For without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget those acts of courage with which men have lived.
John F. KennedyThe basis of effective government is public confidence, and that confidence is endangered when ethical standards falter or appear to falter.
John F. KennedyWe do not seek the unanimity that comes to those who water down all issues to the lowest common denominator - or to those who conceal their differences behind fixed smiles - or to those who measure unity by standards of popularity and affection, instead of trust and respect. We are allies. This is a partnership, not an empire. We are bound to have differences and disappointments - and we are equally bound to bring them out into the open, to settle them where they can be settled, and to respect each other's views when they cannot be settled.
John F. KennedyIf 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. KennedyI'm always rather nervous about how you talk about women who are active in politics, whether they want to be talked about as women or as politicians.
John F. KennedyThe United States, as the world knows, will never start a war. We do not want a war. We do not now expect a war. This generation of Americans has already had enough - more than enough - of war and hate and oppression. We shall be prepared if others wish it. We shall be alert to try to stop it. But we shall also do our part to build a world of peace where the weak are safe and the strong are just. We are not helpless before that task or hopeless of its success. Confident and unafraid, we labor on - not toward a strategy of annihilation but toward a strategy of peace.
John F. Kennedy