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John F. Kennedy Quotes - Page 2

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Too often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.

Too often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.

John F. Kennedy
Wisdom, Thinking, Government
Yale University Commencement Address, delivered 11 June 1962

Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.

John F. Kennedy
Funny, Forgiveness, Witty
John F. Kennedy, Dominique Enright (2003). “The Wicked Wit of John F. Kennedy”, Michael O'Mara Books

The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.

John F. Kennedy
Patriotic, Godly, Men
Inaugural Address, delivered 20 January 1961

Israel was not created in order to disappear - Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and the home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honors the sword of freedom.

John F. Kennedy
Children, Adversity, Home

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.

John F. Kennedy
Inspirational, Life, Change
Kennedy, John F. (1964). “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1963”, p.517, Best Books on

A tax cut means higher family income and higher business profits and a balanced federal budget.

John F. Kennedy
Home, Mean, Cutting
"Radio and Television Address to the Nation on the Test Ban Treaty and the Tax Reduction Bill". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. September 18, 1963.

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

John F. Kennedy
Mean, Army, Night
Address to the American Newspaper Publishers, delivered 27 April 1961, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York

Our task is not to fix blame for the past, but to fix the course for the future.

John F. Kennedy
Future, Healing, Past

By calling attention to 'a well regulated militia,' 'the security of the nation,' and the right of each citizen 'to keep and bear arms,' our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy... The Second Amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic civilian-military relationships in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason I believe the Second Amendment will always be important.

John F. Kennedy
Country, Father, Military

There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.

John F. Kennedy
Motivational, Leadership, Freedom

If we are strong, our strength will speak for itself. If we are weak, words will be of no help.

John F. Kennedy
Strength, Strong, Communication
Undelivered Speech to the Dallas Citizens Council, delivered 22 November 1963, Trade Mart, Dallas, Texas

Without debate, without criticism no administration and no country can succeed and no republic can survive.

John F. Kennedy
Country, Government, President
Address to the American Newspaper Publishers, delivered 27 April 1961, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York

Hold fast to the best of the past and move fast to the best of the future.

John F. Kennedy
Moving, Past, Hold Fast
Vanderbilt University 90th Anniversary Convocation Address, delivered 18 May 1963, Vanderbilt University Stadium, Nashville Tennessee

The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.

John F. Kennedy
Freedom, Men, Rights
1963 On sending national guardsmen to ensure peaceful integration at the University of Alabama. Address to the nation, 11 Jun.

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 that 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 that I'm a "Liberal."

John F. Kennedy
Jobs, Believe, School
John F. Kennedy's Address upon Accepting the Liberal Party Nomination for President, New York, New York, www.jfklibrary.org. September 14, 1960.

No responsibility of government is more fundamental than the responsibility of maintaining the highest standard of ethical behavior for those who conduct the public business.

John F. Kennedy
Responsibility, Government, Political
Kennedy, John F. (1962). “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1961”, p.326, Best Books on

The state is the servant of the citizen, and not his master.

John F. Kennedy
Class, Citizens, States
Kennedy, John F. (1963). “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1962”, p.9, Best Books on

The world was not meant to be a prison in which man awaits his execution.

John F. Kennedy
Men, Were Not Meant To Be, World
Kennedy, John F. (1963). “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1962”, p.11, Best Books on

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.

John F. Kennedy
Inspirational, Positivity, Light
Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech, en.wikisource.org. July 15, 1960.

A boy spends his time finding a girl to sleep with. A real man spends his time looking for the one worth waking up to.

John F. Kennedy
Girl, Real, Sleep

Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.

John F. Kennedy
Inspirational, Being Yourself, Freedom
Biography/Personal Quotes, www.imdb.com.

Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.

John F. Kennedy
Inspirational, Peace, Strong

History will never accept difficulties as an excuse.

John F. Kennedy
Leadership, Acceptance, Historical

If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

John F. Kennedy
Inspirational, Success, Helping Others
Inaugural Address, 20 Jan. 1961

This is not a time to keep the facts from the people-to keep them complacent. To sound the alarm is not to panic but to seek action from an aroused public. For, as the poet Dante once said: 'The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.

John F. Kennedy
People, Neutrality, Panic
Speech, Tulsa, Okla., 16 Sept. 1959 (printed in John F. Kennedy, The Strategy of Peace, ed. Allan Nevins [1960]).