John Fitzgerald Kennedy Quotes

A collection of quotes by John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, also known as JFK, was an influential politician who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his untimely assassination in November 1963. Born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts, Kennedy hailed from a wealthy and politically prominent family. He graduated from Harvard University in 1940 and later joined the Navy during World War II, earning a Purple Heart and other commendations for his bravery.

After his military service, Kennedy embarked on a political career, winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1946. In 1952, he successfully ran for the U.S. Senate and subsequently gained national attention for his eloquence and charisma. In 1960, Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon in a closely contested presidential election, becoming the youngest person (at age 43) and the first Catholic to hold the presidency.

During his presidency, Kennedy faced significant challenges and addressed several critical issues, such as the Cold War, civil rights, and space exploration. He famously announced the ambitious goal of landing humans on the moon before the end of the 1960s, setting in motion the Apollo program that eventually achieved this feat in 1969.

Tragically, Kennedy's life was cut short on November 22, 1963, when he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. His assassination sent shockwaves throughout the nation and the world, leaving a lasting impact on American society. Despite his brief tenure, JFK's youthful vigor, charisma, and idealism continue to make him an enduring figure in American history.

When power leads man towards arrogance, poetry reminds him o

When power leads man towards 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 Fitzgerald Kennedy


... ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you c

... ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shinning.

The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shinning.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe s

To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required, not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


Let us never negotiate out of fear but let us never fear to

Let us never negotiate out of fear but let us never fear to negotiate.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


Written in Chinese, the word crisis, is composed of two char

Written in Chinese, the word crisis, is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represent opportunity.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


There is always inequity in life. Some men are killed in a w

There is always inequity in life. Some men are killed in a war, and some men are wounded, and some men are stationed in the Antarctic and some are stationed in San Francisco. It's very hard in military or personal life to assure complete equality. Life

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignoran

The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


My brother Bob doesn't want to be in government -- he promis

My brother Bob doesn't want to be in government -- he promised Dad he'd go straight.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


We prefer world law, in the age of self-determination, to wo

We prefer world law, in the age of self-determination, to world war in the age of mass extermination.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


If anyone is crazy enough to want to kill a president of the

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 Fitzgerald Kennedy


I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent,

I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring this ende

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 Fitzgerald Kennedy


When we got into office, the thing that surprised me most wa

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 Fitzgerald Kennedy


Don't buy a single vote more than necessary. I'll be damned

Don't buy a single vote more than necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


Every society gets the kind of criminal it deserves. What is

Every society gets the kind of criminal it deserves. What is also true is that every community gets the kind of law enforcement it insists on.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than

The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of the final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


When written in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two

When written in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two characters -- one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


It might be said now that I have the best of both worlds: a

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

John Fitzgerald Kennedy


If scientific discovery has not been an unalloyed blessing,

If scientific discovery has not been an unalloyed blessing, if it has conferred on mankind the power not only to create but also to annihilate, it has at the same time provided humanity with a supreme challenge and a supreme testing

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Science Discovery Testing