Example is the best lesson there is. — Eleanor Roosevelt · Smartyfair

Example is the best lesson there is.

Eleanor Roosevelt1884–1962 · activist · 1900s USAEleanor Roosevelt was a First Lady of the United States — and niece of President Theodore Roosevelt — who became a powerful voice for human rights.9 quotes

Source foundLearning1900s

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Showing someone beats telling them.

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How sure this is: 82% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: Tomorrow Is Now (1963) -- Wikiquote Sourced section, named book (no page number given in the source listing).
Work: Tomorrow Is Now
Occasion: 1963 · book on civic life
Sources checked: en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Sourced section, citing Tomorrow Is Now (1963)

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More from Eleanor Roosevelt

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.

Eleanor Roosevelt No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Eleanor Roosevelt Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.

Eleanor Roosevelt One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes.

Eleanor Roosevelt In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves.

Eleanor Roosevelt One thing life has taught me: if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests.

Eleanor Roosevelt

More on learning

A single conversation with a wise man is worth a month's study of books.Chinese proverb The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

Aristotle Study the past if you would define the future.

Confucius By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection; second, by imitation; third, by experience.

Confucius Do not be guilty of possessing a library of learned books while lacking learning yourself.

Erasmus Learning is a kind of natural food for the mind.