“Any system of government will work when everything is going well. It’s the system that functions in the pinches that survives.”
John F. Kennedy
Why England Slept (Primary source)
Why England Slept by John F. Kennedy is a concise yet incisive analysis of Britain’s military unpreparedness in the years leading up to World War II. Originally written as Kennedy’s senior thesis at Harvard University, the book examines the political, economic, and social factors that contributed to Britain’s failure to rearm and modernize its defenses during the 1930s, despite the growing threat of Nazi Germany.
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“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”
— John F. Kennedy Primary source“We choose to go to the Moon. 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.”
— John F. Kennedy Primary source“I am the responsible officer of the government [regarding the failed invasion of Cuba].”
— John F. Kennedy Primary source“A man does what he must—in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures—and that is the basis of all human morality.”
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“Rationality is something you get slowly and it has a variable result. But it’s better than not having it.”
— Charlie Munger Primary source“If the government is cruel, the governor’s life is not safe.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“It’s common for men to give pretended reasons instead of one real one.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“One loses everything when one loses one’s sense of humor.”
— Ayn Rand Primary source