Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.

The line frames privilege as a moral obligation: those who have received “much” (education, wealth, power, national good fortune) owe a correspondingly high standard of service and conduct. Roosevelt pairs a biblical-sounding maxim about responsibility with a critique of empty piety or patriotism—“homage” that stays at the level of words. For him, genuine loyalty to ideals (religious, civic, or ethical) must be internal (“from the heart”) and verifiable in action (“shows itself in deeds”). The quote encapsulates a recurring Roosevelt theme: character is proven through strenuous, practical effort rather than sentiment, and public virtue requires translating professed values into concrete behavior.