“Ask not what your country can do for you…” President Kennedy’s Speech

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“Ask not what your country can do for you…” President Kennedy’s Speech

This was a speech given by President Kennedy for the inaugural address on January 20, 1961.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.


Great Speeches

President John F. Kennedy Quotes and Others

  • “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.” ~John F. Kennedy
  • “In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • “If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.” ~John F. Kennedy
  • “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.” ~John F. Kennedy
  • “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”  ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” ~John F. Kennedy
  • “There is nothing in the record of the past two years when both Houses of Congress have been controlled by the Republican Party which can lead any person to believe that those promises will be fulfilled in the future. They follow the Hitler line – no matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as truth.” ~John F. Kennedy