John F. Kennedy Quotes

"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. (special address to Congress, May 25, 1961)

"Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors." [On U.S. and Soviet joint scientific ventures, spoken during his inaugural address, 20 January 1961]

"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." [State of the Union address, 30 January, 1961]

"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".

"Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names."

"Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was 'Civis Romanus sum'. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is 'Ich bin ein Berliner.' All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner!'" (West Berlin speech, June 26, 1963)

"I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics but for our contributions to the human spirit."

(Talking about the space program) "We do this and other things not because they are easy but because they are hard."

"Victory has a thousand fathers but defeat is an orphan."

"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth."