John F. Kennedy
Historical Figure1917-1963
From United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches: From Washington to George W. Bush by United States. Presidents
We choose to go to the moon not because it is easy, but because it is hard.
Known for: 35th President of the United States, Cold War statesman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and architect of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
About John F. Kennedy
Role: 35th President of the United States, author, Navy veteran, and Cold War statesman.
Core Belief: The torch has been passed to a new generation — and with it, the obligation to bear the burden of freedom not because it is easy, but because the survival of liberty depends on those willing to defend it.
Worldview: America has a special obligation to the cause of human freedom — not as an act of charity but as a condition of its own survival. Peace is not the absence of conflict but the mastery of it through strength, negotiation, and the patient work of diplomacy.
Public Consultations with John F. Kennedy
RoundtableMar 5, 20262 messages
Are great leaders born or made?
Participants:John F. Kennedy
You: Are great leaders born or made?
John F. Kennedy: That is a question we all must consider – are leaders born with inherent greatness, or molded by circumstance? I would argue it is both, though leaning towards the latter. A spark might be innate – a…
RoundtableMar 1, 20264 messages
How do you negotiate with someone you fundamentall...
Participants:John F. Kennedy
G. Westinghouse
Niccolò Machiavelli
You: How do you negotiate with someone you fundamentally don't trust?
Mentor: Distrust is no reason to avoid negotiation; it is a reason to negotiate with open eyes. We faced that very challenge in Cuba, in October of '62. Khrushchev, after all, had lied about those missiles. Y…
Mentor: Well, trust is earned, not given freely. In business, I always look for verifiable actions. Put the agreement in writing, with clear performance metrics. Ensure there are safeguards, mechanisms for in…
RoundtableFeb 26, 20264 messages
What's the best way to find a career?
Participants:John F. Kennedy
You: I'm working in commercial development but its not my passion. Should I stay when the money is good or should I explore other paths, maybe go back to school.
Mentor: The pursuit of happiness is fundamental, but it's not always found on the well-trodden path. Seneca wrote of men becoming sick of the world, asking "How long are we to go on doing the same thing?" The…
You: What do you think about social media and how it's changed politics?
RoundtableFeb 26, 202618 messages
What do you make of a leader who says all the right things but never seems to ac…
Participants:John F. Kennedy
You: What do you make of a leader who says all the right things but never seems to act?
Mentor: Rhetoric without action is a dangerous thing. As Montaigne observed, 'Saying is a different thing from doing; we are to consider the sermon apart and the preacher apart.' A leader must *be* the change…
You: Do you ever doubt yourself?
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