John F. Kennedy Quotes

“Every American who ever lived, with the exception of one group, was either an immigrant himself or a descendant of immigrants.”

“But emotions of xenophobia – hatred of foreigners – and of nativism - the policy of keeping America ‘pure’ … continue to thrive”

“The interaction of disparate cultures, the vehemence of the ideals that led the immigrants here, the opportunity offered by a new life, all gave America a flavor and a character that make it as unmistakable and as remarkable to people today as it was to Alexis de Tocqueville in the early part of the nineteenth century.”

“Centuries ago migration was a leap into the unknown. It was an enormous intellectual and emotional commitment.”

“America was to be the great experiment.”

“Little is more extraordinary than the decision to migrate, little more extraordinary than the accumulation of emotions and thoughts which finally leads a family to say farewell to a community where it has lived for centuries, to abandon old ties and familiar landmarks, and to sail across dark seas to a strange land.”

“Immigration is by definition a gesture of faith in social mobility. It is the expression in action of a positive belief in the possibility of a better life. It has thus contributed greatly to developing the spirit of personal betterment in American society and to strengthening the national confidence in change and the future.”

“The search for freedom of worship has brought people to America from the days of the Pilgrims to modern times.”

“In sum, then, we can see that as each new wave of immigration has reached America it has been faced with problems, not only the problems that come with making new homes and learning new jobs, but, more important, the problems of getting along with people of different backgrounds and habits.”

“The forces that moved our forebears to their great decision—the decision to leave their homes and begin an adventure filled with incalculable uncertainly, risk and hardship—must have been of overpowering proportions.”

“Since 1607, when the first English settlers reached the New World, over 42 million people have migrated to the United States.”

“However, under the guise of warning people about the impact of illegal immigration, these anti-immigrant groups often invoke the same dehumanizing racist stereotypes as hate groups.”

“Sociologists call the process of the melting pot “social mobility.” One of America’s characteristics has always been the lack of a rigid class structure. It has traditionally been possible for people to move up the social and economic scale.”

“The history of cities show that when conditions become overcrowded, when people are poor and when living conditions are bad, tensions run high. This is a situation that feeds on itself; poverty and crime in one group breed fear and hostility in others.”

“Immigration policy should be generous; it should be fair; it should be flexible. With such a policy we can turn to the world, and to our own past, with clean hands and a clear conscience.”

“Today we are belatedly, but resolutely, engaged in ending this condition of national exclusion and share and abolishing forever the concept of second-class citizenship in the United States.”

“We have come to realize in modern times that the ‘melting pot’ need not mean the end of particular ethnic identities or traditions.”

“Perhaps our brightest hope for the future lies in the lessons of the past. The people who have come to this country have made America, in the words of one perceptive writer, ‘a heterogeneous race but a homogeneous nation.’ ”

“The forces that moved our forebears to their great decision—the decision to leave their homes and begin an adventure filled with incalculable uncertainly, risk and hardship—must have been of overpowering proportions.”

“The opportunities that America offered made the dream real, at least for a good many; but the dream itself was in large part the product of millions of plain people beginning a new life in the conviction that life could indeed be better, and each new wave of immigration rekindled that dream.”

“It is precisely because they did love themselves-- because each one’s need to maintain his own respect for himself was more important to him than his popularity with others-- because his desire to win or maintain a reputation for integrity and courage was stronger than his desire to maintain his office.”

″ In this world of ours none of us can afford to be lookers-on, the critics standing on the sidelines.”

“Great crises produce great men, and great deeds of courage,”

“Compromise need not mean cowardice. Indeed it is frequently the compromisers and conciliators who are faced with the severest tests of political courage as they oppose the extremist views of their constituents.”

“What is now important is the courage he displayed in support of his convictions.”

“When his regard for himself is so high that his own self-respect demands he follow the path of courage and conscience that all benefit. ”

″ A democracy with this effort by its people must and can face its problems, that it must show patience, restraint, compassion, as well as wisdom and strength and courage, in the struggle for solutions which are very rarely easy to find.”

“Courage, the universal virtue, is comprehended by us all—but these portraits of courage do not dispel the mysteries of politics.”

“The stories of past courage can define that ingredient—they can teach, they can offer hope, they can provide inspiration.”

″ The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy.”

“To be courageous, these stories make clear, requires no exceptional qualifications, no magic formula, no special combination of time, place and circumstance. It is an opportunity that sooner or later is presented to us all.”

″ What happens to the country, to the world, depends on what we do with what others have left us.”

“Without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget those acts of courage which men--have lived.”

“Today the challenge of political courage looms larger than ever before.”

″ Some demonstrate courage through their unyielding devotion to absolute principle. Others demonstrate courage through their acceptance and compromise, through their advocacy of conciliation, through their willingness to replace conflict with co-operation. Surely their courage was of equal quality, through different caliber. ”

“This is a book about that most admirable of human virtues—courage.”

“The President of the United States is not subject to quite the same test of political courage as a Senator.”

″ In whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience- the loss of friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men- each man must decide for himself the course he will follow.”

“A nation which has forgotten the quality of courage which in the past has been brought to public life is not as likely to insist upon or reward that quality in its chosen leaders today.”

″ The American system of Government could not function if every man in a position of responsibility approached each problem... as a problem in higher mathematics.”