Address to the UN General Assembly (1961) Quotes
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Source: Address to the UN General Assembly (1961)
Speaker: John F. Kennedy
Mankind must put an end to war—or war will put an end to mankind.
Context
This line was spoken by John F. Kennedy in his 1961 Address to the UN General Assembly.
Nope, this isn't actually a Cold War quote. On September 25th, 1961, JFK addressed the recent death of Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary General of the United Nations, whom he called a "noble servant of peace." Hammarskjöld had been en route to Africa to negotiate a ceasefire when his plane crashed.
President Kennedy managed to fit a lot of other stuff into the address, too: six proposals for the new Disarmament Program, and solutions (or at least, plans) for the current crises in Berlin, Germany, Laos, and South Vietnam. You can only imagine what his to-do list must have looked like at the time.
With its simple language and straightforward style, this quote gives some presidential power to a message of peace. Listen up, flower children! This one's for you.
Where you've heard it
If you're into peace and love, you might have heard this quote at some kind of rally. Or maybe you've heard it from a super-political friend.
The Simpsons actually have a character that parodies JFK in Mayor Joe Quimby.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
If you feel like playing president, then sure, go ahead! But sorry to break it to you: you aren't the president. (Unless you actually are. Our apologies, Mr. Obama.)