If all of you had voted the other way - there's about 5500 of you here tonight - I would not be the President of the United States.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of collective decision-making and the impact of individual votes in a democratic system.
John F. Kennedy's quote reflects the significance of civic engagement and the power each individual holds in shaping the outcome of elections. By acknowledging the possibility that a different voting outcome would have altered his status as President, he underscores the collective responsibility of citizens in a democracy and the profound influence their choices can have on history.
In practice
During a campaign rally to encourage voter turnout.
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.
Where might is mixed with wit, there is too good an accord in a government.
Experience shows that great enterprises seldom end with a tidy and satisfactory flourish. Together, we are doing our best to re-establish peace and civil order in the Gulf region, and to help those members of civil and ethnic minorities who continue to suffer through no fault of their own. If we succeed, our military success will have achieved its true objective.
The most common source of mistakes in management decisions is the emphasis on finding the right answer rather than the right question.
Female service members are so integrated into the military, so critical and vital to all functions of the military, from combat service support to combat support, to direct combat, that we could not go to war as a nation - we could not defend America - without our women.
A statesman who keeps his ear permanently glued to the ground will have neither elegance of posture nor flexibility of movement.
It is important that an aim never be defined in terms of activity or methods. It must always relate directly to how life is better for everyone. . . . The aim of the system must be clear to everyone in the system. The aim must include plans for the future. The aim is a value judgment.
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