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.

More quotes by John F. Kennedy

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

- John F. Kennedy

Responsibility

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."

- John F. Kennedy

Leadership

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

- John F. Kennedy

Leadership

"Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past and present are certain to miss the future"

- John F. Kennedy

Change

"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

Change

More Hope Quotes

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"Happiness is possible even in the midst of darkness."

- Beauty and the Beast

Hope

"No one is beyond redemption."

- Beauty and the Beast

Hope

"You will … hear us declare with Moroni that hope is essential if we are to ‘receive [the] inheritance [God] hast prepared [for us]’ [Ether 12:32]. We want you to claim that inheritance as sons and daughters of a king. To do that, we must realize that hope is not just the message and manner of the naturally optimistic; it is the privilege of everyone who believes."

- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Hope

"Keep a little fire burning; however small, however hidden."

- Cormac McCarthy

Hope

"Light tomorrow with today."

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Hope