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Ted Kennedy

176 quotes

“My brother was the first President of the United States to state publicly that segregation was morally wrong. His heart and his soul are in this bill. If his life and death had a meaning, it was that we should not hate but love one another; we should use our powers not to create conditions of oppression that lead to violence, but conditions of freedom that lead to peace.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: First Senate floor speech, in support of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (9 April 1964)
“Love is not an easy feeling to put into words. Nor is loyalty, or trust, or joy. But he was all of these. He loved life completely and he lived it intensely.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Eulogy for Robert F. Kennedy at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York (8 June 1968)
“My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Eulogy for Robert F. Kennedy (8 June 1968)
“President Nixon has told us, without question, that we seek no military victory, that we seek only peace. How then can we justify sending our boys against a hill a dozen times or more, until soldiers themselves question the madness of the action? The assault on "Hamburger Hill" is only symptomatic of a mentality and a policy that requires immediate attention. American boys are too valuable to be sacrificed for a false sense of military pride.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1969 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: speech condemning the Vietnam War (20 May 1969)
“I have requested this opportunity to talk to the people of Massachusetts about the tragedy which happened last Friday evening. This morning I entered a plea of guilty to the charge of leaving the scene of an accident. Prior to my appearance in court it would have been [im]proper for me to comment on these matters. But tonight I am free to tell you what happened and to say what it means to me.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1969 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Televised statement apologizing for and rationalizing his actions in the Chappaquiddick incident after his guilty plea and conviction (25 July 1969)
“I made immediate and repeated efforts to save Mary Jo by diving into the strong and murky current, but succeeded only in increasing my state of utter exhaustion and alarm. My conduct and conversations during the next several hours, to the extent that I can remember them, make no sense to me at all.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1969 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Televised statement applogizing for and rationalizing his actions in the Chappaquiddick incident after his guilty plea and conviction (25 July 1969)
“The story of East Bengal will surely be written as one of the greatest nightmares of modern times.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Senator Edward Kennedy quoted in Bass, G. (2014). The Blood telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a forgotten genocide.
“Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized – the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old....When history looks back to this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family, and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1971 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: and http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123086375678148323.html a private letter from August 3, 1971 in response to New York's legalization of abortion
“Field reports to the U.S. Government, countless eye-witness journalistic accounts, reports of international agencies such as World Bank, and additional information available to the subcommittee document the reign of terror which grips East Bengal (East Pakistan). Hardest hit have been members of the Hindu community who have been robbed of their lands and shops, systematically slaughtered and in some places, painted with yellow patches marked "H". All of this has been officially sanctioned, ordered, and implemented under martial law from Islamabad. ..'”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1971 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: report dated November 1, 1971, Senator Edward Kennedy. Crisis in South Asia - A report by Senator Edward Kennedy to the Subcommittee investigating the Problem of Refugees and Their Settlement, Submitted to U.S. Senate J…
“In fact, the legal system is in part responsible for their very size and growth. And too often when the individual finds himself in conflict with these forces, the legal system sides with the giant institution, not the small businessman or private citizen.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1978 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On big business and big government; speech before American Bar Association, New York (August 8, 1978), reported in Alan F. Pater, Jason R. Pate, What They Said in 1978 (1979), p. 168.
“A year ago, a number of us in Congress took up a cause and a challenge that had already stirred at the grassroots across the country. We called for an immediate, mutual and verifiable freeze between the United States and the Soviet Union on the testing, production, and deployment of nuclear weapons.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1983 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address at Brown University in favor of the Nuclear Freeze campaign (4 June 1983)
“This really is a very strange idea. We cannot found national policy on fond memories of radio serials, dreams of the Old West, and the thrilling days of yesteryear. We must reject the preposterous notion of a Lone Ranger in the sky, firing silver laser bullets and shooting missiles out of the hands of Soviet outlaws. The best defense against nuclear war is arms control and then disarmament.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1983 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address at Brown University criticizing President Ronald Reagan’s Cold War defense policy, including military expansion, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and the nuclear arms race (4 June 1983)
“Now in the 1980's, a moment of history and a sense of hope call your generation to work as great as any that has gone before -- the work of peace. The challenge comes with special warning now because the danger has become so present and so clear. The difference each of you can make, if all of you try, may mean the difference between peace and war, between a just society and a garrison state.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1983 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address at Brown University (4 June 1983)
“I hope for an America where neither "fundamentalist" nor "humanist" will be a dirty word, but a fair description of the different ways in which people of good will look at life and into their own souls.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1983 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech on "Truth and Tolerance in America," Oct. 3, 1983, Delivered at Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va. Cited by latimes.com, 26 August 2009
“We cannot pretend we do not see or hear when Louis Farrakhan predicts race war by 1986, or implies that 'Jewish editors and Jewish writers' distort the news, or threatens the life of a black reporter for doing his job, or refers to Hitler as 'a very great man,' or shakes the hands of Colonel Gaddafi. Such conduct can never be condoned -- and it must be unequivocally condemned.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1984 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks for Manhattan for Basil Paterson, as quoted in Sen. Edward Kennedy appealed Wednesday for an end to... (13 June 1984)
