John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy, (1917-1963) 35th US President

John F. Kennedy Quote

“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.”

John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
~ John F. Kennedy

in his inaugural speech, January 20, 1961

Ratings and Comments


Dave Wilber, St. Louis

Kennedy paraphrased: ASK NOT WHAT YOUR GOVERNMENT WILL DO FOR YOU BUT ASK WHAT WILL THEY DO TO YOU AND OTHERS NEXT.

Waffler, Smith

Kennedy Paraphrased: Somethings are worth living and dying for. Worship of self, and greed are not the most precious of values.

J Carlton, Calgary

On it's face it's spoken like an American should speak. And Waffler's right about the "some things are worth living and dying for". Which is why the Tree of Liberty may be due for some watering.

Mike, Norwalk

Ahhh yes, that this would apply to today, to a free Republic of liberty but alas, the de facto statist theocracy has all but extinguished liberty from within. No foreign nation need wish us well or ill, the nationalist (verses federalists) majority has accepted slavery, despotism, tyranny, totalitarianism, the rule of man vs the rule of law and all but squelched a return of liberty's success (or even its survival). A rebirth must occur before this quote will once again find full meaning.

D, Fort Worth

Just change the word "liberty" to "the rich and powerful in the United States" and you'll have a five-star quotation.

warren, olathe

Hard to believe he was a Dem when looking at his party today

Elisabeth, Astoria, NY

If one knows, or at least thinks of, the lack of liberty, then one will give the quote five stars anyway.

cal, lewisville, tx

Then this means there should be no recepients of welfare, foodstamps, medicaid, or public housing. People should be contributing and not taking.

Waffler, Smith

No Cal, people contribute so that we can take. Some communities can take without giving like Alaska where every man, woman, and child gets a hand out from the oil revenue in Palin's apparent "socialist welfare" state. Similarly in Kuwat where most are taken care of from oil. Here people have cared about each other from the beginning. Funds and societies for widows, orphans, starving people is not something new neither is laziness, and immorality that on many occasions lands people in dire straights. I have heard but I am not sure that foodstamps is a boon to the agricultural and food businesses, without food stamps in dire times farmers and food processors would be out of jobs as well as the people who were already starving. So some may argue that foodstamps are welfare for farmers. Without the poor buying products, staples, food and toilet paper, my stock portfolio would go south, so I to must be a beneficiary of foodstamps, for I am an investor in the S&P 500.

J Carlton, Calgary

Waffler ignores the "fact" that food stamps became necessary only after government manipulation of the economy. And demonstrates that he is one of (too) many who benefit from an artificial money system...that's why he likes it. People who are making money from the government manipulation of the currency and dependency of the poor have no morality whatever. None. They are like the Communists at the top of the heap.Parasitic.

Abigail Adams, hb

Self responsibility, self reliability, self sufficiency; be a productive adult and take care of yourself, your family; all else is then possible...how it should be. This country is like an apple with a parasite inside causing it to rot from the inside out...how it is. JFK , like the Founders, would be sick at heart to see such destruction to the most free and wonderful country the world ever knew. Oh woe is we.

E Archer, NYC

D, Fort Worth indeed has a point, and I do believe that the US government, whether led by the GOP or Demogogues, has the goal of taking over the lives and property of the entire world -- all paid for by the American people. We elect guys that say good things, but perhaps we should start hanging a few politicians that break their word and indeed further fascist programs that continue to erode the fabric of what is founded to be a free republic of sovereign individuals and their sovereign states. While I am not happy at all with the Obamanation right now, will it be any better if the GOP were to take over? Every change of administration still leaves the previous administration's corruptions in place. We still have the Patriot Act and the loss of Habeas Corpus, we still have FEMA and even more unchecked bureaucracies, government employees now make 20%-50% more than private sector employess -- and they produce nothing. We are simply being taxed to pay for our own servitude -- while government employees may enjoy a life time of pay even while the rest of the country is taken to the poor house. We must take down the Leviathan before it consumes not just the rest of the world's resources but also our own lives and the lives of our children's children.

Waffler, Smith

The communists as in China are apparently running the soundest economey of all. Japan is 170% of GDP in debt, most nations have more debt than the US. But Russia is only 6% and China is nil. What gives here?

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