This Deceased US President’s Words Will Hit You Hard

John F. Kennedy (JFK), our nation’s 35th president, left an indelible mark on history during his time in office. Elected in 1961, JFK helped America through a tumultuous time of both political and social change. His tenure included Cold War tensions and the Civil Rights movement. But JFK moved forward confidently, proud of the America he knew and the America he hoped we could become. His commitment to human and civil rights spurred people across our nation to participate in community outreach and public service, mobilizing a new generation of active citizens. Unfortunately, Kennedy’s life came to an end in November 1963  when he was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. He remains popular to this day as a progressive president who truly wanted to make a difference, and is inspiring people of all ages with his insightful and ever-resonant wisdom. (If you’re older than 70, here are the JFK quotes that you need to hear.)

JFK’s quotes can provide a roadmap to help you deal with life challenges with grace. Here, we covered the 20 most resonant JFK quotes, using Goodreads, BrainyQuote, the JFK Library, and other similar platforms. 

Why We’re Covering JFK’s Quotes

Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And at this point, we’re looking pretty doomed sometimes. Oftentimes, it feels like history is moving too fast these days. It takes so much time just trying to keep up with everything happening — not just in America, but on a global scale. If we want to make positive change in our world, however, we must learn from our past, see what worked, and what forces we are fighting against. One of the best examples of fighting the good fight is JFK, which is why his quotes still resonate today. For those of us in our 40s, many of whom are raising the next generation, Kennedy’s words offer timeless inspiration and wisdom to face challenges head-on. 

1. Consider What We Share Together

• “Let us not emphasize all on which we differ but all we have in common. Let us consider not what we fear separately but what we share together.”

Sometimes the media makes it seem like every Republican is alt-right, and every liberal is alt-left, but that’s simply not true. Most Americans fall somewhere in the middle and have more in common than not. Working together towards our shared goals, and a better society, is more important now than ever before.

2. Everyone Should Try

• “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”

Do you ever remember that story about the man on the beach and the starfish? Someone was walking along a beach where hundreds of starfish had washed up. They saw a man picking up starfish and throwing them back into the ocean and asked, “Why try? It won’t make a difference.” The man tossed a starfish back into the sea and said, “It made a difference for that one.”

Sometimes we feel like, as singular people, we can’t create change in our world. But when we put in the effort, it matters. Anybody can make a difference — whether globally, nationally, or even just in your family or community. Whether that difference is good or bad is unspecified in this quote.

3. Protect Our Vulnerable Planet

• “The supreme reality of our time is the vulnerability of our planet.”

Something that many people born after 1970 don’t know is that, at one time, America was completely united on planet conservation and fighting climate change. Protecting nature and natural resources was something that most people wanted, except for big oil corporations. With rapidly warming temperatures, ocean acidification, and skyrocketing CO2 pollution, advocating for better climate solutions isn’t just good for you — but for your children, and their children. 

4. Condemn Oppression

• “Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.”

We don’t have to be the same. We don’t all have to adhere to the rules of one religion. We don’t even necessarily need to understand what other people are doing or practicing. But what we do need is to be tolerant. We need to live and vote in ways that don’t oppress or persecute people different than us. This is how we create a better, more inclusive world. 

5. Accept Responsibility

• “Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”

It’s really easy to just blame boomers for all of our problems. Or oil corporations. Or billionaires. While those entities DO hold a lot of responsibility, we are responsible for reshaping the future and correcting course. The current youngest member of Congress, Maxwell Alexander Frost, is 26 years old. The older generations of politicians are being voted out, or dying. We are the ones who fill those spots or have great voting power in deciding who fills those spots. So pick those who have actionable policies and ideas for future change.

6. Peace is a Process

• “Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures. And however undramatic the pursuit of peace, that pursuit must go on.”

I like how manageable this quote makes peace appear. Peace doesn’t have to be dramatic, or sexy. Participating civically is often boring, and unglamorous. Just find something that you can and like to do. There are multiple avenues in every community to get involved in community service, outreach, and creating a better society.

7. Everyone Deserves Equal Rights

• “Not every child has an equal talent or an equal ability or equal motivation, but they should have the equal right to develop their talent and their ability and their motivation, to make something of themselves.”

Children are our future. Every child deserves stability, education, enough food to eat, and opportunities. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen. We see stories all the time in the news about school lunch debts, or unequal education systems. Your child might have all the resources available to them, but not every child does. Speak up to help ensure that everyone has an equal shot at future success. 

8. You Can’t Help the Rich

• “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”

Currently, the top 1% of households in America hold 26% of the nation’s wealth, or $37.68 Trillion. The top 20% (excluding the top 1%) holds $69.15 Trillion. Those two brackets together equal $106.83 Trillion. Everyone else in the country (79%) holds only $49.9 Trillion. The wealth inequality is so vast in the United States that it is unsustainable. As you prepare for your future, remember to invest in savings — and to advocate for more equitable wealth practices nationwide. 

