Thought for the Day
Can a nation organized and governed such as ours endure?
That is the real question.
Have we the nerve and the will? Can we carry through in an age where we will witness not only new breakthroughs in weapons of destruction, but also a race for mastery of the sky and the rain, the ocean and the tides, the far side of space, and the inside of men's minds?
That is the question of the New Frontier.
That is the choice our nation must make -- a choice that lies not merely between two men or two parties, but between the public interest and private comfort, between national greatness and national decline, between the fresh air of progress and the stale, dank atmosphere of "normalcy," between dedication and mediocrity.
All mankind waits upon our decision. A whole world looks to see what we shall do. And we cannot fail that trust. And we cannot fail to try.
It has been a long road from the first snowy day in New Hampshire many months ago. Now begins another long journey, into your cities and homes across the United States.
Give me your help and your hand and your voice.
Recall with me the words of Isaiah that, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary."
As we face the coming great challenge, we too, shall wait upon the Lord, and ask that He renew our strength.
Then shall we be equal to the test.
Then we shall not be weary.
Then we shall prevail.
Senator John F. Kennedy, "The New Frontier"
Accepting the Democratic Presidential Nomination
Los Angeles, CA, July 15, 1960