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| “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” |
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John F Kennedy | Patriotism #46666
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Editor's Note: This was quoted by John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address after being sworn in as the thirty-fifth President of the United States on January 20, 1961. That short speech contains several other rhetorical gems such as, “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” |
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| “We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender” |
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| Winston Churchill | Freedom #46667
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Editor's Note: House of Commons, 4 June 1940, following the evacuation of British and French armies from Dunkirkas as the German tide swept through France. In this speech, Churchill had to describe a great military disaster, and warn of a possible Nazi German invasion attempt, without casting doubt on eventual victory. |
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| “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” |
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| Clarence Darrow | Change #46668
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Editor's Note: Incidentally this quote has been misquoted/ wrong attributed to Charles Darwin, the famous naturalist who first proposed the famous theory of natural selection. |
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| “I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands.” |
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| Nelson Mandela | Sacrifice #46669
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Editor's Note: Nelson Mandela's Speech upon release from prison in 1990. It was his hallmark – the absence of malice and political arrogance. His defining humility linked him to the billions around the world fighting for human dignity. |
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| “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” |
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| Mohandas Gandhi | Forgiveness #46670
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Editor's Note: "Interview to the Press" in Karachi about the execution of Bhagat Singh. Gandhi is asked two questions. First: "Do you not think it impolitic to forgive a government which has been guilty of a thousand murders?" Gandhi replies: "I do not know a single instance where forgiveness has been found so wanting as to be impolitic." In a follow-up question, Gandhi is asked: "But no country has ever shown such forgiveness as India is showing to Britain?" Gandhi replies: "That does not affect my reply. What is true of individuals is true of nations. One cannot forgive too much. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." |
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| Mikhail Gorbachev | Faith #46671
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Editor's Note: When asked by a reporter if he thought the Berlin Wall should be dismantled (May 1989), as quoted in "How Reagan and Gorbachev sowed 'seeds of freedom'" in National Post (6 November 2009). |
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| “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” |
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| Barack Obama | Change #46673
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Editor's Note: Barack Obama in his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, February 5th, 2008. This speech and a series of inspirational speeches with the theme "Yes We Can" were the run up to his historic victory as the first U.S. President of African American lineage. |
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| “Nature makes penicillin. I just found it.” |
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| Alexander Fleming | Nature #46676
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Editor's Note: Alexander Fleming was quoted saying this when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1945. He is renowned for the breakthrough discovery of enzyme lysozyme in 1922 which subsequently led to the discovery of the antibiotic substance "penicillin". |
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