70 John F. Kennedy Quotes on Life, Politics, and Greatness

I'm an idealist without illusions.

We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of the world or to make it the last.

In a very real sense, it will not be one man going to the moon it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there.

I'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.

If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.

If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.

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

Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility - I welcome it.

To state the facts frankly is not to despair the future nor indict the past. The prudent heir takes careful inventory of his legacies and gives a faithful accounting to those whom he owes an obligation of trust.

We must use time as a tool, not as a couch.

The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were.

Modern cynics and skeptics... see no harm in paying those to whom they entrust the minds of their children a smaller wage than is paid to those to whom they entrust the care of their plumbing.

A young man who does not have what it takes to perform military service is not likely to have what it takes to make a living. Today's military rejects include tomorrow's hard-core unemployed.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

The tax on capital gains directly affects investment decisions, the mobility and flow of risk capital... the ease or difficulty experienced by new ventures in obtaining capital, and thereby the strength and potential for growth in the economy.

History is a relentless master. It has no present, only the past rushing into the future. To try to hold fast is to be swept aside.

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.

Politics is like football; if you see daylight, go through the hole.