Here are some famous quotes by John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, known for his inspiring speeches and leadership:
1. “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
— Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
2. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
— From Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address, 1933. Kennedy echoed this sentiment during his own speeches.
3. “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.”
— Speech at Rice University, September 12, 1962
4. “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
— Speech in the United States, 1962
5. “Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.”
— In his speech on the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1961
6. “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.”
— Remarks in Washington, D.C., 1963
7. “The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.”
— In his speech before the United Nations, 1961
8. “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”
— Address at the University of California, Berkeley, 1962
9. “We cannot expect that all nations will adopt the same systems, but we can expect them to honor the same principles.”
— Address at the United Nations, 1961
10. “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”
— Speech at the University of Michigan, 1960
11. “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”
— Speech in Washington, D.C., 1962
12. “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.”
— Attributed to Kennedy, illustrating the idea that people take credit for success but avoid blame for failure.
13. “Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind.”
— Speech at the United Nations, 1961
14. “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
— Speech at the University of Wisconsin, 1963
15. “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”
— In his inaugural address, January 20, 1961
16. “In the end, it is not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
— Often attributed to Kennedy, this quote reflects his perspective on living with purpose.
These quotes capture Kennedy’s vision of civic responsibility, personal dedication, and leadership, as well as his emphasis on global cooperation, innovation, and the pursuit of justice.