---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Eleanor Roosevelt and others said polio…"
description: "\"“Eleanor Roosevelt and others said polio changed Roosevelt, that it made him more compassionate. That may be so. But the first impact of the disease wa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/james-tobin-35957_time_eleanor-roosevelt-and-others-said-polio_2508042.jpg"
---

#  Eleanor Roosevelt and others said polio changed Roosevelt…

![“Eleanor Roosevelt and others said polio changed Roosevelt, that it made him more compassionate. That may be so. But the first impact of the disease was to call forth elements of his nature that no one had seen before - elements that even he may not have known he possessed. His decision to defy…” quote by James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/james-tobin-35957_time_eleanor-roosevelt-and-others-said-polio_2508042.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/james-tobin-35957_time_eleanor-roosevelt-and-others-said-polio_2508042.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/james-tobin-35957_time_eleanor-roosevelt-and-others-said-polio_2508042.jpg)

> ““Eleanor Roosevelt and others said polio changed Roosevelt, that it made him more compassionate. That may be so. But the first impact of the disease was to call forth elements of his nature that no one had seen before - elements that even he may not have known he possessed. His decision to defy polio was a critical moment in his life - perhaps the critical moment.””

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Adversity can reveal hidden strengths, and confronting challenges can become a defining, transformative moment.

**In simple terms:** Challenges can uncover unknown strengths and define you.

Key Takeaway

Embrace challenges to discover hidden abilities.

Themes

resilience identity transformation

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- illness recovery
- career setbacks
- personal crises
- creative breakthroughs

Key Concepts

psychology personal development

Questions to Reflect On

- What strengths have you discovered through hardship?
- How can you support others facing similar challenges?

A Different Perspective

It may romanticize suffering as necessary for growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Changed Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed-roosevelt-1128117/) [Defy Polio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defy-polio-1128120/) [Polio Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polio-changed-1128115/) [Polio Critical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polio-critical-1128119/) [Roosevelt Compassionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roosevelt-compassionate-1128122/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/)

[Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/)

> [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/)

[Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/)

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/)

[John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/)

> [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/)

[Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/)

> [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/)

[Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/)

> [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“It was about damn time something happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-was-about-damn-time-something-happened/)

[Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/)

## More by James Tobin

> [The crisis triggered a fertile period of scientific ferment and revolution in economic theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/the-crisis-triggered-a-fertile-period-of-scientific-ferment-and/)

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

> [At the time, my personal research objectives were to provide Keynesian economics with more rigorous foundations and to tighten and elaborate the logic of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/at-the-time-my-personal-research-objectives-were-to-provide-keynesian/)

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

> [The miserable failures of capitalist economies in the Great Depression were root causes of worldwide social and political disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/the-miserable-failures-of-capitalist-economies-in-the-great/)

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

> [The greatest good fortune of my return to Cambridge in 1946 was that there, in the spring, I met Elizabeth Fay Ringo. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/the-greatest-good-fortune-of-my-return-to-cambridge-in-1946-was-that/)

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

> [From 1966 to 1970 I served as Chairman of the New Haven City Plan Commission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/from-1966-to-1970-i-served-as-chairman-of-the-new-haven-city-plan/)

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

> [I was born in Champaign in 1918. From the neighborhood elementary and intermediate schools, I went to the University High School in the twin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/i-was-born-in-champaign-in-1918-from-the-neighborhood-elementary-and/)

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

> [My father also happened to be an intellectual, as learned, literate, informed, and curious as anyone I have known. Unobtrusively and casually, he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/my-father-also-happened-to-be-an-intellectual-as-learned-literate/)

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

> [After the United States entered the war, I joined the Naval Reserve and spent ninety days in a Columbia University dormitory learning to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/after-the-united-states-entered-the-war-i-joined-the-naval-reserve/)

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

> [I studied economics and made it my career for two reasons. The subject was and is intellectually fascinating and challenging, particularly to someone with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/i-studied-economics-and-made-it-my-career-for-two-reasons-the-subject/)

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

> [Yale places great stress on undergraduate and graduate teaching. I like teaching, and I do a lot of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/yale-places-great-stress-on-undergraduate-and-graduate-teaching-i/)

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

> [Most important, I have learned from my colleagues and students.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/most-important-i-have-learned-from-my-colleagues-and-students/)

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

> [At the same time it offered the hope, as it still does, that improved understanding could better the lot of mankind. For me, growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/at-the-same-time-it-offered-the-hope-as-it-still-does-that-improved/)

[James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

[Explore all 13 James Tobin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/)

## More Time quotes

> ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/)

[Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/)

> [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/)

[Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/)

> [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/)

[Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/)

> [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/)

[John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/)

[Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/)

> [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [“It was about damn time something happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-was-about-damn-time-something-happened/)

[Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/)

[Browse all 215,255 Time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Eleanor Roosevelt and others said polio changed Roosevelt, that it made him more compassionate. That may be so. But the first impact of the disease was to call forth elements of his nature that no one had seen before - elements that even he may not have known he possessed. His decision to defy polio was a critical moment in his life - perhaps the critical moment.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Tobin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/eleanor-roosevelt-and-others-said-polio-changed-roosevelt-that-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Time"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/eleanor-roosevelt-and-others-said-polio-changed-roosevelt-that-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/james-tobin-35957_time_eleanor-roosevelt-and-others-said-polio_2508042.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/james-tobin-35957_time_eleanor-roosevelt-and-others-said-polio_2508042.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/james-tobin-35957_time_eleanor-roosevelt-and-others-said-polio_2508042.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Eleanor Roosevelt and others said polio changed Roosevelt, that it made him more compassionate. That may be…” — James Tobin",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "James Tobin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Eleanor Roosevelt and others said polio...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/eleanor-roosevelt-and-others-said-polio-changed-roosevelt-that-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/eleanor-roosevelt-and-others-said-polio-changed-roosevelt-that-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
