Timeless Inspiration: The Ultimate Collection of JFK Quotes to Motivate and Empower

"Ask not what your country can do for you… ask what you can do for your country."

- John F. Kennedy

"My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."

- John F. Kennedy

"My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

- John F. Kennedy

"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

- John F. Kennedy

"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."

- John F. Kennedy

"If freedom is to survive and prosper, it will require the sacrifice, the effort and the thoughtful attention of every citizen."

- John F. Kennedy

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

- John F. Kennedy

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

- John F. Kennedy

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

- John F. Kennedy

"If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."

- John F. Kennedy

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

- John F. Kennedy

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade, and do other things. Not because they are easy but because they are hard."

- John F. Kennedy

"What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children--not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women--not merely peace in our time but peace for all time."

- John F. Kennedy

"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."

- John F. Kennedy

"World peace, like community peace, does not require that each man love his neighbour – it requires only that they live together with mutual tolerance, submitting their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement."

- John F. Kennedy

"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."

- John F. Kennedy

"That is the question of the New Frontier. That is the choice our nation must make—a choice that lies not merely between two men or two parties but between the public interest and private comfort—between national greatness and national decline—between the fresh air of progress and the stale, dank atmosphere of 'normalcy'—between determined dedication and creeping mediocrity. All mankind waits upon our decision. A whole world looks to see what we will do. We cannot fail their trust; we cannot fail to try."

- John F. Kennedy

"Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly."

- John F. Kennedy

"I think the American people expect more from us than cries of indignation and attack. The times are too grave, the challenge too urgent, and the stakes too high—to permit the customary passions of political debate. 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

"Those who dare to fail miserably, can achieve greatly."

- John F. Kennedy

"For in a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, 'hold office'; every one 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."

- John F. Kennedy

"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures."

- John F. Kennedy

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

- John F. Kennedy

"Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate."

- John F. Kennedy

"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

"In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility - I welcome it."

- John F. Kennedy

"A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on."

- John F. Kennedy

"The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth."

- John F. Kennedy

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

- 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

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."

- John F. Kennedy

"Things do not happen. Things are made to happen."

- 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

"Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction."

- John F. Kennedy

"For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future."

- John F. Kennedy

"The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were."

- John F. Kennedy

"It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war."

- John F. Kennedy

"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

"Let us not emphasize all on which we differ but all we have in common. Let us consider not what we fear separately but what we share together."

- John F. Kennedy

"United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do—for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder."

- John F. Kennedy

"So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate."

- John F. Kennedy

"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

"I have said that control of arms is a mission that we undertake particularly for our children and our grandchildren and that they have no lobby in Washington."

- John F. Kennedy

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

- John F. Kennedy

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future."

- John F. Kennedy

"For one true measure of a nation is its success in fulfilling the promise of a better life for each of its members. Let this be the measure of our nation."

- John F. Kennedy

"...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."

- John F. Kennedy

"I have pledged myself and my colleagues in the cabinet to a continuous encouragement of initiative, responsibility and energy in serving the public interest. Let every public servant know, whether his post is high or low, that a man's rank and reputation in this Administration will be determined by the size of the job he does, and not by the size of his staff, his office or his budget."

- John F. Kennedy

"In the Chinese language, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters, one representing danger and the other, opportunity."

- John F. Kennedy

"We can say with some assurance that, although children may be the victims of fate, they will not be the victims of our neglect."

- John F. Kennedy

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men."

- John F. Kennedy

"One person can make a difference, and everyone should try."

- John F. Kennedy

"Our problems are man-made; therefore, they may be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings."

- John F. Kennedy

"In giving rights to others which belong to them, we give rights to ourselves and to our country."

- John F. Kennedy

"The great enemy of truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived and dishonest – but the myth – persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the clichés of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."

- John F. Kennedy

"So, let us not be blind to our differences--but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."

- John F. Kennedy

"Surely the opening vistas of space promise high costs and hardships, as well as high reward. So it is not surprising that some would have us stay where we are a little longer to rest, to wait. But this city of Houston, this State of Texas, this country of the United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This country was conquered by those who moved forward--and so will space."

- John F. Kennedy

"The success of this Government, and thus the success of our Nation, depends in the last analysis upon the quality of our career services."

- John F. Kennedy

"Rising tide lifts all boats."