9. We Cannot Impose Our Will On Others

• “We must face the fact that the United States is neither omnipotent nor omniscient, that we cannot impose our will upon the other 94 percent of mankind, that we cannot right every wrong or reverse every adversity, and that therefore there cannot be an American solution to every world problem.”

We tend to be an overly patriotic bunch, but JFK believed that we should mind our own business when it comes to foreign affairs, according to this quote. In some circles, this is a pretty controversial take, though many agree that America should focus on supporting its citizens internally before acting in favor of other nations. 

10. We Have the Power

• “We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of the world or make it the last.”

Based on current trends, it would seem that JFK’s generation chose the latter, but the quote remains true for every generation. We always have the power to surpass the successes of our predecessors and destroy ourselves through nuclear war or ruining our planet or climate. In your 40s, you have the opportunity to transform the coming decades. Remember that the choices you make now are powerful. 

11. Forgive Your Enemies

• “Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”

I appreciated this quote because it can be applied to so many situations. We can forgive our enemies while still maintaining boundaries and not continuing to make ourselves vulnerable to their attacks. Letting go of any anger or frustration is also a mood-lifter. People in life aren’t always your friends, but you can choose the way you respond.

12. Remember: You’re Smarter Than You Think

• “Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.”

This is especially true today with the advancement of artificial intelligence that seeks to replace human creativity with machine learning. AI takes all the art and leaves us with the work and the chores. Tech firms and financial gurus have forgotten the whole reason why we work and create technology: to make life better for everyone, not to steal art from artists and pass it off as your own. When we remove the human from any process, it becomes an inhuman, unfeeling, and oppressive machine. So appreciate the humanistic elements of what you do, and the inherent creativity of those you speak to and work with. 

13. A Nation’s Success Is Measured By Its People

• “For one true measure of a nation is its success in fulfilling the promise of a better life for each of its members. Let this be the measure of our nation.”

We should measure our success based on how we treat the least of our brethren, not on the odd success of one billionaire. Considering that 11.5% (or 37.9 million Americans) live below the poverty line, by this measure, our nation gets a D+ in our middle-class opinion. The poverty threshold is an annual income of $29,960 for a family of four. JFK’s words urge you to make a difference in your community, or to at least starting having conversations about how to even the playing field for our most vulnerable society members. 

14. Peace is a Human Right

• “And is not peace, in the last analysis, basically a matter of human rights- the right to live out our lives without fear of devastation- the right to breathe air as nature provided it- the right of future generations to a healthy existence?”

It sure is easy to live a healthy life when corporations aren’t polluting the planet, evil rulers aren’t bombing vulnerable populations, and people aren’t facing hunger insecurity and other tragedies. Imagine the Renaissance that could be possible if everyone had their basic needs met, and had extra energy and brain space to create.

15. Appreciate the Wonders of Science

• “Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.”

If this didn’t actually happen, it would sound like science fiction in today’s age. With science denial, misinformation, and fake news everywhere you look, the chances of people coming together in scientific consensus to achieve great things seem like a thing of the past. If only we could put aside our differences and listen to scientists, we might live in a better world — and find some better solutions to some of our ills, like cancer or endemic diseases.

16. Put An End to War

• “Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.”

Will humankind ever evolve past the need to hit each other with sticks and shoot each other with guns? It is so sad that this is still a global issue. It’s almost unbelievable that it is 2024 and we are still fighting for resources when there is more than enough to go around. We need to learn how to better solve our issues without harming great swathes of people and destroying cities. 

17. Violent Revolutions Shouldn’t Be Inevitable

• “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”

Protesting, complaining, political rhetoric, and voting are all a necessary and essential part of any healthy democracy. If any party begins to outlaw protesting, voting, or dissent in any kind of way, they open the door to violent revolution, whether they want it or not. There will always be those who disagree, and forcing them to stay quiet only makes the problem worse.

18. The Goal of Education is Truth

• “The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth.”

Could this be the reason that some politicians want to eradicate our public school system? It is true that ignorant people are easier to manipulate and control. This is why governments and wise societies in the past understood that public education was not only a service benefitting people in general, it was a public necessity for a functioning society. Everyone benefits when everyone has access to education. In your local communities, support your educational systems and your teachers — they need it more than ever.

19. National Progress Depends on Education

• “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.”

How can we build a greater country than what we have today if we rely on people who are no more educated than the people who built it? Education must improve, evolve, and teach more people more effectively if we want to continue to progress. Outlawing certain topics, or banning books or areas of study is a sure-fire way to cripple our society.

20. End Our Differences

• “If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can make the world safe for diversity.” 

We will never eliminate all our differences, and we shouldn’t seek to do so, either. Diversity keeps life fun and interesting. Those who want to force assimilation or impose their way of life or ideology on others destroy what beauty we have in our world and make the planet an unsafe place for everyone who disagrees.

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