If Art Is To Nourish The Roots Of Our Culture, Society Must Set The Artist Free To Follow His Vision Wherever It Takes Him.
- John F. Kennedy
I Look Foreword To An America Which Will Not Be Afraid Of Grace And Beauty.
The American, By Nature, Is Optimistic. He Is Experimental, An Inventor And A Builder Who Builds Best When Called Upon To Build Greatly.
This Nation Was Founded By Many Men Of Many Nations And Backgrounds. It Was Founded On The Principle That All Men Are Created Equal, And That The Rights Of Every Man Are Diminished When The Rights Of One Man Are Threatened.
For In The Final Analysis, Our Most Basic Common Link, Is That We All Inhabit This Small Planet, We All Breathe The Same Air, We All Cherish Our Children’s Futures, And We Are All Mortal.
The Great French Marshall Lyautey Once Asked His Gardener To Plant A Tree. The Gardener Objected That The Tree Was Slow Growing And Would Not Reach Maturity For 100 Years. The Marshall Replied, ‘In That Case, There Is No Time To Lose; Plant It This Afternoon!’
And So, My Fellow Americans: Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You – Ask What You Can Do For Your Country. My Fellow Citizens Of The World: Ask Not What America Will Do For You, But What Together We Can Do For The Freedom Of Man.
Let Us Never Negotiate Out Of Fear. But Let Us Never Fear To Negotiate.
We Must Never Forget That Art Is Not A Form Of Propaganda; It Is A Form Of Truth.
Our Problems Are Man-Made, Therefore They May Be Solved By Man. No Problem Of Human Destiny Is Beyond Human Beings.
I Would Rather Be Accused Of Breaking Precedents Than Breaking Promises.
We Have Come Too Far, We Have Sacrificed Too Much, To Disdain The Future Now.
We Need Men Who Can Dream Of Things That Never Were.
Before My Term Has Ended, We Shall Have To Test Anew Whether A Nation Organized And Governed Such As Ours Can Endure. The Outcome Is By No Means Certain.
We Believe That If Men Have The Talent To Invent Need Machines That Put Men Out Of Work, They Have The Talent To Put Those Men Back To Work.
I Look Forward To An America In Which Commands Respect Throughout The World, Not Only For Its Strength, But For Its Civilization As Well. And I Look Forward To A World In Which We Will Be Safe Not Only For Democracy And Diversity But Also For Personal Distinction.
So, Let Us Not Be Blind To Our Differences – But Let Us Also Direct Attention To Our Common Interests And To The Means By Which Those Differences Can Be Resolved.
The Ancient Greek Definition Of Happiness Was The Full Use Of Your Powers Along Lines Of Excellence.
Let Every Nation Know, Whether It Wishes Us Well Or Ill, That We Shall Pay Any Price, Bear Any Burden, Meet Any Hardship, Support Any Friend, Oppose Any Foe To Assure The Survival And The Success Of Liberty.
Mothers May Still Want Their Sons To Grow Up To Be President, But According To A Famous Gallup Poll Of Some Years Ago, Some 73 Percent Do Not Want Them To Become Politicians In The Process.
The Stories Of Past Courage Can Define That Ingredient-They Can Teach, They Can Offer Hope, They Can Provide Inspiration. But They Cannot Supply Courage Itself. For This Each Man Must Look Into His Own Soul.
Leadership And Learning Are Indispensable To Each Other.
Forgive Your Enemies, But Never Forget Their Names.
Those Who Make Peaceful Revolution Impossible Will Make Violent Revolution Inevitable.
There Are Risks And Costs To A Program Of Action. But They Are Far Less Than The Long-Range Risks And Costs Of Comfortable Inaction.
The Chinese Use Two Brush Strokes To Write The Word ‘Crisis.’ One Brush Stroke Stands For Danger; The Other For Opportunity. In A Crisis, Be Aware Of The Danger – But Recognize The Opportunity.
Now The Trumpet Summons Us Again; Not As A Call To Bear Arms, Though Arms We Need; Not As A Call To Battle, Though Embattled We Are; But A Call To Bear The Burden Of A Long Twilight Struggle, Year In And Year Out, Rejoicing In Hope, Patient In Tribulation; A Struggle Against The Common Enemies Of Man: Tyranny, Poverty, Disease, And War Itself.
We Must Use Time As A Tool, Not As A Crutch.
If We Cannot End Now Our Differences, At Least We Can Help Make The World Safe For Diversity.
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