John Fitzgerald Kennedy

JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY
500 QUOTES
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A boy spends his time finding a girl to sleep with. A real man spends his time
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looking for the one worth waking up to. John F. Kennedy

Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Ratherit
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condemns the oppression or persecution of others. John F. Kennedy

There are costs and risks to a program of action, but they are far less than the
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long range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. John F. Kennedy

Not every child has an equal talent or an equal ability or equal motivation, but
they should have the equal right to develop their talent and their ability and their
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motivation, to make something of themselves. John F. Kennedy

If not us, who? If not now, when? John F. Kennedy
I was born an American, I live like an American, I will die an American. John
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F. Kennedy
Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.
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John F. Kennedy
A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open
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market is a nation that is afraid of its people. John F. Kennedy

Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past, let us accept our own responsibility
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for the future. John F. Kennedy

The human mind is our fundamental resource. John F. Kennedy
Whether they be young in spirit, or young in age, the members of
the Democratic Party must never lose that youthful zest for new
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ideas and for a better world, which has made us great. John F. Kennedy
probably the greatest concentration of talent and genius in this house except for
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perhaps those times when Thomas Jefferson ate alone. John F. Kennedy
If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to
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follow his vision wherever it takes him. John F. Kennedy

If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced
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the world would be a little better place in which to live. John F. Kennedy
Immigration policy should be generous; it should be fair; it should be flexible.
With such a policy we can turn to the world, and to our own past, with clean
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hands and a clear conscience. John F. Kennedy

We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light a candle that can guide us
through the darkness to a safe and sure future. For the world is changing. The old
era is ending. The old ways will not do.
The problems are not all solved and the battles are not all won and we stand
today on the edge of a New Frontier - a frontier of unknown opportunities and
perils, a frontier of unfulfilled hopes and threats.
It has been a long road to this crowded convention city. Now begins another long
journey, taking me into your cities and towns and homes all over America.
Give me your help. Give me your hand, your voice and your vote. John F.
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Kennedy
For, in the final analysis, our most common link is that we all inhabit this small
planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we
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are all mortal. John F. Kennedy

We must face the fact that the United States is neither omnipotent nor
omniscient, that we cannot impose our will upon the other 94 percent of
mankind, that we cannot right every wrong or reverse every adversity, and that
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therefore there cannot be an American solution to every world problem.

Above all, we are coming to understand that the arts incarnate the creativity of a
free people. When the creative impulse cannot flourish, when it cannot freely
select its methods and objects, when it is deprived of spontaneity, then society
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severs the root of art.

To those peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the
bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves,
for whatever period is required - not because the Communists may be doing it,
not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot
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help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a
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sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof

Our problems are manmade--therefore, they can be solved by man. And man
can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.
Man's reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable--and we
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believe they can do it again.

The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose
horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of
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things that never were.

Time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life.
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Just because we cannot see clearly te end of the road, that is no reason for not
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setting out on the essential journey. -John F. Kennedy

A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it
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honors, the men it remembers. -John F. Kennedy

Every inhabitant of this planet must contemplate the day when this planet may
no longer be habitable .. The weapons of war must be abolished before they
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abolish us. -John F. Kennedy

And is not peace, in the last analysis, basically a matter of human rights -- the
right to live out our lives without fear of devastation the right to breathe air as
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nature provided it -- the right of future generations to a healthy existence?"

What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?" If by
"Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his
policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with
the taxpayer's dollar, then ... we are not that kind of "Liberal." But if by a
"Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who
welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the
welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their
civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through
the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what
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they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal.

The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along
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lines of excellence. -John F. Kennedy

Great crisis produce great men and great deeds of courage. -John F. Kennedy
The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis.' One brush stroke
stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger--
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but recognize the opportunity. -John F. Kennedy

Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names. -John F. Kennedy
We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the
criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the
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Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.

When power leads man towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his
limitations. When power narrows the area of man's concern, poetry reminds him
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of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.
Let us resolve to be masters, not the victims, of our history, controlling our own
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destiny without giving way to blind suspicions and emotions.

We want to be first; not first if, not first but; but first!
A man does what he must, in spite of personal consequences, in spite of
obstacles and dangers and this is the basis of all human morality.
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There is a terrific disadvantage in not having the abrasive quality of the press
applied to you daily. Even though we never like it, and even though we wish they
didn't write it, and even though we disapprove, there isn't any doubt that we
could not do the job at all in a free society without a very, very active press.
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-John F. Kennedy
Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the
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same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.
The unity of freedom has never relied on uniformity of opinion.
For a city or a people to be truly free they must have the secure right, without
economic, political or police pressure, to make their own choice and to live their
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own lives. -John F. Kennedy

Partnership is not a posture but a process - a continuous process that grows
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stronger each year as we devote ourselves to common tasks.

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the
role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from
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this responsibility -- I welcome it. -John F. Kennedy

The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are
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threatened. -John F. Kennedy

If by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone
who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the
welfare of the people-their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their
civil rights and their civil liberties-someone who believes we can break through
the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what
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they mean by a "Liberal", then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal.

Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your
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country.
We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our
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lives.
There is nothing in the record of the past two years when both Houses of
Congress have been controlled by the Republican Party which can lead any
person to believe that those promises will be fulfilled in the future. They follow
the Hitler line - no matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses
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will regard it as truth.

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution
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inevitable."
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation
is not to utter words, but to live by them.
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Too often we hold fast to the clichs of our forebears. We subject all facts to a
prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the
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discomfort of thought. -John F. Kennedy

Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan. -John F. Kennedy
Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. -John F. Kennedy
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because
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they are easy, but because they are hard. -John F. Kennedy
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who
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are rich. -John F. Kennedy

Libraries should be open to all - except the censor. -John F. Kennedy
I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I
think it's because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light
changes, and ships change, it's because we all came from the sea. And it is an
interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same
percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have
salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when
we go back to the sea - whether it is to sail or to watch it - we are going back from
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whence we came.
A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have
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endurance without death.

The great enemy of truth is very often not the lie--deliberate, contrived and
dishonest--but the myth--persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we
hold fast to the cliches of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set
of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of
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thought.
One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.
If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then
we need more new ideas for more wise men reading more good books in more
public libraries. These libraries should be open to allexcept the censor. We must
know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let
us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights
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is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.

If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe
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for diversity.
Liberty without Learning is always in peril and Learning without Liberty is
always in vain.
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Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are
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certain to miss the future.

Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.
Mankind must put an end to war - or war will put an end to mankind.
We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign
ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let
its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is
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afraid of its people."

If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe
for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all
inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our
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children's future. And we are all mortal.

Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right
answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own
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responsibility for the future.

The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.
Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions,
slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures. And however
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undramatic the pursuit of peace, that pursuit must go on.

All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that
exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our
tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea - whether it is to
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sail or to watch it - we are going back from whence we came.

Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the
torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans, born in this century,
tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient
heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human
rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are
committed today at home and around the world. Let every nation know, whether
it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any
hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the
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success of liberty.
We cannot negotiate with people who say what's mine is mine and what's yours
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is negotiable."
I'm an idealist without illusions.
Without debate, without criticism no administration and no country can succeed
and no republic can survive.
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For in the final analysis, our most basic common link, is that we all inhabit this
small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's futures,
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and we are all mortal.

The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.
Art is the great democrat, calling forth creative genius from every sector of
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society, disregarding race or religion or wealth or color

We need men who can dream of things that never were.
I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in
this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a
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good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy.
All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished
in the first one thousand days . . .nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet.
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But let us begin.

A child miseducated is a child lost.
When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations.
When power narrows the area of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the
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richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.

A man does what he must in spite of personal consequences, in spite of
obstacles and dangers, and pressures and that is the basis of all human
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morality.
I look forward to a future in which our country will match its military strength
with our moral restraint, its wealth with our wisdom, its power with our
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purpose
The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final
moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man
does what he must - in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and
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dangers and pressures - and that is the basis of all morality.

We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or
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to watch - we are going back from whence we came.

Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.
We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because
they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize
and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that
we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we
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intend to win.
Once you say you're going to settle for second, that's what happens to you in life,
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I find.
The rising tide lifts all the boats.
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There is, in addition to a courage with which men die; a courage by which men
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must live.
The most powerful single force in the world today is neither Communism nor
Capitalism, neither the H-bomb nor the guided missile -- it is man's eternal
desire to be free and independent.

