Miley Cyrus got a forearm tattoo of a Teddy Roosevelt quote: bizarre?

First of all, Mother of GOD does Miley Cyrus have a great body or what? Look at that tiny waist! And she still has hips too. She’s exceptionally well-proportioned, and she’s been working so, so hard on her figure and THIS is the payout. Bless her. Of course, if I had nothing else to do but go to Pilates classes and have sex with Liam Hemsworth, my body would look a lot better too. Anyway, the real story is that Miley got a new tattoo. It’s not the typical 19-year-old starlet tattoo, either. Miley’s is presidential!

Butterfly? Nah. Rose? Definitely not. When it came time to pick her new tattoo, Miley Cyrus settled on something surprisingly profound.

On her way out of a Pilates class in West Hollywood Tuesday, Cyrus, 19, showed off a brand new tattoo — a snippet of a 1910 speech President Theodore Roosevelt made at the Sorbonne in Paris, France.

The text, tattooed on her left forearm, reads, “So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

In his famous early 20th century speech, Roosevelt urged listeners to live life to the fullest. “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 better,” he said. “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood . . . who, at the best, knows . . . the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

The words aren’t The Last Song star’s first foray into permanent body art; Cyrus (who is currently engaged to Liam Hemsworth) has numerous other tattoos, including a dream-catcher on her ribcage, and an equals symbol on her ring finger to demonstrate her support for marriage equality.

[From Us Weekly]

Is it just me or is this a random quote for a 19-year-old woman? For a 19-year-old woman… whose never been in a war, or done battle or faced any obstacle harder than “My daddy is trash-talking me in GQ”? I’m not saying that Miley hasn’t been through some stuff in her 19 years, or that she wasn’t busting through many child labor laws several years ago. But it still feels like this is an odd quote… for HER. Maybe she got the tattoo thinking about her Pilates classes?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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109 Responses to “Miley Cyrus got a forearm tattoo of a Teddy Roosevelt quote: bizarre?”

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  1. Blen says:

    try-hard

    • Birdie says:

      Exactly.

      • atorontogal says:

        Why the hell does she wear that bun EVERY FKN DAY?!?!?! It looks awful. And I’m pretty tired of the crop tops too. Does she not own anything classy??

      • Kathrin says:

        I’m also doing Pilates now and I actually get why she has the bun during practicing. You often have to lie with your neck down and a normal ponytail would get in the way all the time…

        Nevertheless: it looks awful and she should get rid of it right after Pilates BEFORE going out into public!

    • Kat says:

      I don’t think she’s necessarily a try-hard with this. I don’t think Miley is as shallow as people make her out to be. I’ve liked her ever since she wrote that atheistic tweet. I doubt she’s trying to convey that she has survived a rough life – I think it’s more as in inspiration to not be the timid soul that never experiences life out of fear of failure.

      • GreenTurtle says:

        I agree. She’s trying to inspire herself not to be meek or timid, but to participate in life. The quote is not literal. The girl is only 19 yrs old. Everything is superintense and meaningful when you’re 19 and kind of overblown sentiment is appealing. Give her a break.

      • Yea agree, she’s just a kid yet

  2. Lexi says:

    She’s desperate attention hungry attention whore. Maybe she should record new cd or make new movie instead of doing all these meaningless things like tatoos, pilates 24/7…

    • hoya_chick says:

      Lexi, that would require her being able to act or sing….haha

      I bet you she couldn’t tell you what year he was President or what he did in office. Total try hard. Her body does look great though.

    • Amelia says:

      I thought there was a story about her leaving a laser removal centre a couple of weeks ago. Why get rid of a scribble if you’re just going to scribble all over yourself again?
      She either needs to go to singing lessons or go away.

  3. SD_R_SR says:

    I think she’s probably referring to paps, Mullet Daddy, etc. However, I don’t think it’s a real tattoo.

  4. Chatcat says:

    “Of course, if I had nothing else to do but go to Pilates classes and have sex with Liam Hemsworth” and let’s not forget the bong hits Kaiser!

    So she gets some tat that she can’t really relate to and her hubby to be wears a knit hat in the hottest summer in the US in the last 16 years…I’m just going to chalk it up to being a young, dumb and stoned couple.

