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. (Address Harvard 1956)
If we are strong, our strength will speak for itself. If we are weak, words will be of no help.
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 nation’s purpose – and it is the test of the quality of a nation’s civilization. (Inscribed at the JFK Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C.)
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.
The life of the artist is, in relation to his work, stern and lonely. He has labored hard, often amid deprivation, 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.
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.
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 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 men…have 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)
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 Congress on Conservation 1962)
We have not fully recognized the difficulty facing a politician conscientiously desiring, in [Daniel] Webster’s words, ‘to push [his] skiff from the shore alone’ into a hostile and turbulent sea. (Profiles in Courage 1955)
Several nights ago, I dreamed that the good Lord touched me on the shoulder and said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be the Democratic presidential nominee in 1960. What’s more, you’ll 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, ‘That’s funny. For the life of me, I can’t remember tapping either one of you two boys for the job.”
The stories of past courage…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. (Profiles in Courage 1956)
Can a nation organized and governed such as ours 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 men’s minds?
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.
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.
Victory has 100 fathers and defeat is an orphan. (Press Conference April 1961 – Bay of Pigs)
Mr. Nixon in the last seven days has called [me a] mean economic ignoramus, a Pied Piper, and all the rest. I’ve just confined myself to calling him a Republican, but he says that is getting too low.
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)
“Abraham Lincoln once said, ’One who has the heart to help has the right to criticize.’ We are going to help.”
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)
I think we have to revitalize our society. I think we have to demonstrate to the people of the world that we’re 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.
The true democracy, living and growing and inspiring, puts its faith in the people – faith that the people will not simply elect men who will represent their views ably and faithfully, but will also elect men who will exercise their conscientious judgment – faith that the people will not condemn those whose devotion to principle leads them to unpopular courses, but will reward courage, respect honor, and ultimately recognize right.
1964 Memorial Edition of Profiles in Courage, p. 264
For in a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, ‘hold office’; everyone 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.
1964 Memorial Edition of Profiles in Courage, p. 265
For without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget those acts of courage with which men – such as the subjects of this book – 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. 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. In whatever area in life one may meet the challenges of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience – the loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men – each man must decide for himself the course he will follow. 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.
1964 Memorial Edition of Profiles in Courage, p. 266
And only the very courageous will be able to keep alive the spirit of individualism and dissent which gave birth to this nation, nourished it as an infant, and carried it through its severest tests upon the attainment of its maturity. Profiles in Courage (1956), p. 17
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.
“Loyola College Alumni Banquet, Baltimore, Maryland, February 18, 1958,” box 899, Senate Speech Files, John F. Kennedy Papers, Pre-Presidential Papers, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
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 — but recognize the opportunity.
Speech in Indianapolis, Indiana on 12 April 1959.
