they are “worth their salt.”
2. He defines "wise leisure" as work beyond one’s financial self-interest, contributing to something greater than oneself.
3. He establishes that honor and wisdom come from using their advantages for the nation's good.

Having connected to their higher character, he establishes only ONE honorable way to relate to sacrifice and struggle. If you wish to be wise and honorable (who doesn’t?!) you must go beyond your own self interest to support the greatness of our Nation.

On Who We Admire

“We do not admire the man of timid peace. We admire the man who embodies victorious effort; the man who never wrongs his neighbor, who is prompt to help a friend, but who has those virile qualities necessary to win in the stern strife of actual life. It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”

Why It’s Great

1. He knows a room full of proud men want to be admired.
2. So he reminds them who they admire.
3. Effort and striving are the cost of admiration.

We need to be reminded more than we need to be taught. Roosevelt masterfully uses admiration to encourage his audience to strive for greatness.

On the Work That Must Be Done

“The work must be done; we cannot escape our responsibility; and if we are worth our salt, we shall be glad of the chance to do the work – glad of the chance to show ourselves equal to one of the great tasks set by modern civilization…”

Why It’s Great

1. He clearly establishes that there is work to be done, and it is unavoidable.
2. Equates being “worth your salt” with rising to the challenge.
3. Presents the challenge as an opportunity for pride and fulfillment.

Roosevelt sets the stage for the specific work he sees as necessary—restoring the American military and tackling national and global challenges. He has set the stage for his asks of his audience..

The Concluding Bold Call to Action

“I preach to you, then, my countrymen, that our country calls not for the life of ease but for the life of strenuous endeavor. The twentieth century looms before us big with the fate of many nations. If we stand idly by, if we seek merely swollen, slothful ease and ignoble peace, if we shrink from the hard contests where men must win at hazard of their lives and at the risk of all they hold dear, then the bolder and stronger peoples will pass us by, and will win for themselves the domination of the world. Let us therefore boldly face the life of strife, resolute to do our duty well and manfully; resolute to uphold righteousness by deed and by word; resolute to be both honest and brave, to serve high ideals, yet to use practical methods. Above all, let us shrink from no strife, moral or physical, within or without the nation, provided we are certain that the strife is justified, for it is only through strife, through hard and dangerous endeavor, that we shall ultimately win the goal of true national greatness.”

Why It’s Great

1. The stakes are set and they are massive - “the twentieth century looms” and our rivals will dominate us if we choose the “life of ease”
2. How we win is clear = choose the life of struggle. 
3. He offers a compelling reward: achieving "true national greatness."

With a thundering conclusion Roosevelt has made the stakes dramatic and deeply connected to their identity. Subtly and swiftly, his goal is now their goal: greatness. 

The Power of Finding Your Own Inspiration

I’m grateful Patrick shared this speech with me. Inspiration isn’t a fixed point; it’s a well that needs to be drawn from regularly.

Find your own Teddy Roosevelt, David Goggins, or Sasha Fierce.

You get to define your own goal. Greatness is likely part of that goal.

Remember that greatness lies in the struggle. Patrick’s practice is a powerful reminder to return to our sources of inspiration often.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT, “THE STRENUOUS LIFE” (10 April 1899)

For more from the great Patrick Campbell, check out his fantastic YouTube channel here and his writing on X.