    • marie says:

      ha ha, you know she was stoned when she saw that quote and thought it would be a good idea..”Yeah man, yeah.. Wouldn’t that be cool on my arm, like-right there? That’s so, that’s so-I don’t even know man, I just.. blew my mind.”

      • Amelia says:

        Funny you say that, because that actually happened to someone I knew over the weekend at my end of Uni ball. Except the quote (and it was actually in quotation marks) was just a large print of DUUUUUUUUDE.
        He woke up on my living room floor and freaked out, silly fool’s getting it removed now.

      • Chatcat says:

        @Marie – then leaves tat studio saying, like is uhm anybody up for uhm stopping at a Friendly’s or a Denny’s? Liam is like, wanting to scratch his head at that because clearly Miley has not been eating, but the effin wool hat in the 95 degree heat has done what the weed couldn’t … baked his head!

        Amelia…silly fool will probably abstain for a while after that little present he got himself then return it!

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      Exactly, Chat. These are the kinds of things young people do. Cut her some slack, people.
      When I was in my early twenties I was THISCLOSE to getting a Red Sox logo tattooed on my ankle. Imagine?
      Given the pathetic season we’ve had so far, I would probably be forced to wear socks all summer.

      • Chatcat says:

        OK Kit…disclosure time. Now you know I just turned 49, have been married since I was just shy of 22 and … yes I have a tat! OK so I was on spring break frosh year, 18 y/o, and it rained one day so we went from drinking in the hotel room (back then drinking in FL was 18…yes do the math) anyway off we go to a tat palor (why…well why not it was six 18 y/o’s) and the next thing I knew I had a tat on my ass! Of what you ask? Well a 4 leaf clover what else? I know, not a rose, not a butterfly, no a nice green 4 leaf clover just in case anybody saw my ass they’d know I am Irish! LOL

        Oh and like my Phils are doing any better? I have to hide the belts and shoe laces in my house everytime there is a game on! So I know your pain and embarassment.

      • MorticiansDoItDeader says:

        @Amelia, reminds me of that terrible Ashton Kutcher movie “Dude, Where’s my Car,” where one gets the tattoo Dude and the other one gets Sweet. Also the entire movie dialogue consists of Dude and Sweet.

      • Bodhi says:

        Ahahaha! My husband still really wants the logo. He has more than 25 & I doubt anyone would notice. Though maybe he should get a tear drop next to it!

  5. valleymiss says:

    Eh, let’s not analyze this TOO much. MileyBird was probably high on weed when she had it done. 😉

    • Jade says:

      No. I am a tattoo artist, no one will tattoo her if she is drunk or high on any drug. When your drunk you bleed more. When your drugged you do weird stuff. I agree with some of you shes looking forattention.

      • mzthirtyeight says:

        People DEFINITELY will tattoo under both of those circumstances, moreso when the person to be tatted is high rather drunk. It’s not right, and I’m not saying it’s the norm(though for the right price…), but by second-hand experience, I know it happens and therefore COULD be a possibility in this situation.

      • maggs says:

        Oh, right. I was hammered on tequila when I got a tat on my back…

      • Bodhi says:

        No REPUTABLE tattooer anyway. I’d never get a tattoo from someone who do tattooed someone under the influence. Which is why you should always get recommendations & look very carefully at someone’s portfolio.

      • Danziger says:

        My tattoo artist, a very talented one, who has been tattooing people for a long while and always done a sh*t-hot job, specifically suggested me to bring a bottle of vodka, when I went to get my large rib tattoo. I’m glad he suggested that. There wasn’t any significant bleeding, but I can tell that I would’ve screamed in that chair, had I not been hammered.

  6. lower-case deb says:

    i am torn between “if you got it, flaunt it as much you can” and “yes, okay okay i get it. you have a great bod! now put it away”

    i may be ultra-stodgy in this regard but it’s not like there aren’t any clothes that are both classy and yet still flatter and shows the body one works so hard to get.

  7. Veruca says:

    Uh… she was a Disney kid. Whether or not you become a star, living in that shark tank must f*ck with your head.

  8. Skinnybetch says:

    So incredibly stupid. At least she has the money to get it removed when she’s 30 and says WTF was I thinking!

  9. dorothy says:

    She has officially gone down the Lohan road. Career over, now the irresponsible behavior escalates. Tattoo’s, side boob shots, partying….

    • johnnybadboytapia says:

      really??? getting a tattoo of something that may have meaning to her ( or maybe not whatever) is going down the LL road???…. me thinks not!!!

      • Latoya says:

        agreed- don’t know why everyone’s hating on the tattoo. I think it’s quite a nice quote actually. And people don’t have to go to war to be in difficult situations. It’s probably just a reminder to put herself forward and try- that’s the best way to live. I thought it was pretty inspirational. Better than the random stars and swallow tattoos people get.

      • dorothy says:

        No, I personally have a tattoo as well. I’m really just talking about the behavior, the inappropriate shirts that show her breast, the constant need for attention. She seems lost.

      • Emily says:

        @dorothy — How is that shirt inappropriate? It looks fine for exercising in, and that’s what she was wearing it for. Even without that, it’s a belly shirt, big whoop-di-do. Flaunt it if you’ve got it. She’s a lot more covered up than I used to be in the summers.

      • Emily says:

        @dorothy — How is that shirt inappropriate? It looks fine for exercising in, and that’s what she was wearing it for. Even without that, it’s a belly shirt, big whoop-di-do. Flaunt it if you’ve got it. She’s a lot more covered up than I used to be in the summers.

    • Chordy says:

      She’s 19! When I was 19 I got tattoos, smoked weed, and dressed like trailer trash, and I grew up to be awesome.

      • Nan says:

        Yesss! She is young and have been “managed” most of her life. I looks like so far she is doing this growing up on her own stuff better than many other with similar background. Hope she can keep it up.

      • Bodhi says:

        Right? I did too & now I’m happily married with a 14 beautiful month old son. Tattoos & trashy clothing at 19 (or 22) will more than likely not ruin the next 60+ years of your life.

      • sauvage says:

        Plus I have yet to hear something irresponsible about her, like drunk/high driving. Instead she was even smart enough to get a prescription for medical marijuana.

        She’s not doing coke, she’s not involved in risky sexual behaviour, at least not publicly. Instead, she lives in a steady relationship and is engaged to be married. (I think it’s quite early for that, but to each their own. None of my business if it doesn’t endanger anybody else.)

        I can’t help but like her. I even like her voice. I’m still rooting for her to change her musical style radically and become an accomplished singer/songwriter.

      • Latoya says:

        @Chordy love it- you surely are awesome.

  10. freya says:

    If it is a real tattoo she’s going to end up with nothing but illegible smudges in a few years. The lettering looks way too small.

    • venny says:

      That’s what I was thinking too. I love tattoos – but you’ve got to make sure they’re going to age well. And this one surely won’t.

    • chai says:

      Agreed. I have a quote on my back from Socrates and the tattoo artist wouldn’t make the letters that small because they would bleed too easily.

      • Amelia says:

        Crito, I owe a cock to Asclepius; will you remember to pay the debt?
        -Socrates

        The 12 year old in me still finds this hilarious when it’s taken out of context ^^

    • Lairen says:

      Yup. This will age very poorly. I imagine it’s already difficult to read (people probably have to grab her arm and squint to to figure it out). In a few years it’ll be indiscernible.

  11. Jaime says:

    God, she annoys me. That is all…

  12. Holden says:

    She is so deep. Getting tattoos and married at 19 is really ___________.

    • Kait says:

      That’s what I figured she saw in the quote. I’m sure there are many people telling her/them they are too young to get married and her response could fall in line with this. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained…”, “at least I’ll have truly lived”-type sentiments..

  13. Incredulous says:

    Eh, when phenomenal badasses get together, they talk in awe about Teddy Roosevelt, that’s how much of scientist/explorer/writer/philosopher/fighter/soldier/politician/humanist Theodore was.

    Seriously, if you know little of him, look him up, that man packed more in one life than most could in ten.

    When he was president, he kept a bear and lion as pets. He is responsible for there being a dojo in the White House, hell, even his kids were badasses.

    • Ainsley says:

      Have you read River of Doubt? Teddy really was a badass. Miley doesn’t get what Teddy was talking about because she hasn’t lived that kind of life. She just thinks the point of the quote is that she’s better than the people who critique her.

    • marie says:

      I don’t disagree, Teddy Roosevelt was a badass, but are you calling Miley a badass as well-cause that part I call bs on..she has no clue of the meaning behind that quote..

