"Some
men see things as they are, and say why, I dream of things that never were and
say why not."
Robert F. Kennedy
"Some
men see things as they are, and say why, I dream of things that never were and
say why not."
"The
future does not belong to those who are content with today"
"
It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is
shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of
others, or strikes out against injustice, the sends forth a tiny ripple of hope
and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy ,and daring
those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of
oppression and resistance."
Affirmation Day at the University of Cape Town, South Africa,
"Let
none be discouraged. The belief that there is nothing one man can do about the
enormous array of the world’s ills- against misery and ignorance, injustice,
and violence…Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of
you can change a small portion of events…"
RFK paraphrasing his father
"Let
us dedicate to ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the
savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world"
"...The question is whether we can find in our own midst and in our
own hearts
that leadership of humane purpose that will recognize
the terrible truths of our existence..."
Cleveland, Ohio, April 5, 1968
"The
greatest voice is the voice of the people -- speaking out -- in prose, or
painting or poetry or music; speaking -- in homes and halls, streets and farms,
courts and cafes -- let that voice speak and the stillness you hear will be the
gratitude of mankind"
1963
"Since
the days of Greece and Rome when the word 'citizen' was a title of honor, we
have often seen more emphasis put on the rights of citizenship than on its
responsibilities. And today, as never before in the free world, responsibility
is the greatest right of citizenship and service is the greatest of freedom's
privileges."
University of San Francisco Law School, September 29, 1962
"The
future is not a gift: it is an achievement. Every generation helps make its own
future. This is the essential challenge of the present."
Seattle World's Fair, August 7, 1962
"Too
much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and
community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national
product ... if we should judge America by that - counts air pollution and
cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It
counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It
counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in
chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored
cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle and
Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to
sell toys to our children.
"Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile..."
University of Kansas, March 18, 1968
"...And we now know in our hearts, even through times of passion and discontent that to add to the violence in this country is to burden our own lives and mortgage our children's souls..."