99. The supreme reality of our time is the vulnerability of our planet.
100. The one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is certain or unchangeable.
101. The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The
gardner objected that the tree was slow growing and wouldn't reach maturity for
100 years. The Marshall replied, "In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it
this afternoon!
102. I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge,
that has ever been gathered together at the White House-- with the possible
exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.
103. Those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up
inside
104. But wherever we are, we must all, in our daily lives, live up to the age-old faith
that peace and freedom walk together. In too many of our cities today, the peace
is not secure because freedom is incomplete." (John F. Kennedy, June 10, 1963,
American University speech)
105. The gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the
quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty
of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public
debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our
courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our
devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which
makes life worthwhile.
106. So, let us not be blind to our differences--but let us also direct attention to our
common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved.
And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world
safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we
all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our
children's future. And we are all mortal.
107. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the
torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.
108. No American is ever made better off by pulling a fellow American down, and all
of us are made better off whenever any one of us is made better off.
109. We choose to go to the moon in this decade, and the other things not because
they are easy, but because they are hard.
110. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our
deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help,
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but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.
The very word Secrecy is repugnant in a free and open society.
The interaction of disparate cultures, the vehemence of the ideals that led the
immigrants here, the opportunity offered by a new life, all gave America a flavor
and a character that make it as unmistakable and as remarkable to people today
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as it was to Alexis de Tocqueville in the early part of the nineteenth century.

World peace, like community peace, does not require that each man love his
neighborit requires only that they live together in mutual tolerance, submitting
their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement. And history teaches us that
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enmities between nations, as between individuals, do not last forever . . .

When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters. One
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represents danger and the other represents opportunity.

And so it is to the printing press--to the recorder of man's deeds, the keeper of
his conscience, the courier of his news--that we look for strength and assistance,
confident that with your help man will be what he was born to be: free and
independent.
116. We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes.
117. Do not pray for easy lives. Prey to be stronger men.
118. Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.
119. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.
120. War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the
same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today.
121. A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.
122. The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie deliberate, contrived and
dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths
allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.
123. You can't relate to a superhero, to a superman, but you can identify with a real
man who in times of crisis draws forth some extraordinary quality from within
himself and triumphs but only after a struggle.
124. It is compromise that prevents each set of reformers from crushing the group at
the other end of the political spectrum.
125. Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has
made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so
joined together, let no man put asunder.
126. Things don't just happen. They are made to happen.
127. The life of the arts... is a test of the quality of a nation's civilization.
128. All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity
to develop those talents.
129. Our progress as a nation can be not swifter than our progress in education.
130. The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the nation's
greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as
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indispensable.
All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity
to develop our talents.

132. We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend,
oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty
133. We, in this country, in this generation, are - by destiny rather than by choice the watchmen on the walls of world freedom.
134. I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute;
where no Catholic prelate would tell the President -- should he be Catholic -- how
to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote;
where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political
preference, and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion
differs from the President who might appoint him, or the people who might elect
him.
135. The life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction, in the life of the
nation, is close to the center of a nation's purpose - and is a test to the quality of a
nation's civilization.
136. For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy
that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence -- on
infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on
intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by
day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into
the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military,
diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations. Its
preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined.
Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is
printed, no secret is revealed. It conducts the Cold War, in short, with a war-time
discipline no democracy would ever hope or wish to match.
137. A nation which has forgotten the quality of courage which in the past has been
brought to public life is not as likely to insist upon or regard that quality in its
chosen leaders today - and in fact we have forgotten.
138. After visiting these two places (Berchtesgaden and the Eagle's lair on
Obersalzberg) you can easily see how that within a few years Hitler will emerge
from the hatred that surrounds him now as one of the most significant figures
who ever lived. He had boundless ambition for his country, which rendered him a
menace to the peace of the world, but he had a mystery about him in the way that
he lived and in the manner of his death that will live and grow after him. He had
in him the stuff of which legends are made.
139. We cannot negotiate with those who say, 'What's mine is mine and what's yours
is negotiable.
140. Now the trumpet summons us againnot as a call to bear arms, though arms we
need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we arebut a call to bear the
burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient
in tribulation"a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty,
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disease, and war itself.

The 1930s, Kennedy said, 'taught us a clear lesson; aggressive conduct, if
allowed to go unchecked and unchallenged, ultimately leads to war.

142. I don't think the intelligence reports are all that hot. Some days I get more out of
the New York Times.
143. We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch.
144. Today our concern must be with the future. For the world is changing. The old
era is ending. The old ways will not do.
145. The greater our knowledge increases the greater our ignorance unfolds.
146. Jangan tanyakan apa yang negara ini berikan kepadamu tapi tanyakan apa yang
telah kamu berikan kepada negaramu.
147. When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his
limitations.
148. indonesia berpenduduk (sekarang lebih dari)100 juta dengan kekayaan sumber
daya alam yang mungkin lebih besar daripada negara Asia yang lain. Tidak
masuk akal bagi AS untuk mengucilkan sekelompok besar orang yang duduk di
atas sumber daya ini, kecuali memang ada alasan yang amat sangat kuat.
149. There is inherited wealth in this country and also inherited poverty.
150. So much depends on my actions, so I am seeing fewer people, simplifying my
life, organizing it so that I am not always on the edge of irritability.
151. Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind!
152. If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, the world would
be a little better place to live.
153. I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's
candidate for President, who happens also to be a Catholic.
154. The future promise of any nation can be directly measured by the present
prospects of its youth.
155. We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and
new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all
people. For space science, like nuclear science and technology, has no conscience
of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and
only if the United States occupies a position of preeminence can we help decide
whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war.
156. Let Us Be Grateful
Today we give our thanks most of all, for the ideals of honor and faith we inherit
from our forefathers - for the decency of purpose, steadfastness of resolve and
strength of will, for the courage and the humility, which they possessed and
which we must seek every day to emulate. As we express our gratitude, we must
never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by
them.
157. It is our task in our time and in our generation to hand down undiminished to
those who come after us, as was handed down to us by those who went before, the
natural wealth and beauty which is ours.
158. So, let us not be blind to our differences but let us also direct attention to
our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be
resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the
world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is
that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish
our childrens future. And we are all mortal.
159. I look forward to a great future for America - a future in which our country will
match its military strength with our moral restraint, its wealth with our wisdom,
its power with our purpose.
160. Every dollar released from taxation, that is spent or invested, will create a new
job and a new salary.
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The full use of your powers along lines of excellence.
162. So, let us not be blind to our differences- but let us also direct our attention to
our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be
resolved.
163. The stories of past courage can define that ingredient- they can teach, they can
offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they cannot provide courage itself.
For this each man must look into his own soul.
164. I hope that no American will waste his franchise and throw away his vote by
voting either for me or against me solely on account of my religious affiliation.
It is not relevant.
165. Unconditional war can no longer lead to unconditional victory. It can no
longer serve to settle disputes. It can no longer be of concern to great powers
alone. For a nuclear disaster, spread by winds and waters and fear, could well
engulf the great and the small, the rich and the poor, the committed and the
uncommitted alike. Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to
mankind.
166. The business of the government is the business of the people.
167. El xito tiene muchos padres, pero el fracaso es hurfano.
168. Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those
problems which divide us.
169. The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final
moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy.
170. I mean, they are just as susceptible to pressure and in many ways more
susceptible to pressure because they are desperately anxious, this is their
tremendous chance to break through the rather narrow lives they may lead.
171.
Never before has man had such capacity to control his own environment,...We
have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history or
the world - or make it the last.
172. The great enemy of the truth is very often not the liedeliberate, contrived and
dishonestbut the mythpersistent, persuasive,
and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the
discomfort of thought.
173. Victory has a thousand fathers, defeat is an orphan.
174. We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history
of the world or to make it the last.
175. Described Washington as a community of Southern efficiency and Northern
charm.
176. Truth is a tyrant-the only tyrant to whom we can give our allegiance. The
service of truth is a matter of heroism.
177. I'm an idealist without illusions
178. The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie deliberate, contrived
and dishonest but the myth persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.
179. The United States, as the world knows, will never start a war. We do not want a
war. We do not now expect a war. This generation of Americans has already had
enoughmore than enoughof war and hate and oppression. We shall be
prepared if others wish it. We shall be alert to try to stop it. But we shall do our
part to build a world of peace where the weak are safe and the strong are just.
We are not helpless before that task or hopeless of its success.
180. Terror is not a new weapon. Throughout history it has been used by those who
could not prevail, either by persuasion or example. But inevitably they fail,
either because men are not afraid to die for a life worth living, or because the
terrorists themselves came to realize that free men cannot be frightened by
threats, and that aggression would meet its own response. And it is in the light
of that history that every nation today should know, be he friend or foe, that the
United States has both the will and the weapons to join free men in standing up
to their responsibilities.
181. For the great enemy of truth is very often not the lie--deliberate, contrived, and
dishonest--but the myth--persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.
182. My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you
can do for your country.
183. Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your
country!
184. It is not always easy. Your successes are unheralded -- your failures are
trumpeted. I sometimes have that feeling myself."
185. We do these thing not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
186. I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace and beauty
187. Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.
188. Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it
is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.
189. In the years since man unlocked the power stored up within the atom, the
world has made progress, halting, but effective, toward bringing that power
under human control. The challenge may be our salvation. As we begin to
master the destructive potentialities of modern science, we move toward a new
era in which science can fulfill its creative promise and help bring into existence
the happiest society the world has ever known.
190. Science contributes to our culture in many ways, as a creative intellectual
activity in its own right, as the light which has served to illuminate man's place
in the universe, and as the source of understanding of man's own nature.
191.
This nation was founded by many men of many nations and backgrounds. It
was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights
of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. -John
F. Kennedy
192. Life's not fair but not always to your disadvantage.

