“Perhaps if the American people more fully comprehended the terrible pressures which discourage acts of political courage, which drive a Senator to abandon or subdue his conscience, then they might be less critical of those who take the easier road—and more appreciative of those still able to follow the path of courage.”
John F. Kennedy
Profiles in Courage (Primary source)
Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy is a Pulitzer Prize-winning volume that examines the political bravery of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers to uphold their principles. Published while Kennedy was a senator, the book reflects his belief in the importance of moral integrity in public service, even in the face of intense opposition or electoral consequences.
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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.”
— John F. Kennedy Primary sourceMore quotes by John F. Kennedy →
“Without imagination not much can be done.”
— Winston Churchill Primary source“A man being sometimes more generous when he has but a little money than when he has plenty, perhaps through fear of being thought to have but little.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“In science we must be interested in things, not in persons.”
— Marie Curie Secondary source“’'Tis easier to suppress the first desire, than to satisfy all that follow it.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source