Search This Blog

Thursday, November 21, 2013

HONORING JOHN F. KENNEDY ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS UNTIMELY DEATH

Welcome, today I'm honoring the wisdom of John F. Kennedy, a beloved president, cut down before his time

THE WISDOM OF JOHN KENNEDY

  • Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.
  • Democracy and defense are not substitutes for one another. Either alone will fail.
  • Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.
  • I would rather be accused of breaking precedents than breaking promises.
  • If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.
  • Let us never negotiate out of fear but let us never fear to negotiate.
  • Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in vain.
  • Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.
  • 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 American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.
  • The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along lines of excellence.
  • The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.
  • 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!
  • 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.
  • The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.
  • 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.
  • Democracy and defense are not substitutes for one another. Either alone will fail.
 ********
We miss you President Kennedy, and the contributions you could have continued to make had you not been stuck down.

********
Do you remember? Where were you when you got  the news. Please feel free to leave a comment. Thank you for coming.


1 comment:

Palmaltas said...

I wrote an article about where I was the day he died for our complex newsletter. To make it short, I was teaching first year high school Spanish in Las Vegas, Nevada.