193. Jika politik itu kotor, puisi akan membersihkannya. Jika politik bengkok,
sastra akan meluruskannya.
194. The highest duty of the writer is to remain true to himself and let the chips fall
where they may. In serving his vision of the truth the artist best serves his
nation.
195. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are
196. Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.
197. War and hunger and ignorance and despair know no religious barriers.
198. For, in a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, 'holds
office'; every one of us is in a position of responsibility; and, in the final
analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those
responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of
political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve.
199. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest
appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
200. I'm shadowboxing in a match the shadow is always going to win. (as a young
man battling his deceased brother's heroic legacy)
201. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.
202. Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.
203. When power leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his
limitations. When power narrows the areas of mans concern, poetry reminds
him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry
cleanses.
204. The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is for good men to do
nothing.
205. Mankind must put and end to war, or war will put an end to mankind
206. I love her deeply and have done everything for her. Ive no feeling of letting her
down because Ive put her foremost in everything.
207. Peace is a process - a way of solving problems.
208. Ask not what your Joe Montaperto can do for you - but rather - what you can
do for your Joe Montaperto.
209. We have come too far, we have sacrificed too much, to disdain future now.
210. If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets politics, and more poets knew
politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place in which to
live...
211.
Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. JFK
212. I believe that this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this
decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth.
213. In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this
small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future.
And we are all mortal.
214. We have come too far, we have sacrificed too much, to disdain the future now.
215. The stories of past courage can define that ingredient-they can teach, they can
offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply courage itself.
For this each man must look into his own soul.
216. Democracy and defense are not substitutes for one another. Either alone will
fail.
217. I would rather be accused of breaking precedents than breaking promises.
218. Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities,
because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be
translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.
219. Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in
vain.
220. Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. No problem
of human destiny is beyond human beings.
221. So, let us not be blind to our differences - but let us also direct attention to our
222. The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a
builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.
223. The basis of effective government if public confidence.
224. True happiness is the full use of your powers along lines of excellence in a life
affording scope.
225. For of those to whom much is given, much is required.
226. We believe that if men have the talent to invent new machines that put men out
of work, they have the talent to put those men back to work.
227. We set sail on this new sea because there is knowledge to be gained.
228. We stand for freedom. That is our conviction for ourselves; that is our only
commitment to others.
229. When we got into office, the thing that surprised me the most was that things
were as bad as we'd been saying they were.
torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.
231. Mothers may still want their sons to grow up to be President, but according to a
famous Gallup poll of some years ago, some 73 percent do not want them to
become politicians in the process.
232. For without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not
forget those acts of courage with which men have lived.
233. Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.
234. It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war.
235. The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of the final
moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy.
236. The one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is unchangeable or certain.
237. When you have seven percent unemployed, you have ninety-three percent
working.
238. Our growing softness, our increasing lack of physical fitness, is a menace to our
security.
239. Once you say you're going to settle for second, that's what happens to you in
life.
240. In the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding on the back of the tiger
ended up inside.
241. People have not been horrified by war to a sufficient extent... War will exist until
that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and
prestige as the warrior does today.
242. A young man who does not have what it takes to perform military service is not
likely to have what it takes to make a living.
243. I have just received the following wire from my generous Daddy. It says, ''Dear
Jack: Don't buy a single vote more than is necessary. I'll be damned if I am going
to pay for a landslide.''
244. The New Frontier I speak of is not a set of promises -- it is a set of challenges. It
sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intent to ask
of them.
245. Every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be
treated, as one would wish his children to be treated. this is not the case.
246. In free society art is not a weapon. Artists are not engineers of the soul.
247. I see little of more importance to the future of our country and of civilization
than full recognition of the place of the artist. If art is to nourish the roots of our
culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.
248. You never know what's hit you. A gunshot is the perfect way.
249. All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished
in the first thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps
in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
250. We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the
nation.
251. "All this will not be finished in the first hundred days. Nor will it be finished in
the first thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in
our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."
252. "The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose
things that never were."-John F Kennedy
253. We in this counrty, in this generation, are, by destiny rather than choice, the
watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be
worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with
wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the
ancient vision of peace on earth, goodwill toward men. That must always be our
goal, and the righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength. For
as it was written long ago, except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh
but in vain.
254. If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced
the world would be a better place to in which to live.
255. If we are strong, our strength will speak for itself. If we are weak, words will be of
no help. JFK quote
256. The life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction in the life of the
nation, is very close to the center of a nations purpose and it is the test of the
quality of a nations civilization. Inscribed at the JFK Center for the Performing
Arts, Washington, D.C. Public papers of the President 1962
257. Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. JFK quote
258. The life of the artist is, in relation to his work, stern and lonely. He has labored
hard, often amid depravation, to perfect his skill. He has turned aside form quick
success in order to strip his vision of everything secondary or cheapening. His
working life is marked by intense application and intense discipline. Public
Papers 1962
259. Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. JFK quote
260. We can say with some assurance that, although children may be the victims of
fate, they will not be the victims of our neglect. Remarks upon signing the
261.
Maternal and Child Health and Mental Retardation Planning Bill October 1963
For without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not
forget those acts of courage with which menhave lived A man does what he
must in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and
pressures and that is the basis of all human morality.Profiles in Courage 1955
262. Our deep spiritual confidence that this nation will survive the perils of today
which may well be with us for decades to come compels us to invest in our
nations future, to consider and meet our obligations to our children and the
numberless generations that will follow. Special Message to Congress on
Conservation 1962
263. We have not fully recognized the difficulty facing a politician conscientiously
desiring, in [Daniel] Websters words, to push [his] skiff from the shore alone
into a hostile and turbulent sea. Profiles in Courage 1955
264. Several nights ago, I dreamed that the good Lord touched me on the shoulder and
said, Dont worry, youll be the Democratic presidential nominee in 1960. Whats
more, youll be elected. I told [U.S. Senator] Stu Symington about my dream.
Funny thing, he said, I had the same dream myself. We both told about our
dreams to Lyndon Johnson, and Johnson said, Thats funny. For the life of me, I
cant remember tapping either one of you two boys for the job. JFK quote
265. The stories of past couragecan teach, they can offer hope, they can provide
inspiration. But they cannot supply courage itself. For this each man must look
into his own soul. Profile in Courage 1956
266. Can a nation organised and governed such as our endure? That is the real
question. Have we the nerve and the will? Can we carry through in an age where
we will witness not only new breakthroughs in weapons of destruction but also
a race for mastery of the sky and the rain, and the ocean and the tides, the far side
of space and the inside of mens minds.? JFK quote
267. What really counts is not the immediate act of courage or of valor, but those who
bear the struggle day in and day out not the sunshine patriots but those who are
willing to stand for a long period of time. Remarks to the American Legion 1962
268. We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light a candle that can guide us
through that darkness to a safe and sane future. For the world is changing. The
old era is ending. The old ways will not do. JFK quote
269. As we face the coming challenge, we, too, shall wait upon the Lord, and ask that
he renew our strength. Then shall we be equal to the test. Then, we shall not be
weary. And then we shall prevail. Democratic nomination acceptance speech, Los
Angeles, July 1960
270. In August 1960, referring to the famous kitchen debate in which Mr. Nixon
managed to argue with Soviet Nikita Krushchev in a Moscow kitchen, Kennedy
quipped,Mr. Nixon may be very experienced in kitchen debates. So are a great
many other married men I know. JFK qoute
271. Victory has 100 fathers and defeat is an orphan. Press Conference April 1961
272.
Bay of Pigs
Mr. Nixon in the last seven days has called mean economic ignoramus, a Pied
Piper, and all the rest. Ive just confined myself to calling him a Republican, but
he says that is getting too low. JFK quote

