---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Historians will come to their own…"
description: "\"Historians will come to their own judgments about President Kennedy. Here is how I choose to remember him. He was an heir to wealth who felt the anguis..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/edward-kennedy-3423_anguish_historians-will-come-to-their-own-judgme_2235095.jpg"
---

#  Historians will come to their own judgments about…

![“Historians will come to their own judgments about President Kennedy. Here is how I choose to remember him. He was an heir to wealth who felt the anguish of the poor. He was an orator of excellence who spoke for the voiceless. He was a son of Harvard who reached out to the sons and daughters of…” quote by Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/edward-kennedy-3423_anguish_historians-will-come-to-their-own-judgme_2235095.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/edward-kennedy-3423_anguish_historians-will-come-to-their-own-judgme_2235095.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/edward-kennedy-3423_anguish_historians-will-come-to-their-own-judgme_2235095.jpg)

> “Historians will come to their own judgments about President Kennedy. Here is how I choose to remember him. He was an heir to wealth who felt the anguish of the poor. He was an orator of excellence who spoke for the voiceless. He was a son of Harvard who reached out to the sons and daughters of Appalachia. He was a man of special grace who had a special care for the retarded and handicapped. He was a hero of war who fought hardest for peace. He said and proved in word and deed that one man can make a difference.”

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Kennedy is remembered for his empathy, eloquence, and commitment to social justice despite privileged background.

**In simple terms:** Kennedy cared for the poor and disabled, spoke for the voiceless, and sought peace.

Key Takeaway

Empathy and action can bridge privilege and poverty.

Themes

empathy social justice leadership legacy peace

Mood

reflective respectful

Type

historical commemorative inspirational

When to use this quote

- political speeches
- historical analysis
- public memorials
- education
- community outreach

Key Concepts

Privilege advocacy war peace disability rights

Questions to Reflect On

- How can privilege be used responsibly?
- What actions best honor his legacy?

A Different Perspective

His privileged background may have limited his lived experience of poverty.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anguish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anguish/) [Appalachia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appalachia/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Heirs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heirs/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Making a difference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-a-difference/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Orators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orators/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Son and daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son-and-daughter/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/)

## Related quotes

> [After all, Bao Bomu says, what is the past but what we choose to remember?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/after-all-bao-bomu-says-what-is-the-past-but-what-we-choose-to/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“There are moments we choose to remember because it stimulates our heart and there are some that leave you breathless.CHOOSE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bluenscottish/there-are-moments-we-choose-to-remember-because-it-stimulates-our/)

Bluenscottish

> [“But I shall choose to remember you, and it would be nice if it went both ways. That’s how it generally goes in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/but-i-shall-choose-to-remember-you-and-it-would-be-nice-if-it-went/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [People don't really absorb everything they read or hear. They just look at it quickly, and then they choose to remember what they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-grey/people-don-t-really-absorb-everything-they-read-or-hear-they-just/)

[Sasha Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-grey/)

> [When faced with choosing between remembrance and oblivion, I choose to remember... and to forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-fulger/when-faced-with-choosing-between-remembrance-and-oblivion-i-choose-to/)

[Mariana Fulger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-fulger/)

> [“A pity we cannot pick and choose what we remember.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-heath/a-pity-we-cannot-pick-and-choose-what-we-remember/)

[Lorraine Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-heath/)

> [“I choose what to remember, and I am choosing Rhiannon. Again and again, I am choosing her, I am conjuring her, because to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-choose-what-to-remember-and-i-am-choosing-rhiannon-again-and-again/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“Everyone’s past, I try to rationalize, is nothing more than the collection of memories they choose to remember.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davidson/everyone-s-past-i-try-to-rationalize-is-nothing-more-than-the/)

[Andrew Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davidson/)

> [I choose to remember the good things that happened, the opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-carlisle/i-choose-to-remember-the-good-things-that-happened-the-opportunity/)

[Rick Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-carlisle/)

> [“Their lives, our lives. All life on earth will be richer if we choose to remember everything we have in common.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-life/their-lives-our-lives-all-life-on-earth-will-be-richer-if-we-choose/)

One life

> [“What is the past but what we choose to remember?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/what-is-the-past-but-what-we-choose-to-remember/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [For memory is a moral action, a choice. You can choose to remember. You can choose not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/for-memory-is-a-moral-action-a-choice-you-can-choose-to-remember-you/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [“It’s up to you. Everyone should get to choose their own way, and that’s all I mean by yelling. But I shall choose to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/it-s-up-to-you-everyone-should-get-to-choose-their-own-way-and-that-s/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [I can't control what people think about me or how they choose to remember me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-sanu/i-can-t-control-what-people-think-about-me-or-how-they-choose-to/)

[Mohamed Sanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-sanu/)

> [“Life has a way of going in circles. Ideally, it would be a straight path forward––we'd always know where we were going, we'd always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-gorry-hines/life-has-a-way-of-going-in-circles-ideally-it-would-be-a-straight/)

