Remember and help America remember that the fellowship of human beings is more important than the fellowship of race and class and gender in a democratic society.
So much of the deep lingering sadness over President Kennedy's assassination is about the unfinished promise: unspoken speeches, unfulfilled hopes, the wondering about what might have been.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the grief surrounding JFK's assassination, emphasizing the lost potential and unrealized dreams associated with his leadership.
Marian Wright Edelman poignantly captures the deep sorrow experienced after the assassination of President Kennedy, suggesting that the sadness stems not only from the loss of a leader but from the myriad of possibilities that were cut short. The quote highlights the emotional weight of unfulfilled ambitions and the collective yearning for a future that could have been shaped by Kennedy's vision and leadership, creating a powerful sense of what was lost.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a memorial service reflecting on impactful leaders who faced untimely deaths.
More from Marian Wright Edelman
All quotes βFar less wealthy industrialized countries have committed to end child poverty, while the United States is sliding backwards. We can do better. We must demand that our leaders do better.
Dr. King used to say, 'I was sitting in the back of the bus, but my mind was always up front.' Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do it. You aim high and you work very hard and now I think it's clear that you can be anything you want to.
The outside world told black kids when I was growing up that we weren't worth anything. But our parents said it wasn't so, and our churches and our schoolteachers said it wasn't so. They believed in us, and we, therefore, believed in ourselves.
I was taught that the world had a lot of problems; that I could struggle and change them; that intellectual and material gifts brought the privilege and responsibility of sharing with others less fortunate; and that service is the rent each of us pays for living - the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time or after you have reached your personal goals.
We must always refill and ensure there is a critical mass of leaders and activists committed to nonviolence and racial and economic justice who will keep seeding and building transforming movements.
Similar quotes
There is almost no country in Africa where it is not essential to know to which tribe, or which subgroup of which tribe, the president belongs. From this single piece of information you can trace the lines of patronage and allegiance that define the state.
There might be a lot of difference between Republicans and Democrats on key social issues like women's rights and health care. But when it comes to taking corporate cash, they're pretty much the same beast.
The sight of allegedly sophisticated politicians parroting complete tripe trivialises and demeans government and it has to be stopped. It's played a significant part in public disillusionment with politics and has led to the absurd situation where more people vote for 'Strictly Come Dancing' than voted in the general election.
For what were all these country patriots born? To hunt, and vote, and raise the price of corn?
The task of the media in a democracy is not to ease the path of those who govern, but to make life difficult for them by constant vigilance as to how they exercise the power they only hold in trust from the people.
To be an enemy of America can be dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal