a man could not afford to let himself be bullied or treated as a butt
 Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt; an Autobiography (1913). copy citation

add
Author Theodore Roosevelt
Source Theodore Roosevelt; an Autobiography
Topic
Date 1913
Language English
Reference
Note
Weblink http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3335/3335-h/3335-h.htm

Context

“and as the men usually carried revolvers, and as there were occasionally one or two noted gun-fighters among them, there was now and then a shooting affray. A man who was a coward or who shirked his work had a bad time, of course; a man could not afford to let himself be bullied or treated as a butt; and, on the other hand, if he was "looking for a fight," he was certain to find it. But my own experience was that if a man did not talk until his associates knew him well and liked him, and if he did his work, he never had any difficulty in getting on.” source