A tribute, through his most famous quotes and reflections, to John F. Kennedy, who would become, in 1960, the thirty-fifth president of the United States.
- We recommend you read: “The 75 best quotes of Richard Nixon”
Great quotes from John F. Kennedy
To remember his achievements and his life, we have brought, in this article, the 90 best quotes from John F. Kennedy.
1. Man has to establish an end to war. If not, war will set an end for humanity.
Wars offer no effective solution.
2. Children are the world’s most important resource and the best hope for the future.
This is why education and the formation of values in children is important.
3. It must be possible, in the short term, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being an American regardless of race or color.
A proposal that is still being fought for.
4. The future is not a gift, it is a conquest.
The future is what you decide it to be.
5. Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.
Forgiving does not mean letting your guard down.
6. An intelligent man is one who knows how to be smart enough to hire people smarter than him.
Do not deny the lessons of those who have more experience than you.
7. Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.
You will never get where you want if you stay in your comfort zone.
8. When a politician does not love the public good or respect himself, or when his self-respect is limited to the benefits of office, then the public interest is poorly served.
Every politician must be devoted to the good of the people.
9. The supreme reality of our time is the vulnerability of this planet.
A reality that is still latent today.
10. Let’s not try to fix the guilt of the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.
It is useless to continue lamenting yesterday, the best thing is to move forward.
11. I became a man in a very strict home in which no one was allowed to roam their respects.
Respect should be essential for everyone.
12. In Boston we have an old proverb to the effect that we go to Rome for our religion and organize our politics at home.
An interesting proverb from his land.
13. The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but no less magnificent is a mixture of triumph and tragedy.
Courage is necessary to face difficulties.
14. Change is the law of life. And those who only look to the past or the present will surely miss the future.
No one advances without adapting to changes.
15. Unconditional war no longer leads to unconditional victory.
Only peace leads to total victory.
16.In the past, those who madly sought power by riding on the back of a tiger ended up inside it.
Those who are mad with power.
17. In the short term, every American should have the right to be treated as they would like to be treated, as one would like their children to be treated.
Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.
18. If a free society cannot help its many poor, it will not be able to save its few rich either.
A society should help everyone equally.
19. In politics it is like in mathematics: everything that is not totally correct is wrong.
A great reflection on the role of politics.
20. Democracy is a superior form of government, because it is based on respect for man as a rational being.
Democracy, as long as it is respected, is perhaps the best way to govern.
21. We chose to go to the Moon in this decade not because it is easy, but because it is difficult…
One of his biggest dreams that later came true.
22. Now, North America will be the most powerful power in the world. The big problem is how to preserve its strength and, at the same time, its traditions of individual freedom.
A great nation must remain humble.
23. We must use time as a tool, not as a sofa.
Talking about taking advantage of time instead of procrastinating.
24. There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-term risks of comfortable inaction.
Even if it’s complicated and there are risks, it’s better to act now than to let things get worse.
25. To love reading is to exchange hours of boredom for hours of ineffable and delicious company.
Reading is an excellent company.
26. If we cannot put an end to our differences, let us help make the world a fit place for them.
Our differences should not drive us apart.
27. What kind of peace do we seek? I speak of true peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that allows men and nations to grow, hope and build a better life for their children.
Not everyone is after the same kind of peace.
28. The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth.
Education should always be a means to advancement.
29. The human mind is our fundamental resource.
It is our mind that drives us to discover new things.
30. We need men who can dream things that have never existed.
Even the most unusual things can have their place in the world.
31. Any system of government works when everything is going well. But it is the system that works in times of trouble that survives.
The things that really work are those that stand out in the most chaotic moments.
32. I do not believe that there is any conflict between being a Catholic and the need to comply with the duties imposed on us by the Constitution.
Religion is not an impediment to respect our country.
33. A nation is known by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors.
A beautiful reflection on the role of countries.
34. Difficulty is an excuse that history never accepts.
It is normal to decay in the face of difficulties, but it is not normal to stay stuck in it.
35. Things don’t happen. Things are made to happen.
Nothing happens by chance.
36. Tolerance does not imply a lack of commitment to one’s beliefs. Rather, it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.
Having a good attitude does not mean putting aside our responsibilities.
37. In a moment of internal crisis, men of goodwill and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics.
Our differences should not prevent us from working together.
38. When power leads a man to arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations.
Art reminds us of our humanity.
39. You can fool everyone a short time, you can fool some all the time, but you can’t fool everyone all the time.
Lies always come to light.
40. Internal politics can only defeat us; Foreign policy can kill us.
It is important to maintain good relations in politics.
41. Frankly stating the facts is not to despair of the future or to accuse the past.
We cannot remain blind to the facts.
42. Peace is a daily, weekly and monthly process, gradually changing minds, slowly eroding old barriers and quietly building new structures.
Peace is about every good deed we do every day.
43. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we will pay any price, bear any burden, face any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to ensure the survival and success of liberty.
When we have security, no obstacle is impossible.
44. Political freedom is the precondition for economic development and social change.
Politics is important for the survival of a nation.
45. Let us never negotiate in fear, but never be afraid to negotiate.
Let us never let fear control us.
