20 JFK Quotes Every 70-Year-Old Needs to Hear
By Aaron Webber,
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- John F. Kennedy gained widespread fame and popularity for his progressive policies and laid the groundwork for our country today.
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If you were born in 1954, you were around nine years old when President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated. President Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States and was shot in the head while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. He was sitting with his wife, Jacqueline, and Nellie and John Connally (the governor of Texas). He took the presidency during the tumultuous times of racial tensions and the Cold War. Many regard him as evoking hope, security, and idealism. Maybe one of his most famous quotes is, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Was spoken during his inaugural address.
Although he didn’t have the opportunity to make good on many of his running promises, he did several notable and infamous acts as president. Among the notables were negotiating a nuclear weapons treaty, and ending Jim Crow laws. Of the infamous, hurtling of America into the Vietnam War. Whether he was extraordinary or not, he is America’s iconic martyr.
The following quotes that you may have heard in person, still apply to modern America, despite the context changing so drastically.
Why Are We Talking About This?
Learning history is one of the best ways to understand our world today and where we might be going tomorrow. While we might live in unprecedented times, we’re also human and we tend to repeat the same mistakes and bad decisions over and over again. To help us avoid common political and human pitfalls, we put together some of the best quotes by JFK so we can learn from our past.
#1 What is a Liberal?
“If by a 'Liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad if that is what they mean by a 'Liberal', then I’m proud to say I’m a 'Liberal'.”
Although difficult to believe with the rigid political divides that seem to exist in the United States today, such bipartisan hate either didn’t exist or wasn’t as obvious as it is today. Whether you are a liberal or conservative shouldn’t matter if your morals align with the ideals that Kennedy listed in this quote. How much happier the world and the internet would be if we spent more time “look[ing] ahead and not behind.”
#2 Rights of One
“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.”
As a country, some might say we have forgotten the “United,” part of the United States of America. We need to focus on the similarities that unite us, and allow people the space to live their differences, even if we don’t agree. It is never the solution to seek to take away the rights of those we don’t agree with. As this quote suggests, if we put a group of people’s rights on the chopping block, we could be next in line.
#3 Violent Revolution
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
One thing we should emulate about President Kennedy is his willingness to welcome different ideas and consider all points of view before making a decision. Some would say that he took too long to make some decisions (as is the case of outlawing segregation), but taking time to think about things from a perspective outside of our echo chamber is admirable and necessary.
#4 On Gratitude
“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”
Gratitude is important no matter how old you are. When we express gratitude to the people in our community who make our lives possible and running, we can at least make our communities united, even if it's difficult to unite the whole country.
#5 On Conformity
“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”
You might think that conformity is the same as unity. You would be incorrect. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of unity is: “a thing forming a complex whole.” And the definition of conformity is: “behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards.” So, although seemingly similar, there are some important differences.
Unity is complex. There is room for diversity. There is room for differences. The goal is to make a complex whole, not an endless supply of exactly the same people. To be united, we need to be tolerant and respectful of diversity, even if we don’t understand how other people live their lives.
#6 Repeating a Lie
“There is nothing in the record of the past two years when both Houses of Congress have been controlled by the Republican Party which can lead any person to believe that those promises will be fulfilled in the future. They follow the Hitler line- no matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as truth.”
I find it so interesting that this quote is still applicable to the elections of today. I’m not going to point to a specific political party, but I did want to reference Steven Hassan’s B.I.T.E. model of control, which is how to identify an authoritarian cult. B.I.T.E. stands for behavior, information, thought, and emotion control.
Any authoritarian control group will have these 4 characteristics. The behavior control category refers to group leaders manipulating group members to adhere to strict rules and control their actions. The information control category examines how manipulative groups control the information flow through propaganda, censorship, and demonizing outside perspectives. The thought category refers to the techniques that leaders use to suppress critical thinking, promote conformity, shape beliefs, and control attitudes. The emotion category refers to how group leaders manipulate emotions by fostering extreme loyalty through shame, guilt, and fear-based indoctrination.
I’m not saying any political party or presidential candidate is seeking to manipulate or control you. I’m just encouraging you to look critically at your beliefs and see if your political party aligns with any of these categories.
#7 Saving the Poor
“If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”
Currently, 11.6% of Americans live below the poverty line. If we compare that information to this JFK quote, it would suggest that we are failing as Americans. Although this quote is mainly concerned with the needs of the elite and wealthy class, we can surely unite to make our country a place where no one has to live below the poverty line.
#8 Leadership and Learning
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
If there is something we love, it’s a leader who learns from mistakes, accepts criticism and feedback, and incorporates that feedback into future decisions.
#9 A Wise Nation
“If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more wise men reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all- except the censor.”
