Top 500 John F. Kennedy Quotes (2023 Update)
Page 5 of 10

201. “The American Labor Movement has consistently demonstrated its devotion to the public interest. It is, and has been, good for all America.”

— John F. Kennedy

202. “History will never accept difficulties as an excuse.”

— John F. Kennedy

203. “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.”

— John F. Kennedy

204. “Forbidden fruit tastes sweet, but its aftertaste is bitter.”

— John F. Kennedy

205. “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

206. “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

207. “A life of complete leisure is the hardest work of all.”

— John F. Kennedy

208. “No one gains from fair employment law and legislation if there is no employment to be had.”

— John F. Kennedy

209. “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

210. “A committee is twelve men doing the work of one.”

— John F. Kennedy

211. “Foreign aid is a method by which the United States maintains a position of influence and control around the world.”

— John F. Kennedy

212. “We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.”

— John F. Kennedy

213. “Jika politik itu kotor, puisi akan membersihkannya. Jika politik bengkok, sastra akan meluruskannya.”

— John F. Kennedy

214. “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.”

— John F. Kennedy

215. “Bullfight critics row on row Fill the enormous Plaza de toros But only one is there who knows And he is the one who fights the bull.”

— John F. Kennedy

216. “The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us.”

— John F. Kennedy

217. “The problem of power is how to achieve its responsible use rather than its irresponsible and indulgent use; of how to get men of power to live for the public rather than off the public.”

— John F. Kennedy

218. “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

219. “Diplomacy and defense are not substitutes for one another. Either alone would fail.”

— John F. Kennedy

220. “We don’t want to be like the leader in the French Revolution who said There go my people, I must find out where they are going so I can lead them.”

— John F. Kennedy

221. “Our growing softness, our increasing lack of physical fitness, is a menace to our security.”

— John F. Kennedy

222. “Any danger spot is tenable if men, brave men, will make it so.”

— John F. Kennedy

223. “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.”

— John F. Kennedy

224. “It might be said now that I have the best of both worlds. A Harvard education and a Yale degree.”

— John F. Kennedy

225. “A child miseducated is a child lost.”

— John F. Kennedy

226. “For plague and pestilence, plunder and pollution, the hazards of nature and the hunger of children are the foes of every nation. The earth, the sea and the air are the concern of every nation.”

— John F. Kennedy

227. “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.”

— John F. Kennedy

228. “Since the time of the ancient Greeks, we have felt that there was a close relationship between a strong vital mind and physical fitness.”

— John F. Kennedy

229. “It is insane that two men, sitting on opposite sides of the world, should be able to decide to bring an end to civilization.”

— John F. Kennedy

230. “Our goal is not 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.”

— John F. Kennedy

231. “Political sovereignty is but a mockery without the means of meeting poverty and illiteracy and disease. Self-determination is but a slogan if the future holds no hope.”

— John F. Kennedy

232. “Be aware of danger-but recognize the opportunity.”

— John F. Kennedy

233. “Peace is a process, a way of solving problems.”

— John F. Kennedy

234. “A great change is at hand, and our task, our obligation, is to make that revolution, that change, peaceful and constructive for all.”

— John F. Kennedy

235. “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

236. “There can be no progress if people have no faith in tomorrow.”

— John F. Kennedy

237. “We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.”

— John F. Kennedy

238. “In that case, there is no time to lose. Plant it this afternoon!”

— John F. Kennedy

239. “We stand for freedom. That is our conviction for ourselves; that is our only commitment to others.”

— John F. Kennedy

240. “Sailing has given me some of the most pleasant and exciting moments of my life. It also has taught me something of the courage, resourcefulness, and strength of men who sail the seas in ships.”

— John F. Kennedy

241. “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

242. “We live in a hemisphere whose own revolution has given birth to the most powerful force of the modern age; the search for freedom and self fulfillment of man.”

— John F. Kennedy

243. “The very word Secrecy is repugnant in a free and open society.”

— John F. Kennedy

244. “There is too little public recognition of how much we all depend upon farmers as stewards of our soil, water and wildlife resources.”

— John F. Kennedy

245. “The Civil Rights movement should thank God for Bull Connor. He’s helped it as much as Abraham Lincoln.”

— John F. Kennedy

246. “The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring this endeavor will light our bounty and all who serve it, and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.”

— John F. Kennedy

247. “If I don’t have a woman every three days or so I get a terrible headache.”

— John F. Kennedy

248. “The war against hunger is truly mankind’s war of liberation.”

— John F. Kennedy

249. “What’s the use of being Irish if the world doesn’t break your heart?”

— John F. Kennedy

250. “The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in this race for space.”

— John F. Kennedy