We dare not forget that we are the heirs of that first revolution.
Interpretation
We must remember our roots and the sacrifices made for our freedom.
John F. Kennedy's quote emphasizes the importance of remembering the foundational values and struggles of the past, particularly the revolutionary efforts that secured our freedoms. It serves as a reminder that each generation inherits the legacy of those who fought for liberty and justice, urging us to honor and uphold those principles.
In practice
In a speech about national identity, we might use this quote to remind people of the sacrifices made for our freedoms.
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.
Listen my children and you shall hear, Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere
The death of Churchill at 90 was one of those watershed moments in which the obituary rises to a special calling beyond the sharing of remembered times. It gave an older generation a rare opportunity to explain something of itself to its children.
If you seek Hamilton's monument, look around. You are living in it. We honor Jefferson, but live in Hamilton's country, a mighty industrial nation with a strong central government.
I think we continually need to understand how important an event the war was - how defining, how central to who we are. Everything that came before it led up to it, and everything of importance to this country - at least up to 1940 - was a consequence of it. Even now there's an echo of the war, however faint, in almost everyone's life.
History never looks like history when you are living through it. It always looks confusing and messy, and it always feels uncomfortable.
Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together!
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