John F. Kennedy quotes, verified

“And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe: the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.”

Inaugural Address, East Front of the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., 20 January 1961

From Kennedy's inaugural address at the East Front of the U.S. Capitol on 20 January 1961.

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“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.”

Address at Rice University in Houston on the Nation's Space Effort, 12 September 1962

From President Kennedy's address on the nation's space effort, delivered at Rice University Stadium in Houston, Texas, on 12 September 1962.

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“The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender or submission.”

Radio and Television Report to the American People on the Soviet Arms Buildup in Cuba, 22 October 1962

From Kennedy's televised address from the White House on the evening of 22 October 1962, the speech that made the Cuban Missile Crisis public.

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“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.”

Radio and Television Report to the American People on Civil Rights, the Oval Office, the White House, 11 June 1963

Spoken from the Oval Office on the evening of 11 June 1963, hours after Governor George Wallace was made to step aside so Vivian Malone and James Hood could register at the University of Alabama.

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“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”

Proclamation 3560, Thanksgiving Day, 1963

From Kennedy's Thanksgiving proclamation, signed on 5 November 1963, which set the holiday for 28 November 1963.

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