Ted Kennedy quotes

Ted Kennedy was an American politician and longtime U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. One of the most influential members of the Kennedy family, his career spanned nearly five decades. He became known for his advocacy on healthcare, education, and social justice issues. Here are 132 of his quotes:

I won't yield to anyone about guns in our society. I know enough about it.

Ted Kennedy

Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized – the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old.... When history looks back to this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family, and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception.

Ted Kennedy

My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.

Ted Kennedy

We cannot simply speak out against an escalation of troops in Iraq, we must act to prevent it... There can be no doubt that the Constitution gives Congress the authority to decide whether to fund military action, and Congress can demand a justification from the president for such action before it appropriates the funds to carry it out.

Ted Kennedy

From the windows of my office in Boston ... I can see the Golden Stairs from Boston Harbor where all eight of my great-grandparents set foot on this great land for the first time. That immigrant spirit of limitless possibility animates America even today.

Ted Kennedy

For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.

Ted Kennedy

In fact, the legal system is in part responsible for their very size and growth. And too often when the individual finds himself in conflict with these forces, the legal system sides with the giant institution, not the small businessman or private citizen.

Ted Kennedy

What we have in the United States is not so much a health-care system as a disease-care system.

Ted Kennedy

I get up very early in the morning. I enjoy the quietness, the stillness, the rawness in the winter and fall. It's a special time.

Ted Kennedy

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.

Ted Kennedy

Never say in grief you are sorry he's gone. Rather, say in thankfulness you are grateful he was here.

Ted Kennedy

For me this is a season of hope -- new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few - new hope. And this is the cause of my life - new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American - north, south, east, west, young, old - will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.

Ted Kennedy

Love is not an easy feeling to put into words. Nor is loyalty, or trust, or joy. But he was all of these. He loved life completely and he lived it intensely.

Ted Kennedy

The Constitution does not just protect those whose views we share; it also protects those with whose views we disagree.

Ted Kennedy

Integrity is the lifeblood of democracy. Deceit is a poison in its veins.

Ted Kennedy

For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make.

Ted Kennedy

But don't you realize, that's where I sail.

Ted Kennedy

I will never forget the 5th anniversary of the Peace Corps where I sat with the very first group of volunteers. I asked each of them why they decided to get involved. They said it was the first time anyone asked them to do anything for their country. Yeah Today, another young president has challenged another generation to give back to their country.

Ted Kennedy

We are told that Barack Obama believes too much in an America of high principle and bold endeavor, but when John Kennedy called of going to the moon, he didn't say, "It's too far to get there. We shouldn't even try." Our people answered his call and rose to the challenge, and today an American flag still marks the surface of the moon.

Ted Kennedy

You don't choose the time. The time chooses you. Either you seize what may turn out to be the only chance you have, or you decide you're willing to live with the knowledge that the chance had passed you by.

Ted Kennedy

The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives on.

Ted Kennedy

There is a new wave of change all around us, and if we set our compass true, we will reach our destination - not merely victory for our Party, but renewal for our nation.

Ted Kennedy