Quotes from John F. Kennedy

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 the American people, but what I intend to ask of them.

I see little more important to the future of our country and our civilization than the full recognition of the place of the artist.

We celebrate the past to awaken the future.

We shall be judged more by what we do at home than what we preach abroad.

I can assure you that every degree of mind and spirit that I possess will be devoted to the long-range interests of the United States and to the cause of freedom around the world.

There's an old saying that victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan.... I'm the responsible officer of the Government.

The world knows that America will never start a war. This generation of Americans has had enough of war and hate... we want to build a world of peace where the weak are secure and the strong are just.

Israel was not created in order to disappear - Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and the home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honors the sword of freedom.

Abroad, the balance of power is shifting. There are new and more terrible weapons - new and uncertain nations - new pressures of population and deprivation.

Intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the body is healthy and strong.

Moral courage is more a rare commodity than bravery in a battle or great intelligence.

The Greeks understood that mind and body must develop in harmounious proportions to produce a creative intelligence.

In a time of turbulence and change, it is more true than ever that knowledge is power.

If I had to live my life over again, I would have a different father, a different wife and a different religion.

Certain other societies may respect the rule of force--we respect the rule of law.

Democracy is the superior form of government, because it is based on a respect for man as a reasonable being.

Knowledge of the oceans is more than a matter of curiosity. Our very survival may hinge upon it.

This knowledge, the knowledge that the physical well-being of the citizen is an important foundation for all of the activities of the nation, is as old as Western civilization itself.

Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.

History will never accept difficulties as an excuse.

It is time for a new generation of leadership.

The only valid test of leadership is the ability to lead, and lead vigorously.

It is time for a new generation of leadership, to cope with new problems and new opportunities. For there is a new world to be won.