60+ John F. Kennedy Quotes On Politics and Freedom (2024)

John F. Kennedy was the35thPresident of the United States from 1961-1963. He was the youngestmanelected to office and the youngestpresidentin history to die while in office. As a representative of the Democratic party, JFK was an advocate for the nation’s people. He was beloved and admired by (most of) theAmericanpeople.Here are some of the best John F. Kennedy quotes to show what kind of political leader he was:

JFK’s Political Career

Born in 1914 in Massachusetts, John Fitzgerald Kennedy grew up in a competitive and religious family. He served in the navy and had plans to pursue a career in journalism or academia. However, when his brother died in the war, his father put political pressure on him.

JFK then ran for Congress in 1946, and in the Democratic primary, he received nearly double the votes of his Republican opponent. He served three terms in the House of Representatives (1947-1953) as a liberal. During this time, he advocated for better working conditions, higher wages, cheaper rent, and more social security for the elderly.

President Kennedy was a supporter of theCold Warpolicies,theTruman Doctrine, and theMarshall Plan. He was an advocate for labor reform, foreign aid in Africa and Asia, the electoral college abolishment, and theCivil Rightslegislation. He struggled with foreign affairs, specifically with both theSoviet UnionandtheCuban missile crisiswith Fidel Castro. JFK wanted to stop the spread of communism, but, unfortunately, this caused an escalation in theVietnam War.

When he grew tired of “playing it safe” in the House of Representatives, he ran for the U.S. Senate. He had many people campaigning for him, and his electoral appeal enhanced when he married the beautiful and beloved Jackie Lee Bouvier. In 1961, JFK became the youngest and the first Roman Catholic ever elected aspresident. He was a well-likedmanand was looked at as one of the country’s best political figures, with his legendary wife, Jackie Kennedy. It wasn’t until after his death that his two major projects were passed: the income tax cuts and thecivil rightspursuit.

JFK: The Infamous End

President Kennedyfought a lot of physical pain in hislife. Along with suffering from Addison Disease, he also suffered a back injury in the war when a Japanese destroyer sank his torpedo boat. He brought this pain with amphetamines, and he quickly became dependent on them.

Then, on November 22, 1963, he and his wife Jackie were in an open limo riding through downtown Dallas. It was then that a 24-year-old named Lee Harvey Oswald shot andkilled President Kennedy. His assassination sparked a lot of controversies, speculation, and theories even still to this day.

After her husband’s death, Jackie Kennedy sought to change things around the White House. She wanted to preserve the decorative arts, make the rooms reflect the architectural history, and transform it into a showcase for cultural achievements.

President Kennedywas a belovedman. He has gone down in history not only for the event of his assassination but also for his actions aspresident. Here are some words of wisdom from John F. Kennedy himself:

John F. Kennedy Quotes on Politics and Leadership

“If by a Liberal they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomesnew ideaswithout rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people-their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, theircivil rightsand 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

“Let us not seek theRepublican answeror theDemocratic answer, but theright answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for thefuture.” -John F. Kennedy

“There is nothing in the record of the past two years when both Houses of Congress have been controlled by the Republican Party which can lead any person to believe that those promises will be fulfilled in thefuture. They follow the Hitler line – no matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough, and the masses will regard it astruth.” -John F. Kennedy

“In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defendingfreedomin its hour ofmaximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility – I welcome it.” -John F. Kennedy

“There are costs and risks to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs ofcomfortable inaction.” -John F. Kennedy

“We are not afraid to entrust theAmericanpeople withunpleasant facts, foreign ideas,alien philosophies, and competitive values. For anationthat is afraid to let its people judge thetruthand falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.” -John F. Kennedy

“Leadershipand learning are indispensable to each other.” -John F. Kennedy

“For the problems are not all solved, and the battles are not all won—and we stand today on the edge of a New Frontier–the frontier of the 1960s–a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils– a frontier ofunfulfilled hopesand threats.But the New Frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises—it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer theAmericanpeople, but what I intend to ask of them.” -John F. Kennedy

“I’m an idealist without illusions.” -John F. Kennedy

“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.” -John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy Quotes On War and Peace

“World peace, like community peace, does not require that each man love his neighbor – it requires only that they live together with mutual tolerance, submitting their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement.” -John F. Kennedy

“Mankind must put an end to war – or war will put an end to mankind.” -John F. Kennedy

“It is an unfortunate fact that we can securepeaceonly by preparing for war.” -John F. Kennedy

“Myfellow 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

“Those who makepeaceful revolutionimpossible will makeviolent revolutioninevitable.” -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

“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

“Forgiveyour enemies, but never forget their names.” -John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy Quotes on Freedom and Equality

“One hundred years of delay have passed sincePresidentLincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully free. They are not yet freed from the bonds of injustice. They are not yet freed from social and economic oppression. And this Nation, for all its hopes and all its boasts, will not be fully free until all its citizens are free.” -John F. Kennedy

“The cost offreedomis 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

“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” -John F. Kennedy

“If afree societycannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” -John F. Kennedy

“This nation was founded on the principle that all men are created equal. And that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” -John F. Kennedy

Quotes byPresidentJohn F. Kennedy on Knowledge and Education

“The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination oftruth.” -John F. Kennedy

“Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope or dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for ourNation.” -John F. Kennedy

“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for thefuture.” -John F. Kennedy

“When power leadsmantoward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area ofman’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence.” -John F. Kennedy

“Our progress as anationcan be no swifter than our progress in education. Thehuman mindis ourfundamental resource.” -John F. Kennedy

“A child miseducated is a child lost.” -John F. Kennedy

“The greater our knowledge increases, the more our ignorance unfolds.” -John F. Kennedy

“Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.” -John F. Kennedy

“Too often, we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.” -John F. Kennedy

“If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise menreading more good booksin more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all—except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.” -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

“But Goethe tells us in his greatest poem that Faust lost the liberty of his soul when he said to the passing moment: “Stay, thou art so fair.” And our liberty, too, is endangered if we pause for the passing moment, if we rest on our achievements if we resist the pace of progress. For time and the world do not stand still.” -John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy Quotes on Life and Humanity

“Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” -John F. Kennedy

“A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.” -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

“Myfellow citizensof the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for thefreedomof man.” -John F. Kennedy

“If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe fordiversity.” -John F. Kennedy

“Our most basic common linkis 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

“We mustfind time to stop and thankthe people who make a difference in our lives.” -John F. Kennedy

“There are three things which are real; God, Human Folly, and Laughter. The first two are beyond our comprehension, so we must do what we can with the third.” -John F. Kennedy

“The supreme reality of our time is the vulnerability of this planet.” -John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy Quotes on Hardships and Happiness

“Do not pray for easy lives; prayto be stronger men.” -John F. Kennedy

“Lifeis never easy. There is work to be done and obligations to be met—obligations totruth, to justice, and to liberty.” -John F. Kennedy

“Our problems areman-made; therefore, they may besolved byman. Andmancan be as big as he wants. No problem ofhuman destinyis beyondhuman beings.” -John F. Kennedy

“The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” -John F. Kennedy

“Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan.” -John F. Kennedy

“We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sanefuture.” -John F. Kennedy

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest form of appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -John F. Kennedy

“Let us never negotiate out offear, but let us neverfearto negotiate.” -John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy Quotes on Courage, Success, Overcoming Challenges, and Change

“Thecourageoflifeis often a less dramatic spectacle than thecourageof a final moment, but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy.” -John F. Kennedy

“Efforts andcourageare not enough without purpose and direction.” -John F. Kennedy

“The one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is unchangeable or certain.” -John F. Kennedy

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss thefuture.” -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 because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.” -John F. Kennedy

“The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics orcynicswhose horizons are limited by theobvious realities.” -John F. Kennedy

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” -John F. Kennedy

“A man does what he must – in spite of personal consequences,in spite of obstaclesand dangers and pressures – and that is the basis of all human morality.” -John F. Kennedy

Other John F. Kennedy Quotes

“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

“When written in Chinese, theword ‘crisis’is composed of two characters. One representsdanger,and the other representsopportunity.” -John F. Kennedy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lcs2g_DOzU

Read JFK’s fullInaugural Address speechhere.

–