273. Dante once said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a
period of moral crises maintain their neutrality. Bonn Germany June 1963
Establishing a West German Peace Corps
274. Speaking at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, just five days before the
1960 election, Kennedy defended his criticisms of Vice President Nixon and the
Eisenhower administration: Abraham Lincoln once said,One who has the heart
to help has the right to criticize. We are going to help. JFK quote
275. The Federal Budget can and should be made an instrument of prosperity and
stability, not a deterrent to recovery. Special Message to Congress for Economic
Recovery and Growth Feb 1961
276. I think we have to revitalize our society. I think we have to demonstrate to the
people of the world that were determined in this free country of ours to be first
not first if not first but not first when but first. And when we are strong and
when we are first, then freedom gains; then the prospects for peace increases;
then the prospects for our society gain. JFK quote
277. A rising tide lifts all boats. Remarks Pueblo, Colorado August 1962
278. In a campaign very much like this one, one hundred years ago, when the issues
were the same [Abraham Lincoln] wrote to a friend, I know there is a God, and I
know He hates injustice. I see the storm coming and I know His hand is in it. But
if He has a place and a part for me, I belive that I am ready. Now, one hundred
years later, when the issue is still freedom or slavery, we know there is a God and
we know He hates injustice. We see the storm coming, and we know His hand is
in it. But if He has a place and a part for me, I believe that we are ready. JFK
quote
279. It is increasingly clear that no matter which party is in power, so long as our
national security needs keep rising, an economy hampered by restrictive tax rates
will never produce enough jobs or enough profits.Remarks to the Economic Club
of New York, December 1962
280. At a Gridiron Dinner in Washington, Kennedy joked, I have just received the
following telegram from my generous Daddy. It says, Dear Jack: Dont buy a
single vote more than necessary. Ill be dammed if Im going to pay for a
281.
landslide. JFK Quote

There is always inequity in Life. Some men are killed in a war and some men are
wounded, and some men never are stationed in the Antarctic and some men are
stationed in San Francisco. It is very hard in the military or personal life to assure
complete equality. Life is unfair. Some people are sick and others well. Press
Conference March 1962

282. A fellow Democrat introduced Kennedy at a campaign rally in Muskegon,
Michigan, with tremendous enthusiasm, Kennedy began his speech:
283. I want to express my appreciation to the governor. Every time he introduces me
as the potentially greatest president in the history of the Uited States, I always
think perhaps he is overstating it one or two degrees. George Washingon wasnt a
bad president and I do want to say a word for Thomas Jefferson. But, otherwise, I
will accept the compliment.
284. We must think and act not only for the moment but for our time. I am reminded
of the story of the great French Marshall Lyautey, who once asked his gardener to
plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not
reach maturity for a hundred years. The Marshall replied, In that case, there is
no time to lose, plant it this afternoon.Address at the University of California,
Berkley, March 1962
285. In Palmer, Alaska, Kennedy pointed out: I am the first candidate for the
presidency to actively campaign in the state of Alaska. There are three electoral
votes in Alaska. I left Washington, D.C., this morning at eight oclock. I have
come, I figure, about three thousand miles per electoral vote. And if I travel eight
hundred thousand miles in the next two months, we might win this election. JFK
quote
286. I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge,
that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible
exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone. Remarks at dinner honoring
287.
Nobel Prize Winners of the Western Hemisphere White House April 1962
Ladies and gentlemen, I was warned to be out of here in plenty of time to permit
those who are going to the Green Bay Packers game to leave. I dont mind
running against Mr. Nixon, but I have the good sense not to run against the
Green Bay Packers. JFK quote

288. Today every inhabitant of this planet must contemplate that day when this planet
may no longer be habitable. Every man, woman and child lives under the sword
of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any
moment by accident or miscalculation or madness. The weapons of war must be
abolished before they abolish us.Address to the United Nations General
Assembly, September 1961
289. Thanking a Los Angeles crowd for an enthusiastic reception: I appreciate your
welcome. As the cow said to the Maine farmer, Thank you for a warm hand on a
cold morning.
290. My fellow Americans, let us take that first step. Let usstep back from the
shadows of war and seek out the way of peace. And if that journey is a thousand
miles, or even more, let history record that we, in this land, at this time, took the
first step. Radio and Television Address to the American people on the Limited
Test Ban Treaty, July 1963
291. Many claimed that Kennedy lacked the experience that many deemed necessary
for the president. Kennedy often referred to the achievements of his young
predecessors: To exclude from positions of trust and command all those below
the age of forty-four would have kept Jefferson from writing the Declaration of
Independence, Washington from commanding the Continental Army, Madison
from fathering the Constitution, Hamilton from serving as Secretary of the
Treasury, Clay from being elected Speaker of the House and Christopher
Columbus from discovering America. JFK Quote
292. We can help make the world safe for diversity. For in the final analysis, our most
basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the
same air. We all cherish our childrens future. And we are all mortal.
Commencement Address at American University, June 1963
293. Kennedys campaign speeches were often sprinkled with quotes from famous
poets. He sometimes closed a campaign speech with a few lines from a poem by
Robert Frost. While speaking before students at New York University one
evening, Kennedy concluded with lines from FrostsStopping by Woods on a
Snowy Evening But I have promises to keep/And miles to go before I sleep/And
miles to go before I sleep. He then paused and said, And now I go to Brooklyn.
JFK Quote
294. If an American, because the color of his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a
restaurant open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public
schools available, if he cannot vote for those public officials that represent him, if,
in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who
among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his
place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and
delay? Address to the Nation, Civil Rights, June 1963
295. On the presidential coat of arms, the American eagle holds in his right talon the
olive branch, while in his left he holds a bundle of arrows. We intend to give equal
attention to both. JFK Quote
296. What we are seeking, after all, is really very simple. Its merely recognition that
this is one nation and we are all one great people. Our origins may be different
but our destiny is the same, our aspirations are identical. There can be no
artificial distinctions, no arbitrary barriers, in securing these rights. NAACP
Rally, Los Angeles, July 1960
297. Roosevelt fulfilled the role of moral leadership. So did Wilson and Lincoln,
Truman and Jackson and Teddy Roosevelt. They led the people as well as the
government they fought for great ideals as well as bills. JFK Quote
298. We have become more and more not a nation of athletes but a nation of
spectators. Remarks at the national Football Foundation and Hall of Fame
Banquet, December 1961
299. Kennedy was reluctant to give assessments of himself or his presidency,

answering such queries simply: I have a nice home, the office is close by, and the
pay is good. JFK Quote
300. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea whether it is to sail or
to watch it we are going back from whence we came. Remarks in Newport,
Americas Cup, September 1962
301. If anyone is crazy enough to want to kill a president of the United States, he can
do it. All he must be prepared to do is give his life for the presidents.
302. We go into space because whatever mankind must undertake, free men must fully
shareI believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before
this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the
earth. Special Message to the Congress May 1961
303. In his second State of the Union address to Congress on January 11, 1962,
Kennedy said of his administration: The policy of this administration is to give
to the individual the opportunity to realize his own highest possibilities. JFK
Quote
304. We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and
people. For space science like nuclear science and technology, has no conscience
of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill, depends on man, and
whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war.
Address at Rice University, Houston, Texas, September 1962
305. In his third and final State of the Union address in 1963, Kennedy rejoiced in the
nations progress but urged Americans to prepare for the future: In short, both
at home and abroad, there may now be a temptation to relax. For the road has
been long, the burden heavy, and the pace consistently urgent But we cannot be
satisfied to rest here. This is the side of the hill, not the top. The mere absence of
recession is not growth. We have made a beginning but we have only begun.
Now the time has come to make the most of our gains to translate the renewal
of our national strength onto achievement of our natioal purpose.
306. This nation has tossed its cap over the wall of space, and we have no choice but to
follow it.
307. The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie deliberate, contrived and
dishonest but the myth persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. JFK Quote
308. We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign
afraid of its people.
309. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are
310. Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names. JFK Quote
311. If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for
diversity.
312. Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities,
because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be
translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.
313. Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in
vain.
314. The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a
builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.
315. The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along
lines of excellence.
316. Our problems are man-made, therefore they can be solved by man. No problem
of human destiny is beyond human beings. -John F. Kennedy
317. So, let us not be blind to our differences but let us also direct attention to our
The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.
318. There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the
long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.
319. Every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be
treated, as he would wish to have his children treated. Address to the Nation
Civil Rights June 1963
320. We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch.
321. We stand for freedom. That is our conviction for ourselves; that is our only
commitment to others.
322. I look forward to an America which commands respect throughout the world, not
only for its strength, but for its civilization as well. And I look forward to a world
which will be safe not only for democracy and diversity but also for personal
distinction. Importance of the Arts, Amherst College, October 1963
323. When we got into office, the thing that suprised me the most was that things were
as bad as wed been saying they were. JFK Quote
324. The men who create power make an indispensible contribution to the Nations
greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as
indispensible, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they

