For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.
Interpretation
Change is inevitable, and focusing only on the past or present can hinder future opportunities.
This quote by John F. Kennedy emphasizes the importance of change as a fundamental aspect of life. It suggests that time does not pause, and while one may reflect on past experiences or the current state of affairs, an inability to embrace change will result in missed opportunities and a lack of progress. The message encourages an open-minded outlook towards the future, highlighting the necessity of adapting to new circumstances to achieve growth and success.
In practice
In a motivational speech about embracing new challenges in our careers.
The great battleground for the defense and expansion of freedom today is the whole southern half of the globe... the lands of the rising peoples. Their revolution is the greatest in human history. They seek an end to injustice, tyranny and exploitation. More than an end, they seek a beginning.
I had always enjoyed the title of Commander-in-Chief until I was informed ... that the only forces that cannot be transferred from Washington without my express permission are the members of the Marine Corps Band. Those are the only forces I have. I want it announced that we propose to hold the White House against all odds at least for some time to come.
I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children - not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women - not merely peace in our time but peace for all time.
I just received the following wire from my generous Daddy; Dear Jack, Don't buy a single vote more than is necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide.
Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.
Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.
More people are killed by stray bullets every day in America than have been killed by Ebola here. More are dying because of poverty and hunger.
The Millennium Development Goals can be met by 2015, but only if all involved break with business as usual and dramatically accelerate and scale up action now.
It is most unusual to return to a place that has changed in ways you yourself have altered.
One reason that the task of inventing manners is so difficult is that etiquette is folk custom, and people have emotional ties to the forms of their youth. That is why there is such hostility between generations in times of rapid change; their manners being different, each feels affronted by the other, taking even the most surface choices for challenges.
We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it.
It's amazing how people can get so excited about a rocket to the moon and not give a damn about smog, oil leaks, the devastation of the environment with pesticides, hunger, disease. When the poor share some of the power that the affluent now monopolize, we will give a damn.
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