November 22 marks 50 years since the 1963 assassination of President John. F. Kennedy, an event that shocked the nation and the world, and forever changed the course of history. Though his presidential legacy was unfulfilled, Kennedy was a great speaker, author and student of history. He left behind many memorable writings and quotations, and here is just a sampling of some of his most inspiring:
My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.
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.
Read Related: Keep the Dream Alive: 30 Memorable Quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr.
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
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.
Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.
Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.
Once you say you’re going to settle for second, that’s what happens to you in life.
Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.
Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.
A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.
