"There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction."

"There are three things which are real: God, human folly, and laughter. The first two are beyond our comprehension. So we must do what we can with the third."

"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country."

"The arts, far from being a diversion, are a central element of national purpose, and in the highest sense, are a test of the quality of a civilization."

"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."