Eleanor Roosevelt
“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt was born in Manhattan in 1884 into a family of much prestige and wealth. But while such an environment provided comfort, Eleanor’s early years were quite challenging. She had a strained relationship with her mother, who, though caring, was known to favor Eleanor’s younger brothers. Eleanor’s mother was a society beauty who would comment on her daughter’s perceived plainness and demeanor, nicknaming her “granny,” which deeply affected the young girl’s self-esteem. Compounding her difficulties, Eleanor’s father grappled with alcoholism, resulting in his frequent absences. Though Eleanor was particularly close with him, writing in her autobiography,
“My father and mother, my little brother and I went to Italy for the winter of 1890 as the first step in the fight for his health and power of self-control. I remember my father acting as a gondolier, taking me out on the Venice canals, singing with the other boatmen, to my intense joy. I loved his voice, and above all, I loved the way he treated me. He called me ‘Little Nell’ after the Little Nell in Dickens’ Old Curiosity Shop, and I never doubted that I stood first in his heart.”