- John F. Kennedy

"To further the appreciation of culture among all the people, to increase respect for the creative individual, to widen participation by all the processes and fulfillments of art; this is one of the fascinating challenges of these days."

- John F. Kennedy

"The one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is unchangeable or certain."

- John F. Kennedy

"I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace and beauty...an America which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft."

- John F. Kennedy

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

- John F. Kennedy

"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."

- John F. Kennedy

"Now let me make it clear that I believe there can only be one defense policy for the United States, and that is summed up in the word 'first.' I do not mean first, but. I do not mean first, when. I do not mean first, if. I mean first—period."

- John F. Kennedy

"Too often in the past, we have thought of the artist as an idler and dilettante and of the lover of arts as somehow sissy and effete. We have done both an injustice. 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 from quick success in order to strip his vision of everything secondary or cheapening. His working life is marked by intense application and intense discipline."

- John F. Kennedy

"The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds."

- John F. Kennedy

"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."

- John F. Kennedy

"The great enemy of truth is very often not the lie--deliberate, contrived and dishonest--but the myth--persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the cliches of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."

- 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

"A wise man once said: "An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.""

- John F. Kennedy

"Mankind must put an end to war - or war will put an end to mankind."

- John F. Kennedy

"A child miseducated is a child lost."

- John F. Kennedy

"When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses."

- John F. Kennedy

"Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."

- John F. Kennedy

"Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings."

- John F. Kennedy

"A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honours, the men it remembers."

- John F. Kennedy

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

- John F. Kennedy

"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."

- John F. Kennedy

"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."

- John F. Kennedy

"The supreme reality of our time is the vulnerability of this planet."

- John F. Kennedy

"We must use time as a tool, not as a couch."

- John F. Kennedy

"I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it is because in addition to the fact that the sea changes and the light changes, and ships change, it is because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it we are going back from whence we came."

- John F. Kennedy

"The unity of freedom has never relied on uniformity of opinion."

- 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

"The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all."

- John F. Kennedy

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

- John F. Kennedy

"The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining."

- John F. Kennedy

"We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us thru that darkness to a safe and sane future."

- John F. Kennedy

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."

- John F. Kennedy

"We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For 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

"Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names."

- John F. Kennedy

"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

"Liberty without Learning is always in peril and Learning without Liberty is always in vain."

- John F. Kennedy

"The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining; by filling three basic gaps in our anti-recession protection."

- John F. Kennedy

"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."

- John F. Kennedy

"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

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

- John F. Kennedy

"Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan."

- John F. Kennedy

"There is always inequality in life. Some men are killed in a war and some men are wounded and some men never leave the country. Life is unfair."

- John F. Kennedy

"The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission."

- John F. Kennedy

"The Federal Budget can and should be made an instrument of prosperity and stability, not a deterrent to recovery."

- John F. Kennedy

"Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan."

- John F. Kennedy

"Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others."

- John F. Kennedy

"The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings."

- John F. Kennedy

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

- John F. Kennedy

"History is a relentless master. It has no present, only the past rushing into the future. To try to hold fast is to be swept aside."

- John F. Kennedy

"When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses."

- John F. Kennedy

"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

"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."

- John F. Kennedy

"I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it's because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, it's because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea - whether it is to sail or to watch it - we are going back from whence we came."

- John F. Kennedy

"[Public] libraries should be open to all—except the censor."

- 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

"Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity."

- John F. Kennedy

"I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute - where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote - where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference - and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the President who might appoint him or the people who might elect him. I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish - where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source - where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials - and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all."

- John F. Kennedy

"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."

- John F. Kennedy

"Communism has never come to power in a country that was not disrupted by war or corruption, or both."

- John F. Kennedy

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

- John F. Kennedy

"Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all."

- John F. Kennedy

"I believe in a president whose religious views are his own private affair, neither imposed by him upon the nation or imposed by the nation upon him as a condition to holding that office."

- John F. Kennedy

"The sun doesn't always shine in West Virginia, but the people do."

- John F. Kennedy

"If anyone is crazy enough to want to kill a president of the United States, he can do it. All he must be prepared to do is give his life for the president's."

- John F. Kennedy

"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

"Do you realize the responsibility I carry? I'm the only person standing between Richard Nixon and the White House."

- John F. Kennedy

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

- John F. Kennedy

"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came."

- John F. Kennedy

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