determine whether we use power or power uses us. Importance of the Arts,
Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, October 1963
325. Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution
inevitable. JFK Quote
326. We have all made mistakes. But Dante tells us that divine justice weighs the sins
of the cold-blooded and the sins of the warm-hearted on different scales. Better
the occasional faults of a party living in the spirit of charity than the consistent
327.
omissions of a party frozen in the ice of its own indifference. JFK Quote
The supreme reality of our time is our indivisibility as children of God and the
common vulnerability of this planet. Address to the Irish Parliament, Dublin,
Ireland, June 1963

328. The world is very different nowand yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which
our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe the belief that the rights
of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.
Inaugural Address, Washington, D.C, January 1961
329. The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.
330. Let us never negotiate out of fear but let us never fear to negotiate.
331. The Chinese use two characters to write the word crisis. One character stands for
danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger but
recognize the opportunity.
332. A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produce but also by the men it
honors, the men it remembers.
333. Acting on our own, by ourselves, we cannot establish justice throughout the
world, but joined with other free nations, we can.assist the developing nations
to throw off the yoke of poverty.
334. When power leads man towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations.
When power narrows the area of mans concern, poetry reminds him of the
richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.
335. I hope that no American.will waste his franchise and throw away his vote by
voting either for me or against me solely on account of my religious affiliation. It
is not relevant.
336. We chose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because
they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize
and measure the best of our skills and talents, because that challenge is one we
are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one we intend to win,
and the others, too.
337. Mr. Speaker, this Congress will adjourn Saturday. It will have considered action
on many matters of varying importance, but it will not have taken any action to
meet the most pressing problem with which this country is now confronted the
severe, ever-growing shortage of housing which faces our veterans and others of
moderate means. The Bureau of Census, in a recent survey, stated that there were
160,000 veterans of World War II in the Boston area in July of 1946. Forty-two
percent of the veterans who were married among this group were living in rented
rooms or doubled up. Their need is drastic. I am going to have to go back to my
district Saturday, a district that sent probably more boys per family into this last
war than any in the country, and when they ask me if I was able to get them
homes, I will have to answer, not a one not a single one. US House of
Representatives, Washington, D.C. July 1947
338. Mr. President, the time has come for the American people to be told the blunt
truth about Indochina to pour money, material and men into the jungles of
Indochina without at least a remote prospect of victory would be futile and selfdestructive. Of course, all discussion of united action assumes the inevitability of
such victory; but such assumptions are not unlike similar predictions of
confidence which have lulled the American people for many years and which, if
contained, would present an improper basis for determining the extent of
American participation. Despite this series of optimistic reports about eventual
victory, every member of the Senate knows that such a victory today appears to
be desperately remote, to say the least, despite tremendous amounts of economic
and material aid from the United States, and despite a deplorable loss of French
Union manpowerI am, frankly, of the belief that no amount of American
military assistance in Indochina can conquer an enemy which is everywhere and
at the same time nowhere, an enemy of the people which has the sympathy and
covert support of the people. United States Senate, Washington, D,C, April 1954
339. Mr. President, the most powerful single force in the world today is neither
communism nor capitalism, neither the H-bomb nor the guided missile it is
mans eternal desire to be free and independent. The great enemy of that
tremendous force of freedom is called, for want of a more precise term,
imperialism and today that means Soviet imperialism and, whether we like it
or not, and though they are not to be equated, Western imperialism. Thus the
single most important test of American foreign policy today is how we meet the
challenge of imperialism, what we do to further mans desire to be free. On this

test more than any other, this nation shall be critically judged by the
uncommitted millions in Asia and Africa, and anxiously watched by the stillhopeful lovers of freedom behind the Iron Curtain. If we fail to meet the
challenge of either Soviet or Western Imperialism, then no amount of foreign aid,
no aggrandizement of armaments, no new pacts or doctrines or high-level
conferences can prevent further setbacks of our course and to our security.
United States Senate, Washington, D.C. July 1957
340. I think the question before the American people is: Are we doing as much as we
can do? Are we as strong as we should be? Are we as strong as we must be if we
are going to maintain our independence and if we are going to maintain and hold
out the hand of friendship to those who look to us for assistance, to those who
look to us for survival? I should make it very clear that I do not think were doing
enough, that I am not satisfied as an American with the progress that we are
making. This is a great country, but I think it could be a greater country, and this
is a powerful country but I think it could be a more powerful country. Im not
satisfied to have 50 percent of our steel mill capacity unused. Im not satisfied
when the United States has last year the lowest rate of economic growth of any
major industrialized society in the world. Im not satisfied when we have over $9
billion worth of food, some of it rotting even though there is a hungry world and
even though four million Americans wait every month for a food package from
the government which averages 5 cents a day per individual. Im not satisfied
when the Soviet Union is turning out twice as many scientists and engineers as
we are. Im not satisfied when many of our teachers are inadequately paid or
when our children go to school on part-time shifts. I think we should have an
educational system second to none.Opening statement First televised
presidential debate, September 1960
341. I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant, nor Jewish
where no public official either requests or accepts public instruction on public
policy from the Pope, the National Coucil of Churches or any other ecclesiastical
source where no religious body seeks to impose its will either directly or
indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials and where
religious liberty is so indivisible that an act agains one church is treated as an act
agains all. For while this year it may be a Catholic against whom the finger of
suspicion is pointed, in other years it has been, and may someday be again, a
Jew,or a Quaker, or a Unitarian, or a Baptist. It was Virginias harassment of
Baptist preachers, for example, that led to Jeffersons Statute of Religious
Freedom. Today, I may be the victim, but tomorrow it may be you, until the
whole fabric of our harmonious society is ripped apart in a time of great national
peril. Greater Houston Ministerial Association, Houston, Texas September 1960
342. Today, every inhabitant of this planet must contemplate the day when this planet
may no longer be habitable. Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear
sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at
any moment by accident or miscalculation or madness. The weapons of war must
343.
be abolished before they abolish us.

Chairman Khrushchev has compared the United States to a worn-out runner
living on its past perfromance and stated that the Soviet Union would outproduce the United States by 1970. Without wishing to trade hyperbole with the
chairman, I do suggest that he reminds me of the tiger hnter who picked a place
on the wall to hang the tigers skin long before he ahs caught the tiger. This tiger
has other ideas.

