John F. Kennedy Quotes
Famous JFK Quotes
As the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy has been one of the U.S.’s most popular presidents. We often wonder what the rest of his term in office would have been like if he had not been assassinated in 1963. He was a great orator and is known for his many speeches. John F. Kennedy quotes can be heard inside political offices as well as in suburban homes. Some of the most famous JFK quotes came about during the Cuban Missile Crisis and Kennedy’s dedication to NASA and the space program. Here are some John F. Kennedy quotes that cover his life before and during his presidency.
"When we got into office, the one thing that surprised me most was to find that things were just as bad as we'd been saying they were."
"Every American ought to have the right to be treated; as he would like to be treated, as one would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated."
"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."
"The voters selected us, in short, because they had confidence in our judgement and our ability to excercise that judgement from a position where we could determine what were their own best interest, as a part of the nation's interest."
"With all of the history of war, and the human race's history unfortunately has been a good deal more war than peace, with nuclear weapons distributed all through the world, and available, and the strong reluctance of any people to accept defeat, I see the possibility in the 1970's of the President of the United States having to face a world in which 15 or 20 or 25 nations may have these weapons."
"I call upon Chairman Khrushchev to halt and eliminate this clandestine, reckless, and provocative threat to world peace... He has an opportunity now to move the world back from the abyss of destruction"
"Two years ago, I introduced myself in Paris by saying that I was the man who had accompanied Mrs. Kennedy to Paris"
"If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him."
"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."
"My fellow Americans, let us take that first step. Let us...step back from the shadow 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."
"All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."
"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
"I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace and beauty."
"The New Frontier of which I speak 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 intend to ask of them."
"If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place in which to live."
"Liberty without learning is always in peril, and learning without liberty is always in vain."
"Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all."
"We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth."
"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 they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a ‘Liberal.’"
"...I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit."
"It may be different elsewhere. But democratic society- in it, the highest duty of the writer, the composer, the artist is to remain true to himself and to let the chips fall where they may."
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
"Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names."
"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future."
"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 all — except 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 is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty."
"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future."
"And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
"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 enough — more than enough — of 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 also 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."
"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth."
"The Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress."
"I can assure you that every degree of mind and spirit that I possess will be devoted to the long-range interests of the United States and to the cause of freedom around the world."
"We can say with some assurance that, although children may be the victims of fate, they will not be the victims of our neglect."
"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."
"A child miseducated is a child lost."
"Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind."
"Without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget those acts of courage with which men...have lived. 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."
"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."
"War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today."
"A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on."
"If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich."
"Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free."
"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."
"In short, we must face problems which do not lend themselves to easy or quick or permanent solutions."
"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."
"A revolution is coming - a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough - but a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character, we cannot alter its inevitability."
"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."
It is clear through John F. Kennedy quotes that he was a visionary who cared for his country. More than almost any other president, his famous JFK quotes showed a deep appreciation for advancement and peace. John F. Kennedy quotes are some of the best words of wisdom to follow in business, politics, and life.