John F. Kennedy quotes page 1

1917-1963, 35th President of the United States

We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.
John F. Kennedy

Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind.
John F. Kennedy

Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.
John F. Kennedy

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.
John F. Kennedy

Once you say you're going to settle for second, that's what happens to you.
John F. Kennedy

And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can
do for your country.
John F. Kennedy

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

The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.
John F. Kennedy

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

The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who
builds best when called upon to build greatly.
John F. Kennedy

A child miseducated is a child lost.
John F. Kennedy

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

But peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds
of all people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us strive to
build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in the hearts and minds of all
of our people. I believe that we can. I believe the problems of human destiny are not beyond
the reach of human beings.
John F. Kennedy

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

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

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

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.
John F. Kennedy

Great crisis produce great men and great deeds of courage.
John F. Kennedy

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.
John F. Kennedy

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

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest,
but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
John F. Kennedy

A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.
John F. Kennedy

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
John F. Kennedy

No matter how big the lie - repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as the truth.
John F. Kennedy

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
John F. Kennedy

Art is the great democrat, calling forth creative genius from every sector of society,
disregarding race or religion or wealth or color.
John F. Kennedy

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