344. I call on Chairman Khruschchev to halt and eliminate this clandestine, reckless
and provocative threat to world peace and to stablize relations betwqeen our two
nations. I call upon him further to abandon this course of world domination and
to join in an historic effort to end the perilious arms race and to transfoorm the
history of man. He has an opportunity now to move the world back from the
abyss of destruction by returning to his governments own words that it had no
need to sattion missiles outside its own territory, and without drawing these
weapons form Cuba, by refraining from any action which will widen or deepen
the present crisis, and then by participation in a search for peaceful solutions.
345. My fellow citizens: let no one doubt that this is a difficult and dangerous effort on
which we have set out. No one can forsee precisely what course it will take or
what costs or casualities will be incurred. Many months of sacrifice and selfdiscipline lie ahead months in which both our patience and our will will be
teasted months in which many threats and denunciations will keep us aware of
our dangers. But the greatest danger of all would be to do nothingOur goal is
not the victory of might but the vindication of right not peace at the expense of
freedom but both peace and freedom, here in this hemisphere, and, we hope,
around the world. God willing, that goal will be achieved.Televised address on
Cuban missile crisis, Washington, D.C. October 1962
346. Americans are free to disagree with the law but not to disobey it. For a
government of laws and not of men, no man, however pominent and powerful, no
mob, however, unruly or boisterous, is entitled to defy a court of law. If this
country should ever reach the point where any man or group of men, by force or
threat of force, could long defy the commands of our courts and our Constitution,
then no law would stand free from doubt, no judge would be sure of his writ and
no citizen would be safe form his neighbors.Remarks to the nation on the James
Meredith case, September 1962
347. Yesterday, a shaft of light cut into the darkness. Negotiations were concluded in
Moscow on a treaty to ban all nuclear tests in the atmosphere, in outer space and
under waterNow, for the first time in many years, the path to peace may be
open. No one can be certain what the future wil bring. No one can say whether
the time can come for an easing of the struggle. But history and our own
conscience will judge us harsher if we do not now make every effort to test our
hopes by action, and this is the place to begin. According to the ancient Chinese
proverb, A journey of a thousand mile must begin with a single step. My fellow
Americans, let us take that first step. Let us, if we can, step back from the
shadows of war and seek out the way of peace. And if that journey is 1,000 miles,
or even more, let history record that we , in this land, at this time, took the first
step.
348. "Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm." --President
John Kennedy
349. "There is no city in the United States in which I get a warmer welcome and less
votes than Columbus, Ohio." --President John Kennedy
350. "Dante once said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a
period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. President John Kennedy
351. "I know there are some Republicans and some Democrats who say that they have
now developed a wonderful arrangement in Washington. The congress is
Democratic and the President is Republican and nothing happens, and isn't it
wonderful?" President John Kennedy
352. "Khrushchev reminds me of the tiger hunter who has picked a place on the wall to
hang the tiger's skin long before he has caught the tiger. This tiger has other
ideas." President John Kennedy
353. "When we (The Democrats) got into office, the thing that surprised me most was
to find that things were just as bad as we'd been saying they were." President
John Kennedy
354. "You don't fire God." President John Kennedy on his reluctance to replace
Herbert Hoover as FBI director
355. "Sometimes I wish I just had a summer job here." President John Kennedy to
students working in Washington
356. "Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don't want them
to become politicians in the process." President John Kennedy
357. "The day before my inauguration President Eisenhower told me, 'You'll find that
no easy problems ever come to the President of the United States. If they are easy
to solve, somebody else has solved them.'" President John Kennedy
358. Look at that, I have a total fiasco and my poll ratings go up. What am I going to
do to get them up further?" President John Kennedy
359. "The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived, and
dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic." President
John Kennedy
360. "The pay is good and I can walk to work." President John Kennedy
361. "Well, I'm reading more and enjoying it less." President John Kennedy when
asked to comment on the press treatment of his administration
362. Question: "The Republican National Committee recently adopted a resolution
saying you were pretty much of a failure. How do you feel about that?" Kennedy:
"I assume it passed unanimously."
363. "They won because they were effective candidates. But they ran as Democrats.
And I believe that it indicates that the American people believe that the
candidates and parties in those areas, as well as nationally, are committed to
progress. So I am happy, and I suppose some day we will lose and then I'll have to
eat those words." President John Kennedy on Democrats winning gubernatorial
races in New York and New Jersey, November 1961
364. "It has recently been suggested that whether I serve one or two terms in the
presidency, I will find myself at the end of that period at what might be called the
awkward age, too old to begin a new career and too young to write my memoirs."
President John Kennedy in February 1961
365. "Let's not talk so much about vice. I'm against vice in any form."
366. "You know nothing for sure...except the fact that you know nothing for sure."
--President John Kennedy
367. "It was absolutely involuntary. They sank my boat." --President John Kennedy,
answering a little boy on how he became a war hero
368. I do not think it entirely inappropriate to introduce myself to this audience. I am

