John Fitzgerald Kennedy

The President is merely the most important among a large number
of public servants. He should be supported or read more

The President is merely the most important among a large number
of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to
the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct,
his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and
disinterested service to the nation as a whole. Therefore it is
absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell
the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly as
necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when
he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both
base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of
the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or
wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally
treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should
be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more
important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him
than about any one else.

In giving rights to others which belong to them, we give rights to ourselves and to our country

In giving rights to others which belong to them, we give rights to ourselves and to our country

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of read more

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty, and all forms of human life. - Inaugural Address.

We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it.

We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it.

All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it
be finished in the first read more

All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it
be finished in the first 1,000 days, not in the life of this
Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet.
But let us begin.