Truth is a tyrant-the only tyrant to whom we can give our allegiance. The service of truth is a matter of heroism.
Interpretation
Truth demands loyalty and courage, making it a worthy cause for one's allegiance.
In this quote, John F. Kennedy emphasizes the paramount importance of truth, suggesting that it is the ultimate authority to which we should owe our fidelity. He frames the pursuit and service of truth as a noble and heroic endeavor, highlighting the courage required to uphold it in the face of challenges and potentials for tyranny from other influences.
In practice
In a speech about integrity, one might say, 'As John F. Kennedy noted, truth demands our allegiance, and this discourse encourages us to serve it with heroism.'
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.
Weak character will neutralize all of the other possible good qualities a person might possess.
Being-alone is a deficient mode of being-with; its possibility is a proof for the latter.
My ancestors were Brahmins. They spent their lives in search of god. I am spending my life in search of man.
Where does one go from a world of insanity? Somewhere on the other side of despair.
Religion is of general and public concern, and on its support depend, in great measure, the peace and good order of government, the safety and happiness of the people.
This world could not have been the work of an all-loving being, but that of a devil, who had brought creatures into existence in order to delight in the sight of their sufferings.
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