    • Mac says:

      Roosevelt once delivered a speech shortly after being shot and with a bullet lodged in his chest.

      Teddy Roosevelt, who was president from 1901-1909, was shot by John Schrank while he campaigned as the candidate of the new Progressive party on Oct. 14, 1912.

      His 50-page speech and glasses case slowed the bullet enough so that it entered his body, but did not penetrate the heart.

      Rather than go to the hospital, Roosevelt went on with the show.

      “I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose,” Roosevelt said.

      “The bullet is in me now, so that I cannot make a very long speech, but I will try my best.”

      He spoke for 90 minutes.

      • Kimbob says:

        Holy shit! Thanks for that bit of history info….I never knew that…but then again, although I do love history, when in school I didn’t appreciate it…LOL.

    • Bodhi says:

      Hubs & I are seriously considering hypothetical son #2 Theodore. Teddy Rex is his favorite president. Cause we are mega nerds & have favorite presidents…

  14. The Original Denise says:

    I hope she can still read it when her skin starts sagging (old age).

  15. Reece says:

    I wonder if she went to Mount Rushmore could she pick out which Pres is which? js

  16. Skins says:

    Boy, she is going to regret that one in a few years

  17. Lilalis says:

    Bitch looks great and just ruined my dinner by doing so.

    And this tattoo is try-hard, ridiculous!

  18. SalmaNella says:

    I don’t see the relevance of scribbling a quote permanently on your arm. I fully understand the desire to place a symbol or image but a full on verse? Come on, that just screams, “trying too damn hard”

  19. Bobbie says:

    I think it’s cool. I like it.

  20. kc says:

    Too much money, too much time on her hands…

  21. She can’t fix her neck! Poor girl..

  22. lucy2 says:

    That is one large and strangely placed tattoo, that probably won’t hold up very well.
    I don’t have any but I’m not anti-tattoo, I just don’t care for big ones that aren’t easily covered. Hanging around pilates class all day? Fine to have scribble down your arm. Attending something fancy like the Oscars? Not so much, for me anyway.

  23. RobN says:

    I like the quote, and TR, very much, but it’s a placement problem for me. If she’s going to try and have any career at all, she’s going to have to deal with covering up something huge for years.

    Of course, she’s also worth $100+ million, so what the hell does she care?

  24. liyah says:

    Does anyone else notice the cut on her wrist by the bracelet?

  25. liyah says:

    Does anyone else notice the cut on her wrist by the bracelet

  26. oklady says:

    On her arm is reads ” neither knew”. Isn’t the quote supposed to be “knew neither”? If so, she effed that one up :/

    • KellyinSeattle says:

      As an English teacher, you are correct. The tattoo is much too big and distractive.

    • EmmaStoneWannabe says:

      Similar to the major misspelling on Hayden Panettiere’s tattoo. How embarrassing.

  27. Dandilion says:

    Maybe she should seriously study what Teddy was all about.. he would scorn foolish Hollywood and any of its greedy, gruesome citizens, creators of shallow-perverted fantasy.
    http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/Quotes.htm

  28. ladybert62 says:

    Oh my these starlets who are closet philosophers! Who would have thought she was so intellectual – actually, I would use the word pretentious to describe her!

  29. only1shmoo says:

    I’m sorry, but I just can’t like her; everything she does irks me or rubs me the wrong way. I absolutely refuse to compliment her on her body — not because it doesn’t look good (it does!) but because it’s a reminder of her hypocrisy, something I won’t excuse for her age. To me, everything Miley says and does feels disingenuous, and the only positive thing I can say about her is that she rescues dogs.

  30. Jenna says:

    Ugh. Seriously? THIS is a story? -_-

  31. Dandilion says:

    It’s dramatic, comical or ironic way of importantly saying.. I do what I want,, don’t judge me for acting, looking and being this way.. by her tattoo inscription of what a important historical man once said in a highbrow brave stance.. because she did so much to get noticed by her diet, exercise and lifestyle changes and why not continuously brag upon them.. apparently she’s not receiving the shocked and pleased with her changes attention and providing the numerous congratulatory compliments she wanted.. ha ha!