“The Americans with Disabilities Act will end the American apartheid. The act has the potential to become one of the great civil rights laws of our generation. Disabled citizens deserve the opportunity to work for a living, ride a bus, have access to public and commercial buildings, and do all the other things that the rest of us take for granted. Mindless physical barriers and outdated social attitudes have made them second class citizens for too long. This legislation is a bill of rights for the disabled, and America will be a better and fairer nation because of it.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1989 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Senate speech (7 September 1989)
“My fellow Democrats and my fellow Americans, I have come here tonight not to argue for a candidacy but to affirm a cause. I am asking you to renew the commitment of the Democratic Party to economic justice. I am asking you to renew our commitment to a fair and lasting prosperity that can put America back to work.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I speak out of a deep sense of urgency about the anguish and anxiety I have seen across America. I speak out of a deep belief in the ideals of the Democratic Party, and in the potential of that party and of a president to make a difference. I speak out of a deep trust in our capacity to proceed with boldness and a common vision that will feel and heal the suffer— the division of our party.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The great adventure which our opponents offer is a voyage into the past. Progress is our heritage, not theirs. What is right for us as Democrats is also the right way for Democrats to win.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is surely correct that we cannot solve problems by throwing money at them; but it is also correct that we dare not throw our national problems onto a scrap heap of inattention and indifference. The poor may be out of political fashion, but they are not without human needs. The middle class may be angry, but they have not lost the dream that all Americans can advance together.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The demand of our people in 1980 is not for smaller government or bigger government but for better government. Some say that government is always bad, and that spending for basic social programs is the root of our economic evils. But we reply, the present inflation and recession cost our economy $200 billion a year. We reply, inflation and unemployment are the biggest spenders of all.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are the party of the New Freedom, the New Deal, and the New Frontier. We have always been the party of hope. So this year, let us offer new hope— new hope to an America uncertain about the present but unsurpassed in its potential for the future.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There were some who said we should be silent about our differences on issues during this convention. But the heritage of the Democratic Party has been a history of democracy. We fight hard because we care deeply about our principles and purposes. We did not flee this struggle. And we welcome this contrast with the empty and expedient spectacle last month in Detroit, where no nomination was contested, no question was debated, and no one dared to raise any doubt or dissent.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I won't yield to anyone about guns in our society. I know enough about it.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1994 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Senate debate with Mitt Romney (1994). Cited by biography
“She was a blessing to us and to the nation? and a lesson to the world on how to do things right, how to be a mother, how to appreciate history, how to be courageous. No one else looked like her, spoke like her, wrote like her, or was so original in the way she did things. No one we knew ever had a better sense of self. ... No one ever gave more meaning to the title of first lady.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1994 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Eulogy for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (23 May 1994)
“Never say in grief you are sorry he's gone. Rather, say in thankfulness you are grateful he was here.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1994 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remark originally made to Portland Mason shortly after the death of her father James Mason (circa late July or early August, 1994), later placed on his headstone; as quoted in "15 years after his death, film star finds …
“If we set the precedent of limiting the First Amendment, in order to protect the sensibilities of those who are offended by flag burning, what will we say the next time someone is offended by some other minority view, or by some other person's exercise of the freedom the Constitution is supposed to protect?”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Constituent letter (1997)
“There are some who seek to wreck the peace process. They are blinded by fear of a future they cannot imagine—a future in which respect for differences is a healing and unifying force. They are driven by an anger that holds no respect for life—even for the lives of children. But a new spirit of hope is gaining momentum. It can banish the fear that blinds. It can conquer the anger that fuels the merchants of violence. We are building an irresistible force that can make the immovable object move.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We dared to think, in that other Irish phrase, that this John Kennedy would live to comb gray hair, with his beloved Carolyn by his side. But like his father, he had every gift but length of years.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Eulogy for John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (23 July 1999)
“Every four years, citizens of our country exercise one of the most important rights of our democracy--the right to vote for the President of the United States. This constitutional privilege is valued by all Americans and envied by millions around the world. It proves that the will of the majority will prevail, and that power will be transferred peacefully through the election process from one President to the next, time and again.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The question is not whether we will disarm Saddam Hussein of his weapons of mass destruction but how. And it is wrong for Congress to declare war against Iraq now, before we have exhausted the alternatives. It is wrong for the president to demand a declaration of war from Congress when he says he has not decided whether to go to war. It is wrong to avert our attention now from the greater and far more immediate threat of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda terrorism.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Senate speech in opposition to the Iraq War (10 October 2002)
“You are what this debate is about. It is about good people who come to America to work, to raise their families, to contribute to their communities, and to reach for the American Dream. This debate goes to the heart of who we are as Americans. It will determine who can earn the privilege of citizenship. It will determine our strength in separating those who would harm us from those who contribute to our values.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech at immigration reform rally in favor of the McCain-Kennedy Bill at the National Mall, (10 April 2006)
