A man in the arena: the end of the beginning

1,454 days after the first Blue & Green word was published on November 5th 2010, we fade to grey. Not black, because there is still a flicker of hope. We’re taking a break while we regroup. It may be next month, it may be in 2015. Yes, we have stumbled, but we will stand tall again.

Citizenship in a Republic is the title of a speech given by the former President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, on April 23, 1910. One of our favourite passages says,

“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, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; 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 fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

In a speech at Lord Mayor’s Luncheon, Mansion House, London, November 10, 1942 Winston Churchill said, “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

We will be back. Thank you for your support, time and trust.

Until next time.

Simon, Emily, William and Sebastian

Charlotte, Seth, Tom and Ilaria