the man who accompanied Jacqeline Kennedy to Paris, and I have enjoyed it.
President John Kennedy
369. "I see nothing wrong with giving Robert some legal experience as Attorney
General before he goes out to practice law."
370. "For one true measure of a nation is its success in fulfilling the promise of a better
life for each of its members. Let this be the measure of our nation." --"Special
message to the Congress on National Health Needs (65)," February 27, 1962,
Public Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1962.
371. "Our deep spiritual confidence that this nation will survive the perils of today which may well be with us for decades to come - compels us to invest in our
nation's future, to consider and meet our obligations to our children and the
numberless generations that will follow." --"Special message to the Congress on
Conservation (69)," March 1, 1962, Public Papers of the Presidents: John F.
Kennedy, 1962.
372. "I have seen in many places housing which has been developed under
government influences, but I have never seen any projects in which governments
have played their part which have fountains and statues and grass and trees,
which are as important to the concept of the home as the roof itself." --"Remarks
at the Unidad Independencia Housing Project, City of Mexico (269)," June 30,
1962, Public Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1962.
373. "It's only when they join together in a forward movement that this country moves
ahead..." --"Remarks at Los Banos, CA at the Groundbreaking Ceremonies for
the San Luis Dam (337)," August 18, 1962, Public Papers of the Presidents: John
F. Kennedy, 1962.
374. "Our goal is not the victory of might but the vindication of right...not peace at the
expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom, here in this hemisphere, and,
we hope, around the world. God willing, that goal will be achieved." --"Radio and
Television Report to the American People on the Soviet Arms Build-up in Cuba
(485)," October 22, 1962, Public Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy,
1962.
375. "This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor." --"Annual
Message to the Congress on the State of the Union (12)," January 14, 1963, Public
Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1963.
376. "And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world
safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we
all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our
children's future. And we are all mortal." --"Commencement Address at
American University in Washington, D.C. (232)," June 10, 1963, Public Papers of
the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1963.
377. "Rising tide lifts all boats". --"Remarks in Pueblo, Colorado following Approval
of the Frying Pan-Arkansas Project (336)," August 17, 1962, Public Papers of the
Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1962.
378. "The Federal Budget can and should be made an instrument of prosperity and
stability, not a deterrent to recovery." --"Special message to Congress: Program
for Economic Recovery and Growth (17)," February 2, 1961, Public Papers of the
379. "The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining - by filling three basic gaps
in our anti-recession protection." --"Annual Message to the Congress on the
State of the Union (7)," January 11, 1962, Public Papers of the Presidents: John F.
Kennedy, 1962.
380. "It is increasingly clear that no matter what party is in power, so long as our
national security needs keep rising, an economy hampered by restrictive tax rates
will never produce enough jobs or enough profits." --"Address and Question and
Answer Period at the Economic Club of New York (549)," December 14, 1962,
Public Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1962.
381. "If the economy of today were operating close to capacity levels with little
unemployment, or if a sudden change in our military requirements should cause
a scramble for men and resources, then I would oppose tax reductions as
irresponsible and inflationary; and I would not hesitate to recommend a tax
increase if that were necessary." --"Address and Question and Answer Period at
the Economic Club of New York (549)," December 14, 1962, Public Papers of the
382. "Now let me make it clear that I believe there can only be one defense policy for
the United States and that is summed up in the word 'first.' I do not mean first,
but. I do not mean first, when. I do not mean first, if. I mean first --period." -Speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention, Detroit, Michigan, 26
August 1960, "VFW Convention, Detroit, Michigan, 26 August 1960" folder,
Senate Files, box 910, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
383. "Five score years ago the ground on which we here stand shuddered under the
clash of arms and was consecrated for all time by the blood of American
manhood. Abraham Lincoln, in dedicating this great battlefield, has expressed, in
words too eloquent for paraphrase or summary, why this sacrifice was necessary.
Today, we meet not to add to his words nor to amend his sentiment but to
recapture the feeling of awe that comes when contemplating a memorial to so
many who placed their lives at hazard for right, as God gave them to see right.
Among those who fought here were young men who but a short time before were
pursuing truth in the peaceful halls of the then new University of Notre Dame.
Since that time men of Notre Dame have proven, on a hundred battlefields, that
the words, "For God, For Country, and For Notre Dame," are full of meaning. Let
us pray that God may grant us the wisdom to find and to follow a path that will
enable the men of Notre Dame and all of our young men to seek truth in the halls
of study rather than on the field of battle." --"Message from the President on the
Occasion of Field Mass at Gettysburg, June 29, 1963, delivered by John S.
Gleason, Jr.," "June 1963: 1-15" folder, White House Chronological File, box 10,
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
384. History
385. "We celebrate the past to awaken the future". -- Speech at the 25th Anniverary of
the Signing of the Social Security Act, Hyde Park, New York, 14 August 1960,
"25th Anniversary of the Signing of the Social Security Act, Hyde Park, New York,
14 August 1960" folder, Senate Files, box 910, John F. Kennedy Presidential
Library.
386. "A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it
honors, the men it remembers. (439)" --"Remarks at Amherst College upon
receiving an Honorary Degree (439)," October 26, 1963, Public Papers of the
387. Responsibility, Collective
388. "Let us not despair but act. Let us not seek the Republican answer or the
Democratic answer but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the
past - let us accept our own responsibility for the future." --Speech at Loyola
College Alumni Banquet, Baltimore, Maryland, 18 February, 1958, "Loyola
College Alumni Banquet, Baltimore, Maryland, 18 February 1958" folder, Senate
Files, box 899, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
389. "But I think the American people expect more from us than cries of indignation
and attack. The times are too grave, the challenge too urgent, and the stakes too
high to permit the customary passions of political debate. We are not here to
curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through that
darkness to a safe and sane future. As Winston Churchill said on taking office
some twenty years ago: if we open a quarrel between the present and the past, we
shall be in danger of losing the future." --Speech accepting the Democratic
nomination, Los Angeles, California, 14 July 1960, "Democratic Nomination
Acceptance Speech, 14 July 1960" folder, Senate Files, box 910, John F. Kennedy
Presidential Library. (References the Chinese proverb, "it is better to light a
candle than curse the darkness.")
390. "And we must face the fact that the United States is neither omnipotent or
omniscient - that we are only six percent of the world's population - that we
cannot impose our will upon the other ninety-four percent of mankind - that we
cannot right every wrong or reverse each adversity - and that therefore there
cannot be an American solution to every world problem." --"Address in Seattle at
the University of Washington's 100th Anniversary Program (473)," November 16,
1961, Public Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1961.
391. "For I can assure you that we love our country, not for what it was, though it has
always been great -- not for what it is, though of this we are deeply proud -- but
for what it someday can, and, through the efforts of us all, someday will be."
--"Address at a Luncheon Meeting of the National Industrial Conference Board
(33)," February 13, 1961, Public Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1961.
392. "But however close we sometimes seem to that dark and final abyss, let no man of
peace and freedom despair. For he does not stand alone." --"Address to the U.N.
General Assembly (387)," September 25, 1961, Public Papers of the Presidents:
John F. Kennedy, 1961.
393. "Never before has man had such capacity to control his own environment, to end
thirst and hunger, to conquer poverty and disease, to banish illiteracy and
massive human misery. We have the power to make this the best generation of
mankind in the history of the world - or make it the last." --"Address before the
18th General Assembly of the United Nations (366)," September 20, 1963, Public
Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1963.
394. "In seeking the help of the Congress and our countrymen, I pledged no easy
answers. I pledged, and asked, only toil and dedication. These the Congress and
the people have given in good measure."
395. "I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I
think it's because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light
changes, and ships change, it's because we all came from the sea. And it is an
interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same
percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have
salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when
we go back to the sea - whether it is to sail or to watch it - we are going back from
whence we came."
396. "'O God, thy sea is so great and my boat is so small.'
397. "We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and
people. For space science, like nuclear science and technology, has no conscience
of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and
whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war."
--"Address at Rice University in Houston on the Nation's Space Effort (373),"
September 12, 1962, Public Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1962.
398. "We go into space because whatever mankind must undertake, free men must
fully share...I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal,
before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely
to the earth
399. "This nation has tossed its cap over the wall of space, and we have no choice but
to follow it." --"Remarks in San Antonio at the Dedication of the Aerospace
Medical Health Center (472),"
400. "No country can possibly move ahead, no free society can possibly be sustained,
unless it has an educated citizenry whose qualities of mind and heart permit it to
take part in the complicated and increasingly sophisticated decisions that pour
not only upon the President and upon the Congress, but upon all the citizens who
exercise the ultimate power...Quite obviously, there is a higher purpose, and that
is the hope that you will turn to the service of the State the scholarship, the
education, the qualities which society has helped develop in you; that you will
render on the community level, or on the state level, or on the national level, or
the international level a contribution to the maintenance of freedom and peace
and the security of our country and those associated with it in a most critical
time."
401. "This is a great country and requires a good deal of all of us, so I can imagine
nothing more important than for all of you to continue to work in public affairs
and be interested in them, not only to bring up a family, but also give part of your
time to your community, your state, and your country."
402. "I can assure you that there is no career which you will adopt when you leave
college that will bring you a more and greater sense of satisfaction and a greater
feeling of participation in a great effort than will your work here or in your state
or in your community...this generation of Americans - you here who will be in
positions of responsibility for the rest of this century - will deal with the most
difficult, sensitive, and dangerous problems that any society of people has ever
dealt with at any age...
403. The Greeks defined happiness as the full use of your powers along the lines of
excellence, and I can imagine no place where you can use your powers more fully
along lines more excellent in the 1960's than to be in the service of the United
States."
404. "What we seek to advance, what we seek to develop in all of our colleges and
universities, are educated men and women who can bear the burdens of
responsible citizenship, who can make judgments about life as it is, and as it must
be, and encourage the people to make those decisions which can bring not only
prosperity and security, but happiness to the people of the United Sates and those
who depend upon it."
405. "I hope that all of you who are students here will recognize the great opportunity
that lies before you in this decade, and in the decades to come, to be of service to
our country.
406. The Greeks once defined happiness as full use of your powers along lines of
excellence, and I can assure you that there is no area of life where you will have
an opportunity to use whatever powers you have, and to use them along more
excellent lines, bringing ultimately, I think, happiness to you and those whom
you serve
407. "I ask particularly that those of you who are now in school will prepare yourselves
to bear the burden of leadership over the next 40 years here in the United States,
and make sure that the United States - which I believe almost alone has
maintained watch and ward for freedom - that the United States meet its
responsibility. That is a wonderful challenge for us as a people
408. "...I come here today...not just because you are doing well and because you are
outstanding students, but because we expect something of you. And unless in this
free country of ours we are able to demonstrate that we are able to make this
society work and progress, unless we can hope that from you we are going to get
back all of the talents which society has helped develop in you, then, quite
obviously, all the hopes of all of us that freedom will not only endure but prevail,
of course, will be disappointed.
409. A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open
market is a nation that is afraid of its people.-John F. Kennedy
410. A nation which has forgotten the quality of courage which in the past has been
brought to public life is not as likely to insist upon or regard that quality in its
411.
chosen leaders today - and in fact we have forgotten.-John F. Kennedy

A young man who does not have what it takes to perform military service is not
likely to have what it takes to make a living. Today's military rejects include
tomorrow's hard-core unemployed.-John F. Kennedy