46. I do not say that all men are equal in their ability, character, or motivations, but I do assert that they should be equal in their opportunity to develop their character, motivation, and abilities.
This is the kind of equality that really matters and for which we have to fight.
47. The more our knowledge increases, the more our ignorance develops.
There will always be things we don’t know.
48. Our progress as a nation cannot be faster than our progress in education.
For Kennedy, education is an essential pillar in a country.
49. Anyone would wake up if their house was on fire. What we need is an armed guard who wakes up at the first shot or, better yet, doesn’t allow any shots to be fired.
It is always necessary to know how to defend yourself, but the priority should be to keep your weapons.
50. The time to repair the roof is when the Sun is shining.
A metaphor that refers to the fact that you don’t have to let things get worse to act.
51. The Chinese use two brushstrokes to write the word crisis. A brushstroke means danger the other opportunity. In a crisis he becomes aware of the danger but recognizes the opportunity.
In every difficulty there is a form of resolution.
52. Don’t ask yourself what your country can do for you, ask yourself what you can do for your country.
It is our actions that build a country.
53. Those who make a peaceful evolution impossible will make a violent revolution inevitable.
Revolutions arise when peace is not achieved by any means.
54. We do not all have the same talent, but we do have the same opportunities to develop our talents.
Opportunities always present themselves, regardless of our talent.
55. Our unfulfilled task is to demonstrate that man’s unfulfilled aspiration for economic progress and social justice can best be achieved if human beings work within the framework of democratic institutions.
Defending democracy.
56. A poorly educated child is a lost child.
Education defines a person’s good future.
57. Let word of this time and place spread, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has passed to a new generation of Americans, born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace .
Fragment of one of his powerful speeches.
58. Man remains the most extraordinary computer of all.
There is nothing that can replace human ability.
59. The peace of the world does not require every man to love his neighbor; only that both live together, tolerating each other, submitting their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement.
It’s about finding a way to respect each other and live together.
60. No government is better than the men who make it up.
It is men who build a government.
61. Being brave does not require exceptional qualities. It is an opportunity that is offered to everyone. Politicians specially.
Courage is the conquest over fear.
62. Freedom without education is always a danger; Education without freedom is vain.
Freedom and education go hand in hand.
63. Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. The economy has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. Those whom God has joined in this way, let no man separate.
A powerful message about togetherness.
64. Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.
You always have to have a plan to follow.
65. All mothers want their children to grow up to be president, but they don’t want them to become politicians in the process.
Politics can corrupt people’s hearts.
66. A man does what he must -regardless of personal consequences, obstacles, pressures or dangers-, and this is the foundation of all human morality.
Morality is part of society.
67. Regardless of whether they are young in spirit or young in age, the members of the democratic party must never lose that youthful spirit for new ideas and for a better world, which is what has made us great.
It is that youthful spirit that encourages us to move forward.
68. Communism has never come to power in a country that was not interrupted by war or corruption, or both.
His opinion on consumerism.
69. History is a relentless master. It has no present, only the past rushes into the future. To try to retain is to be set aside.
History is always there to teach us something.
70. War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the military has today.
The end of the war according to Kenedy.
71. I am an idealist without illusions.
Idealism is a great virtue.
72. The very word “secret” is repugnant in a free and open society.
A secret can lead a nation to ruin.
73. We cannot negotiate with those who say, “what is mine is mine and what is yours is negotiable.
Negotiations must favor all parties involved.
74. Politics is like football; if you see daylight, go through the hole.
An interesting metaphor.
75. We are tied to the ocean. And when we return to the sea, whether to sail or to watch, we will return to where we came from.
The former president shows here his love for the sea.
76. Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve a lot.
If you are not afraid of failure, then you will not be afraid of success either.
77. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.
No one can be held responsible for our actions more than ourselves.
78. Our problems are man-made; therefore, they can be solved by man.
Only we have the ability to solve our problems.
79. If there were more politicians who knew poetry and more poets who understood politics, the world would be a slightly better place to live in.
We should all learn about politics.
80. The most basic bond we have in common is that we all live on this small planet.
We are all citizens of the world.
81. The only immutable certainty is that nothing is immutable or certain.
We cannot control everything in this world.
82. The great enemy of the truth is often not the lie, deliberate, artificial and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
The real enemy of truth, according to Kennedy.
83. The wickedness of many is not in what they say about their cause, but in what they say about their contradictions.
Actions are those that speak well or badly of us.
84. We all breathe the same air, we all value our children’s future, and we are all mortal.
We all have the same desires.
85. The greatness of a man is directly related to the evidence of his moral strength.
It is values that make us good people.
86. A man can die, nations can rise and fall, but an idea is still alive.
Ideas are what overcome the time gap.
87. Let’s not look for the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the correct answer.
The political inclination does not matter, but doing good.
88. We are not committed to any inflexible formula. Nor are we looking for perfect solutions. We are not dogmatic because we are liberal.
It is impossible to be rigid in politics.
89. Dante said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of moral crisis maintain their neutrality.
It is at critical moments that our courage is tested.
90. Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.
Reflections on victories and defeats.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.