“Above all, we are coming to understand that the arts incarnate the creativity of a free people. When the creative impulse cannot flourish, when it cannot freely select its methods and objects, when it is deprived of spontaneity, then society severs the root of art.”

“Art is the great democrat, calling forth creative genius from every sector of society, disregarding race or religion or wealth or color”

“If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.”

“If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.[Inaugural Address, January 20 1961]”

“To those peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required - not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”

“We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.”

“We must face the fact that the United States is neither omnipotent nor omniscient, that we cannot impose our will upon the other 94 percent of mankind, that we cannot right every wrong or reverse every adversity, and that therefore there cannot be an American solution to every world problem.”