  32. GlitterSha says:

    She’s Very Leanne Rhimes these days…

  33. RHONYC says:

    am i the only one that thinks tats have officially jumped-the-shark? 😛

    • Chris: now with 10% less negativity says:

      I agree. I’ve never really been a fan of them. Firstly because I don’t see the appeal in having cartoons on my body and secondly I can’t imagine liking anything enough to want to have it on my body for the rest of my life.

      • Ailine says:

        Bingo. Tattoos have lost their edge and are silly. What happened to posting trite quotes in your house and office. I certainly wouldn’t want them tattooed on me.

    • Bodhi says:

      Probably not, but that doesn’t mean that people aren’t going to get them.

      If people are getting ink because they care about what people other people think, then they shouldn’t get them.

  34. Emily says:

    This is the kind of silly thing lots of 19-year olds do. I had quotes pasted all over my walls in the dorm, and most of my friends did too. The only reason I didn’t end up with some pretentious silliness tattooed to my skin was that I couldn’t make up my mind.

  35. Chris: now with 10% less negativity says:

    That’s ironic because i’ve been thinking about getting the lyrics to one of her songs on my forearm.

    But seriously wouldn’t it have made more sense for her to just stick a copy of the quote on her fridge or something? I had a copy of the Invictus poem on my bedside table for a couple of months.

    • Chatcat says:

      Chris what would have made more sense is if she printed the quote from the National Archives and gave it to the tat artist while he was doing the damn thing! Of course there is no guarantee he could read or anything but really he was probably was the straight one at the time.

  36. dagsohyoumeandogs says:

    Misquoted tattoos make me laugh and laugh. She should just chalk it up to a loss and get a “WINO FOREVER” tattooed over that thing.

  37. Schnikes says:

    Why all the fuss over her pre-pubescent physique? Not much doing there….

  38. master yoda says:

    Justin B. Please PAY ATTENTION.

  39. Bex says:

    Just because you haven’t lived something doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate the sentiment and _aspire_ to embody it in their life.

    Don’t know Miley or what personal battles she’s faced, but I think rather than saying “I’m a bamf, I’ve lived this” she’s saying she wants to live life courageously, not with fear.

    I have a hard time finding fault with that attitude, whatever the girl’s other shortcomings.

  40. skuddles says:

    Does tacky little hillbilly girl do anything now besides hit up pot shops and attend pilates classes?

  41. CriticXtreme says:

    It could honesty say “blah blah blah blah blah blah” and she’s still hot. P.S. don’t get married, or have a kid, it will indeed mess everything up.

  42. Bobby says:

    I wonder if she even knows who Teddy Roosevelt is? She probably thinks its the stuff animal from that movie “Ted.”

  43. Jackie O says:

    majority of tattoos are so lame, including this one. after this mainstreaming, the next generation will rebel against them and they will become very out of fashion.

    i want stocks in the tattoo removal business.

    • sarahtonin says:

      Me too! The person who comes up with a really good removal system will make a fortune in about 20 years.

    • Bodhi says:

      Thats doubtful, but I agree that investing in tattoo removal is probably a good idea. There are a LOT of shitty tattoos out there

  44. Megan says:

    Less Cyrus, more Fassbender.

  45. sarahtonin says:

    At least it’s not that Marilyn Monroe quote every stupid young girl has on her facebook page…

    I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.

  46. Kimbob says:

    I’m definitely not a fan of tatoos…but, after saying such, after looking at pics of her real-life brother, she’s actually quite conservative….LMAO. Sad, but true!

  47. sauvage says:

    I think it is a good quotation. Works as a life manual for me. (Don’t know if I personally understood these things at 19 years old, but then again, I did not grow up in cray cray Hollyood, so I’m pretty sure that Miley Cyrus has experienced a lot of stuff at a very early age.)

  48. kristinlistin says:

    Tattoos hold meaning to the person who gets them, nobody else matters. You have no idea what this could meant to her. It could represent a significant, life changing event. I have tattoos and I understand that by getting them I’m opening myself to criticism from others…but it doesn’t bother me because in the end, only my opinion matters when it comes to my body art.

  49. Hawk says:

    I think the websites have to stop referring to her as an “actress” until she’s photographed on a movie set doing some acting!

  50. Francesca says:

    She wishes she was Jolie.

  51. novaraen says:

    Looks to me like she wrote it with a pen…it’s even on her left arm so she could easily write it with her right hand. just doesn’t have that permanent tattoo look to it.