“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”
John F. Kennedy
Inaugural Address of President John F. Kennedy (Primary source)
John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address marked a defining moment in American oratory, delivering a vision of renewal, responsibility, and global leadership during the Cold War. Addressing a divided world and a nation in transition, Kennedy struck a balance between idealism and resolve, famously declaring, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.’ This call to civic duty encapsulated his appeal for collective sacrifice and public service, urging Americans to embrace their role in shaping the nation’s future.
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“So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”
John F. Kennedy
“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“The greatest danger of all would be to do nothing.”
— John F. Kennedy Primary source“There’s an old saying that victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan.”
— John F. Kennedy Primary sourceMore quotes by John F. Kennedy →
“It is never hopeless. But sometimes I cannot hope. I try always to hope but sometimes I cannot.”
— Ernest Hemingway Primary source“Learning never exhausts the mind.”
— Leonardo da Vinci Disputed“Invert, always invert.”
— Carl Jacobi Disputed“Insist on yourself; never imitate.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source