412. All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin. And therefore, as a
free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner!"-John F. Kennedy
413. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is
not to utter words, but to live by them.-John F. Kennedy
414. Communism has never come to power in a country that was not disrupted by war
or corruption, or both.-John F. Kennedy
415. Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors.
Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the
ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.-John F. Kennedy
416. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any
price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to
assure the survival and the success of liberty.-John F. Kennedy
torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans - born in this century,
tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace.-John F. Kennedy
418. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.-John F.
Kennedy
419. Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right
answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own
responsibility for the future.-John F. Kennedy
420. Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.-John F. Kennedy
421. Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.-John F.
Kennedy
422. Modern cynics and skeptics... see no harm in paying those to whom they entrust
the minds of their children a smaller wage than is paid to those to whom they
entrust the care of their plumbing.-John F. Kennedy
423. Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don't want them
to become politicians in the process.-John F. Kennedy
424. Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The
human mind is our fundamental resource.-John F. Kennedy
425. Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly
eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.-John F. Kennedy
426. Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is
the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.-John F. Kennedy
427. Politics is like football; if you see daylight, go through the hole.-John F. Kennedy
428. Sure it's a big job; but I don't know anyone who can do it better than I can.-John
F. Kennedy
429. The basic problems facing the world today are not susceptible to a military
solution.-John F. Kennedy
430. The best road to progress is freedom's road.-John F. Kennedy
431. The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one
path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.John F. Kennedy
432. The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final
moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy.-John F.
Kennedy
433. The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of
truth.-John F. Kennedy
434. The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds.
435. The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a
people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and
to secret proceedings.-John F. Kennedy
436. The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to
abolish all forms of human poverty, and all forms of human life.-John F. Kennedy
437. The world knows that America will never start a war. This generation of
Americans has had enough of war and hate... we want to build a world of peace
where the weak are secure and the strong are just.-John F. Kennedy
438. There are many people in the world who really don't understand-or say they
don't-what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world.
Let them come to Berlin!-John F. Kennedy
439. There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks
of comfortable inaction.-John F. Kennedy
440. There is always inequality in life. Some men are killed in a war and some men are
wounded and some men never leave the country. Life is unfair.-John F. Kennedy
441. Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.John F. Kennedy
442. Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.-John F. Kennedy
443. Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution
inevitable.-John F. Kennedy
444. To state the facts frankly is not to despair the future nor indict the past. The
prudent heir takes careful inventory of his legacies and gives a faithful accounting
to those whom he owes an obligation of trust.-John F. Kennedy
445. Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it
condemns the oppression or persecution of others.-John F. Kennedy
446. Too often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.John F. Kennedy
447. Unconditional war can no longer lead to unconditional victory. It can no longer
serve to settle disputes... can no longer be of concern to great powers alone.-John
F. Kennedy
448. We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of
the world or to make it the last.
449. John F. Kennedy
450. We prefer world law in the age of self-determination to world war in the age of
mass extermination.-John F. Kennedy
451. We stand today on the edge of a new frontier - the frontier of the 1960's - a
frontier of unknown opportunities and perils - a frontier of unfulfilled hopes and
threats.-John F. Kennedy
452. We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it.-John F.
Kennedy
453. When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations.
When power narrows the area of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the
richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.
454. When we got into office, the thing that surprised me most was to find that things
were just as bad as we'd been saying they were.-John F. Kennedy
455. Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.-John F. Kennedy
456. War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the
same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today.-John F. Kennedy
457. We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign
afraid of its people.-John F. Kennedy
458. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or
to watch - we are going back from whence we came.-John F. Kennedy
459. We believe that if men have the talent to invent new machines that put men out
of work, they have the talent to put those men back to work.-John F. Kennedy
460. We cannot expect that all nations will adopt like systems, for conformity is the
jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.-John F. Kennedy
461. The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.-John F.
Kennedy
462. The path we have chosen for the present is full of hazards, as all paths are. The
cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path
we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.-John F.
Kennedy
463. The pay is good and I can walk to work.-John F. Kennedy
464. The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose
things that never were.-John F. Kennedy
465. The tax on capital gains directly affects investment decisions, the mobility and
flow of risk capital... the ease or difficulty experienced by new ventures in
obtaining capital, and thereby the strength and potential for growth in the
economy.-John F. Kennedy
466. The United States has to move very fast to even stand still.-John F. Kennedy
467. My brother Bob doesn't want to be in government - he promised Dad he'd go
straight.-John F. Kennedy
468. My father always told me that all businessmen were sons of bitches, but I never
believed it till now.-John F. Kennedy
469. No one has been barred on account of his race from fighting or dying for America,
there are no white or colored signs on the foxholes or graveyards of battle.-John
F. Kennedy
470. Now we have a problem in making our power credible, and Vietnam is the place.
471. Once you say you're going to settle for second, that's what happens to you in life.
472. Our growing softness, our increasing lack of physical fitness, is a menace to our
security.-John F. Kennedy
473. Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the
same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.-John F.
Kennedy
474. Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can
be a s big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.
-John F. Kennedy
475. Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.-John F. Kennedy
476. Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. -John F. Kennedy
477. Do you realize the responsibility I carry? I'm the only person standing between
Richard Nixon and the White House. -John F. Kennedy
478. Domestic policy can only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us. -John F. Kennedy
480. For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who
look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.
481. Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names. -John F. Kennedy
482. Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has
made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. Those whom God has so
joined together, let no man put asunder. -John F. Kennedy
483. History is a relentless master. It has no present, only the past rushing into the
future. To try to hold fast is to be swept aside. -John F. Kennedy
484. We believe that if men have the talent to invent need machines that put men out
of work, they have the talent to put those men back to work.-John F. Kennedy
485. We have come too far, we have sacrificed too much, to disdain the future now.John F. Kennedy
486. Our primary long-range interest in Geneva, however, is general and complete
disarmament -- designed to take place by stages, permitting parallel political
developments to build the new institutions of peace which would take the place of
arms.
487. It is therefore our intention to challenge the Soviet Union, not to an arms race,
but to a peace race- -to advance together step by step, stage by stage, until general
and complete disarmament has been achieved. We invite them now to go beyond
agreement in principle to reach agreement on actual plans.
488. but this administration has failed to recognize, has failed to recognize that in
these changing times, with a revolution of rising expectation sweeping the globe,
the United States has lost its image as a new, strong, vital, revolutionary society.
-John F. Kennedy
489. I believe in an America... where no public official either requests or accepts
instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or
any other ecclesiastical source. -John F. Kennedy
490. In this serious hour in our Nation's history when we are confronted with grave
crises in Berlin and Southeast Asia, when we are devoting our energies to
economic recovery and stability, when we are asking reservists to leave their
homes and their families for months on end and servicemen to risk their lives-and four were killed in the last two days in Viet Nam and asking union members
to hold down their wage requests at a time when restraint and sacrifice are being
asked of every citizen, the American people will find it hard, as I do, to accept a
situation in which a tiny handful of steel executives whose pursuit of private
power and profit exceeds their sense of public responsibility can show such utter
contempt for the interests of 185 million Americans.
491. In short, at a time when they could be exploring how more efficiency and better
prices could be obtained... a few gigantic corporations have decided to increase
prices in ruthless disregard of their public responsibilities.
492. Harry Truman once said there are 14 or 15 million Americans who have the
resources to have representatives in Washington to protect their interests, and
that the interests of the great mass of other people, the hundred and fifty or sixty
million, is the responsibility of the President of the United States. And I propose
to fulfill it.- John F. Kennedy
493. Every accomplishement starts with decision to try. John F. Kennedy
495. "One person can make a difference, and every person should try."- John F.
Kennedy
496. "Things do not happen, things are made to happen." - John F. Kennedy
497. The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of
God.- John F. Kennedy
498. "Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride".-John F. Kennedy
499. Something to remember when stepping out of the box - John F. Kennedy
500. If we are strong, our strength will speak for itself. If we are weak, words will be of
no help.-John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

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John Fitzgerald Kennedy

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JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY

looking for the one worth waking up to. John F. Kennedy

condemns the oppression or persecution of others. John F. Kennedy

long range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. John F. Kennedy

motivation, to make something of themselves. John F. Kennedy

market is a nation that is afraid of its people. John F. Kennedy

for the future. John F. Kennedy

follow his vision wherever it takes him. John F. Kennedy

hands and a clear conscience. John F. Kennedy

are all mortal. John F. Kennedy

therefore there cannot be an American solution to every world problem.

severs the root of art.

sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof

believe they can do it again.

things that never were.

setting out on the essential journey. -John F. Kennedy

honors, the men it remembers. -John F. Kennedy

abolish us. -John F. Kennedy

nature provided it -- the right of future generations to a healthy existence?"

they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal.

lines of excellence. -John F. Kennedy

but recognize the opportunity. -John F. Kennedy

Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.

destiny without giving way to blind suspicions and emotions.

own lives. -John F. Kennedy

stronger each year as we devote ourselves to common tasks.

this responsibility -- I welcome it. -John F. Kennedy

threatened. -John F. Kennedy

they mean by a "Liberal", then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal.

will regard it as truth.

discomfort of thought. -John F. Kennedy

are rich. -John F. Kennedy

endurance without death.

is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.

certain to miss the future.

afraid of its people."

children's future. And we are all mortal.

responsibility for the future.

undramatic the pursuit of peace, that pursuit must go on.

sail or to watch it - we are going back from whence we came.

and we are all mortal.

society, disregarding race or religion or wealth or color

But let us begin.

richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.

dangers and pressures - and that is the basis of all morality.

to watch - we are going back from whence we came.

desire to be free and independent.

as it was to Alexis de Tocqueville in the early part of the nineteenth century.

enmities between nations, as between individuals, do not last forever . . .

represents danger and the other represents opportunity.

to develop our talents.

disease, and war itself.

allowed to go unchecked and unchallenged, ultimately leads to war.

The full use of your powers along lines of excellence.

192. Life's not fair but not always to your disadvantage.

he says that is getting too low. JFK quote

landslide. JFK Quote

Conference March 1962

Green Bay Packers. JFK quote

299. Kennedy was reluctant to give assessments of himself or his presidency,

indispensible, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they

Ireland, June 1963