---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It either is or ought to be evident to…"
description: "\"It either is or ought to be evident to everyone that business has to prosper before anyone can get any benefit from it.\" — Theodore Roosevelt"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/theodore-roosevelt-218_benefits_it-either-is-or-ought-to-be-evident-to-e_364893.jpg"
---

#  It either is or ought to be evident to everyone that…

![“It either is or ought to be evident to everyone that business has to prosper before anyone can get any benefit from it.” quote by Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/theodore-roosevelt-218_benefits_it-either-is-or-ought-to-be-evident-to-e_364893.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/theodore-roosevelt-218_benefits_it-either-is-or-ought-to-be-evident-to-e_364893.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/theodore-roosevelt-218_benefits_it-either-is-or-ought-to-be-evident-to-e_364893.jpg)

> “It either is or ought to be evident to everyone that business has to prosper before anyone can get any benefit from it.”

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

## About This Quote

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

Business must thrive first, then society can reap its benefits.

**In simple terms:** Business success precedes public benefit.

Key Takeaway

Support thriving businesses for societal gain.

Themes

economics capitalism public good

Mood

analytical optimistic

Type

political economic

When to use this quote

- politics
- investment
- community development
- philanthropy

Key Concepts

market dynamics wealth creation social responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- Is it always true that business success leads to public benefit?
- How can we ensure benefits reach all?

A Different Perspective

Profit motive can conflict with equity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/)

## Related quotes

> [I want business to prosper and make a profit caused by business expansion and prosperity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/i-want-business-to-prosper-and-make-a-profit-caused-by-business/)

[Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/)

> [I would continue to remain a teacher till the last breath of my life , As for the business , it is now for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odhavjibhai-raghavji-patel/i-would-continue-to-remain-a-teacher-till-the-last-breath-of-my-life/)

Odhavjibhai Raghavji Patel

> [Business cannot prosper in societies that fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/business-cannot-prosper-in-societies-that-fail/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [I hold it to be our duty to see that the wage-worker, the small producer, the ordinary consumer, shall get their fair share of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/i-hold-it-to-be-our-duty-to-see-that-the-wage-worker-the-small/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Only cheaters prosper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-tayler/only-cheaters-prosper/)

[Howard Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-tayler/)

> [He who ceases to pray ceases to prosper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gurney-benham/he-who-ceases-to-pray-ceases-to-prosper/)

[William Gurney Benham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gurney-benham/)

> [I get Tweets every day from people telling me that 'Hey, I'm going to overcome my injury or my illness. Cancer. Different diseases. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-peterson/i-get-tweets-every-day-from-people-telling-me-that-hey-i-m-going-to/)

[Adrian Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-peterson/)

> [“We can only prosper where we are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-kelley-harrell/we-can-only-prosper-where-we-are/)

[S. Kelley Harrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-kelley-harrell/)

> [Excellence means that you're prospering spiritually, mentally, physically and in every area of life. What does it mean to prosper? It means to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-oyakhilome/excellence-means-that-you-re-prospering-spiritually-mentally/)

[Chris Oyakhilome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-oyakhilome/)

> [We need to have a modicum of faith in people's common sense, creativity and will to survive and prosper even in the face of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-higgs/we-need-to-have-a-modicum-of-faith-in-people-s-common-sense/)

[Robert Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-higgs/)

> [“If you wish to prosper, seek peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/if-you-wish-to-prosper-seek-peace/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [We are a free and independent country and will prosper if given a proper chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priti-patel/we-are-a-free-and-independent-country-and-will-prosper-if-given-a/)

[Priti Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priti-patel/)

> [“Go maire tu' I bhfad agus rath! 'Live long and prosper'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-duane/go-maire-tu-i-bhfad-agus-rath-live-long-and-prosper/)

[Diane Duane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-duane/)

> [Religions prosper in large part because of the communities that they create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/religions-prosper-in-large-part-because-of-the-communities-that-they/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [Success Consists Of Daily Efford. Every little efford you put in determines your latitude as you make your way to the top. Know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-phasane/success-consists-of-daily-efford-every-little-efford-you-put-in/)

Brian Phasane

## More by Theodore Roosevelt

> [No people is wholly civilized where a distinction is drawn between stealing an office and stealing a purse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/no-people-is-wholly-civilized-where-a-distinction-is-drawn-between/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-can-be-no-effective-control-of-corporations-while-their/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/get-action-seize-the-moment-man-was-never-intended-to-become-an-oyster/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Argument weak; speak loudly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/argument-weak-speak-loudly/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Let the watchwords of all our people be the old familiar watchwords of honesty, decency, fair-dealing, and commonsense."... "We must treat each man on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/let-the-watchwords-of-all-our-people-be-the-old-familiar-watchwords/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [The forces that tend for evil are great and terrible, but the forces of truth and love and courage and honesty and generosity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-forces-that-tend-for-evil-are-great-and-terrible-but-the-forces/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Every reform movement has a lunatic fringe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/every-reform-movement-has-a-lunatic-fringe/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Conservation and rural-life policies are really two sides of the same policy; and down at the bottom this policy rests upon the fundamental law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/conservation-and-rural-life-policies-are-really-two-sides-of-the-same/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [It is a great mistake to think that the extremist is a better man than the moderate. Usually the difference is not that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/it-is-a-great-mistake-to-think-that-the-extremist-is-a-better-man/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [I am a strong individualist by personal habit, inheritance, and conviction; but it is a mere matter of common sense to recognize that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/i-am-a-strong-individualist-by-personal-habit-inheritance-and/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Alone of human beings the good and wise mother stands on a plane of equal honor with the bravest soldier; for she has gladly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/alone-of-human-beings-the-good-and-wise-mother-stands-on-a-plane-of/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [The greatest privilege and greatest duty for any man is to be happily married, and no other form of success or service, for either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-greatest-privilege-and-greatest-duty-for-any-man-is-to-be-happily/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [For unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly all other forms of success and achievement lose their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/for-unflagging-interest-and-enjoyment-a-household-of-children-if/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains. To put an end to it will be neither a short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-can-be-no-effective-control-of-corporations-while-their-2/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [If elected, I shall see to it that every man has a square deal, no less and no more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/if-elected-i-shall-see-to-it-that-every-man-has-a-square-deal-no-less/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

[Explore all 876 Theodore Roosevelt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

## More Benefits quotes

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Shortly after I turned 50, both Ted Turner and the AARP came into my life. The only difference? With AARP, there were benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/shortly-after-i-turned-50-both-ted-turner-and-the-aarp-came-into-my/)

[Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [Politics is about power. It is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/)

[Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/)

> [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/)

[Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-us-think-of-education-as-the-means-of-developing-our-greatest/)

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

> [To really be of benefit to others as the Buddha always taught, we ourselves must first get out of the swamp. One of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/to-really-be-of-benefit-to-others-as-the-buddha-always-taught-we/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [I won the seat of Oxley largely on an issue that has resulted in me being called a racist. That issue related to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/i-won-the-seat-of-oxley-largely-on-an-issue-that-has-resulted-in-me/)

[Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/)

> [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I've always said that I benefit, as an actor, from not having the illusion of security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-sparks/i-ve-always-said-that-i-benefit-as-an-actor-from-not-having-the/)

[Hal Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-sparks/)

> [Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/benefits-received-are-a-delight-to-us-as-long-as-we-think-we-can/)

[Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/)

Browse all 3,616 Benefits quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It either is or ought to be evident to everyone that business has to prosper before anyone can get any benefit from it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Theodore Roosevelt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/it-either-is-or-ought-to-be-evident-to-everyone-that-business-has-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Benefits"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/it-either-is-or-ought-to-be-evident-to-everyone-that-business-has-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/theodore-roosevelt-218_benefits_it-either-is-or-ought-to-be-evident-to-e_364893.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/theodore-roosevelt-218_benefits_it-either-is-or-ought-to-be-evident-to-e_364893.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/theodore-roosevelt-218_benefits_it-either-is-or-ought-to-be-evident-to-e_364893.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It either is or ought to be evident to everyone that business has to prosper before anyone can get any…” — Theodore Roosevelt",
                "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": "Theodore Roosevelt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It either is or ought to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/it-either-is-or-ought-to-be-evident-to-everyone-that-business-has-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/it-either-is-or-ought-to-be-evident-to-everyone-that-business-has-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