Something that the Nazi party did in World War II to gain control of the German people, one of the tactics used was the censorship, seizure, and burning of books that presented ideas that were in contradiction to the Nazi Party’s ideals. There is a phenomenon happening in America today where small groups of people work together to ban books from libraries that they disagree with. As good old President John F. Kennedy reminds us, censorship is wrong, particularly of books.
#10 Listen to Criticism
“We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our Liberty.”
As controversial as the Bill of Rights authors are, one positive thing they did was value and ensure the right to free speech, including the right to access literature free from censorship. It is a good thing to expand your mind. It is a good thing to be open to new ideas. It is important to gain different perspectives of the world, and a great way to do that is through books.
#11 Safe for Diversity
“If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.”
Although this quote isn’t #1 on this list, it is #1 in my book. I absolutely love this quote as a goal for our country to move forward. If we can’t end our differences (conform), we can at least just make it safe for people to express their differences. You can live the way you want, and you can vote in ways that give everyone else the same opportunity.
#12 A Nation Afraid of its People
“We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
The idea of a public square/open market is something that is central to our entire consumerist society. The idea that we can hear different points of view, use critical thinking, and then course correct is a beautiful thing. You are never too old to change your opinion on things when presented with new information. Some might say that it’s even more admirable to change your opinion on something when presented with new and factual information when you are “old.” Changing your mind, political stance, and opinion, and gaining a new worldview is morally neutral, and only points to your ability to increase your knowledge and adapt.
#13 Change is the Law
“For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.”
This reminder that if we are clinging tightly to the past, trying to resurrect a period or era that is now dead, we will fail. Looking forward with an appreciation of the present will help us foster our growth and development when change inevitably comes knocking on our door. Whether we are speaking of this concept on an individual level, or on a national one, considering the future is important. It’s important to try and consider how your vote or what you spend your money and time on will impact humanity 10, 15, 20, or even just 1 year down the road.
#14 Negotiate in Fear
“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”
This quote was another zinger from President Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address. Following this famous contrast of words, he said, “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.” I think this is so wise. We all know the issues that divide us, for many, things like women’s Rights, Abortion, and anti-LGBTQ+ laws are seen as controversial, and have turned a lot of people into “single-issue voters.”
Rather than trying to fix what negatively affects everyone regardless of class, political party, or standards. Instead of pushing for laws made from the fear of an ominous hypothetical, we could push for laws that address well-researched problems that have proven, evidence-based solutions.
#15 An End to War
“Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind.”
Considering the context of the period surrounding this quote, JFK was referring to the threat of atomic weapons. What is interesting now, is that war is bad for obvious reasons, but now, we are also seeing data-driven evidence of how bad warfare is for our planet. And as everyone can agree, we all live on our planet. So not only is war a vehicle for perpetuating suffering, but it is also a vehicle to drive us faster and faster to planetary collapse.
#16 Separation of Church
“I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute- where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote.”
The separation of church and state was something that the Founding Fathers all agreed was essential to running a successful country. To put this another way, the tenets of your own religion and spirituality should dictate your actions and way of life, not push it onto others. If you’ve grown up in one religion and built your life and community around your religion, you might be tempted to assume that the one you are in is the very best.
Considering that there are an estimated 10,000 different religions being practiced on the planet we all share today, assuming that the way you practice your religion should be the way everyone does it is pretty presumptuous and arrogant.
#17 Religion in America
“I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish- where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source- where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials- and where religious liberty is so indivisible than an act against one church is treated as an act against all.”
I like the duality and double-edged sword of this quote. Religions have the right to practice their tenets and can’t make other people do so against their will through legislation. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t have the freedom to practice your religion and try to make the rest of the nation do the same. To do so is hypocritical, and morally wrong.
#18 Repairing a Roof
“The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”
Although this quote list takes these one-liners out of context, my mind immediately went to the undisputed fact of climate change. It is science-backed, it is evidence-based, we can all feel it getting hotter and hotter. We can all see the sheer number of unnatural disasters happening more and more frequently. And as this quote suggests, a proactive approach to a problem is not just a good idea, but necessary. Times of stability are when we should be acting. And if the time of stability is over, we should act as soon as we can before it gets even worse.
#19 The Right Answer
“Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”
I absolutely love this quote. We are too married to our political parties, and I often find that all of the moral answers are not encapsulated into a single political party and the other one is completely evil. There is greed, corruption, corporate lobbying, bribes, etc. happening on both sides of the party line.
I can’t imagine how effective our government could be if we just voted for the right answers, not just automatically according to our parties. Or if we were even given the opportunity to do that.
#20 The Role of Debate
“Without debate, without criticism no administration and no country can succeed and no republic can survive.”
If you can’t criticize your leader, you are in a cult. If you can’t point at something and say, “That is wrong, even though my party’s candidate is doing it,” you are in an authoritarian situation. Elevating one administration or president to a god-like status where they can absolutely do no wrong in your eyes, or you would vote for them even if they were doing heinous things can be a way to examine ourselves and ask ourselves what values we actually stand for.
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