“We cannot simply speak out against an escalation of troops in Iraq, we must act to prevent it... There can be no doubt that the Constitution gives Congress the authority to decide whether to fund military action, and Congress can demand a justification from the president for such action before it appropriates the funds to carry it out.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks to the National Press Club (9 January 2007), as quoted in "Official: First wave of troops to Iraq by Jan. 30" at MSNBC (9 January 2007)
“What is the price, we ask the other side? What is the price that you want from these working men and women? What cost? How much more do we have to give to the private sector and to business? How many billion dollars more, are you asking, are you requiring? When does the greed stop, we ask the other side? That’s the question and that’s the issue.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Senate speech (25 January 2007)
“But don't you realize, that's where I sail.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the Cape Wind Project, as quoted in Cape Wind : Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics, and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound (2007) by Wendy Williams and Robert Whitcomb, and also in a book review of it…
“I'd like to speak for a moment regarding the Hate Crimes Amendment -- at a time when our ideals are under attack by terrorists in other lands, it is more important than ever to demonstrate that we practice what we preach, and that we are doing all we can to root out the bigotry and prejudice in our own country that leads to violence here at home. Now more than ever, we need to act against hate crimes and send a strong message here at home and around the world that we will not tolerate crimes fueled by hate.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Senate speech in favor of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (25 September 2007)
“So it is with Barack Obama. He has lit a spark of hope amid the fierce urgency of now. I believe that a wave of change is moving across America. If we do not turn aside, if we dare to set our course for the shores of hope, we together will go beyond the divisions of the past and find our place to build the America of the future. My friends, I ask you to join in this historic journey - to have the courage to choose change. It is time again for a new generation of leadership. It is time now for Barack Obama.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 2008 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Endorsement speech for Obama’s presidential campaign in the 2008 presidential election
“I get up very early in the morning. I enjoy the quietness, the stillness, the rawness in the winter and fall. It's a special time.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Esquire: The Meaning of Life (2009), p. 81
“I will never forget the 5th anniversary of the Peace Corps where I sat with the very first group of volunteers. I asked each of them why they decided to get involved. They said it was the first time anyone asked them to do anything for their country. Today, another young president has challenged another generation to give back to their country”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I support Al Gore for President, not solely because he has helped lead us to the strongest economy in American history -- as important as that is. I support him with my whole resolve because I know from his record -- and not just from his words -- that Al Gore will not stop fighting -- Al Gore will not stop striving -- until we have quality, affordable health care for all Americans.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Two weeks ago, at the convention in Philadelphia, we heard a partisan negative attack on the past eight years as a time of lost opportunity and stalemate.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I thought maybe I’d start off initially with my association with the health issue and also the family’s association with the health issue and why it was a central force in my life growing up, and with my early days in the United States Senate—how the opportunity to become involved in it from a policy point of view, in many respects, goes back to my own observations about the importance of health in a personal way, but also in a way that exposed me as a young person to the policy considerations, and the impact that it had on me.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Then—this was very interesting—in Canada, the family with the spina bifida child, and they were taking care of it. While the mother had the spina bifida child, she had a family of four: three of them had graduated from high school and were out. She had one left, and she went and adopted three children who were disabled, and the governmental system paid for taking care of them—the food and the clothing and a stipend for the housing. You’d ask the mother why she took in these children and the mother’s response was, "I want to teach this child what love is all about.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You had this dramatic contrast between the system that was just wringing the last ounce of humanity out of a family, and this other system that was dealing with it in a humane and decent way, and a more economic way in terms of the whole process. I mean that was just one—I can remember it just as clearly as I’m here. You know, these things don’t leave you.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are ways of trying to undermine that, which the opposition is very clever at. I find that the arguments are old and they’re tired, but they still have a ring to them: the idea that you’re going to have a bureaucrat in every hospital who will be making medical decisions, the idea that hospitals will close, that doctors will leave, that the expenses will go on up through the roof, that you’ll have socialized medicine. All of these features can be manipulated in ways that can impact and affect people’s fundamental decency.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We had the attention, obviously, of Carter. He understood that the spending on health care was not unrelated to the spending on inflation. But there’s a way of dealing with both of those, and he wasn’t prepared to do that.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My fellow Democrats, my fellow Americans, it is so wonderful to be here. And nothing — nothing is going to keep me away from this special gathering tonight. I have come here tonight to stand with you to change America, to restore its future, to rise to our best ideals, and to elect Barack Obama president of the United States.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For me this is a season of hope -- new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few — new hope. And this is the cause of my life — new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American — north, south, east, west, young, old — will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are told that Barack Obama believes too much in an America of high principle and bold endeavor, but when John Kennedy called of going to the moon, he didn't say, "It's too far to get there. We shouldn't even try." Our people answered his call and rose to the challenge, and today an American flag still marks the surface of the moon.”
Ted Kennedy (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source