John F. Kennedy in Profiles In Courage For Our Time, by Caroline Kennedy


On Civil Rights: We should not counsel patience and delay on equal rights

In 1963, Pres. Kennedy put the full power of the federal government on the side of those seeking integration because it was the right thing to do. When he mobilized the Alabama National Guard to admit two black students to the University of Alabama under federal court order, Pres. Kennedy said, "We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated. If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public school available, if he cannot vote for the public officials who represent him, if, in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and delay?"
Source: Profiles In Courage, Intro by Caroline Kennedy, p. xi-xii Mar 18, 2003

On Environment: We all inhabit a small planet & breathe the same air

After the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy spoke of peace: "Let us not be blind to our differences--but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most 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."
Source: Profiles In Courage, Introduction by Caroline Kennedy, p. xi Mar 18, 2003

On Principles & Values: Profile in Courage award to honor those with courage

Our family has honored my family's commitment to public service by celebrating that commitment in others. In 1989, we established the Profile in Courage Award, presented annually to an elected official who stands fast for the ideals upon which this country was founded, often at great personal risk. These men and women, Republican and Democrat, serving at the local, state, and national level, are the heirs to the eight legendary senators chronicled in this book. Our collective definition of courage has expanded since "Profiles in Courage" was written--today we honor those with the courage to compromise as well as those who stay the course.
Source: Profiles In Courage, Intro by Caroline Kennedy, p. xii Mar 18, 2003

The above quotations are from Profiles In Courage For Our Time,
by Caroline Kennedy.
Click here for other excerpts from Profiles In Courage For Our Time,
by Caroline Kennedy.
Click here for other excerpts by John F. Kennedy.
Click here for a profile of John F. Kennedy.
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Page last updated: Feb 21, 2019