Brigid Gorry-Hines

## More by Edward Kennedy

> [It's disgraceful that year after year, Congress has bowed to the tobacco lobby and refused to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/it-s-disgraceful-that-year-after-year-congress-has-bowed-to-the/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [Sometimes a party must sail against the wind. We cannot heed the call of those who say it is time to furl the sail.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/sometimes-a-party-must-sail-against-the-wind-we-cannot-heed-the-call/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [The torture and other sadistic abuses of prisoners in Iraq have done immense damage already to America's reputation in the world, and the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/the-torture-and-other-sadistic-abuses-of-prisoners-in-iraq-have-done/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [The great adventures which our opponents offer is a voyage into the past. Progress is our heritage, not theirs. What is right for us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/the-great-adventures-which-our-opponents-offer-is-a-voyage-into-the/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [Justice Lewis Powell spoke for all of us when he said: Equal justice under law is perhaps the most inspiring idea of our society.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/justice-lewis-powell-spoke-for-all-of-us-when-he-said-equal-justice/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [Frankly, I don't mind not being President. I just mind that someone else is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/frankly-i-don-t-mind-not-being-president-i-just-mind-that-someone/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [ \[W\]ords are fine, but it has to be what a generation reads into those words. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/w-ords-are-fine-but-it-has-to-be-what-a-generation-reads-into-those/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [Earlier this week ... scientists announced the completion of a task that once seemed unimaginable; and that is, the deciphering of the entire DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/earlier-this-week-scientists-announced-the-completion-of-a-task-that/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [She's a wonderful, wonderful person, and we're looking to a happy and wonderful night - ah, life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/she-s-a-wonderful-wonderful-person-and-we-re-looking-to-a-happy-and/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [I applaud the fact that the president has reached out to the members of Judiciary Committee. And I applaud. the fact that he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/i-applaud-the-fact-that-the-president-has-reached-out-to-the-members/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [ur struggle is not with some monarch named George who inherited the crown - although it often seems that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/ur-struggle-is-not-with-some-monarch-named-george-who-inherited-the/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [We are giving assurance to the American families that help is on its way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/we-are-giving-assurance-to-the-american-families-that-help-is-on-its/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [The AMA puts the lives and well being of the American citizens well below it's own special interest...It deserves to be ignored, rejected, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/the-ama-puts-the-lives-and-well-being-of-the-american-citizens-well/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [I won't yield to anyone about guns in our society. I know enough about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/i-won-t-yield-to-anyone-about-guns-in-our-society-i-know-enough-about/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/from-the-windows-of-my-office-in-boston-i-can-see-the-golden-stairs/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

[Explore all 131 Edward Kennedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

## More Anguish quotes

> [“He put his forehead against hers. “Alannah, my heart is yours.” He said softly. “And yet, I must hand it over to someone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-morin/he-put-his-forehead-against-hers-alannah-my-heart-is-yours-he-said/)

[B.C. Morin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-morin/)

> [Knowledge gives a wider choice and more anguish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-florman/knowledge-gives-a-wider-choice-and-more-anguish/)

[Samuel Florman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-florman/)

> [pg.9 "In my heart there's a peaceful anguish, and my calm is made of resignation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/pg-9-in-my-heart-there-s-a-peaceful-anguish-and-my-calm-is-made-of/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [Memory, with its fugitive adjustments, is the merciful veil to the grim enactments of the first law. It hides the anguish in the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-aumonier/memory-with-its-fugitive-adjustments-is-the-merciful-veil-to-the-grim/)

[Stacy Aumonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-aumonier/)

> [Our religion is itself profoundly sad - a religion of universal anguish, and one which, because of its very catholicity, grants full liberty to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/our-religion-is-itself-profoundly-sad-a-religion-of-universal-anguish/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/being-human-we-would-expel-from-our-lives-physical-pain-and-mental/)

[Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/)

> [The intellectuals' chief cause of anguish are one another's works. Jacques Barzun, 1959 all ignorance toboggans into know and trudges up to ignorance again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/the-intellectuals-chief-cause-of-anguish-are-one-another-s-works/)

[e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/)

> [I saw my parents as gods whose every wish must be obeyed or I would suffer the penalty of anguish and guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-wood/i-saw-my-parents-as-gods-whose-every-wish-must-be-obeyed-or-i-would/)

[Natalie Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-wood/)

> [Every last cast is actually a first cast. The first cast and first chance to catch the next fish. The next time you anguish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bishop/every-last-cast-is-actually-a-first-cast-the-first-cast-and-first/)

[Tony Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bishop/)

> [Journalism is an extraordinary and terrible privilege. Not by chance, if you are aware of it, does it consume you with a hundred feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/journalism-is-an-extraordinary-and-terrible-privilege-not-by-chance/)

[Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/)

> [I have discovered in my long life that there are many words and phrases which have more power than any spell of magick. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/i-have-discovered-in-my-long-life-that-there-are-many-words-and/)

[David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/)

> [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [I have designed my style pantomimes as white ink drawings on black backgrounds, so that man's destiny appears as a thread lost in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-marceau/i-have-designed-my-style-pantomimes-as-white-ink-drawings-on-black/)

[Marcel Marceau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-marceau/)

> [So silently, peacefully, without hurry, without any tension, without any anguish, move into yourself instantly. It is urgent. Unless meditation becomes urgent to you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/so-silently-peacefully-without-hurry-without-any-tension-without-any/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [It breaks my heart to think about a family weeping over the loss of a loved one. I understand the anguish that some feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-bush/it-breaks-my-heart-to-think-about-a-family-weeping-over-the-loss-of-a/)

[George P. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-bush/)

[Browse all 570 Anguish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anguish/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Historians will come to their own judgments about President Kennedy. Here is how I choose to remember him. He was an heir to wealth who felt the anguish of the poor. He was an orator of excellence who spoke for the voiceless. He was a son of Harvard who reached out to the sons and daughters of Appalachia. He was a man of special grace who had a special care for the retarded and handicapped. He was a hero of war who fought hardest for peace. He said and proved in word and deed that one man can make a difference.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward Kennedy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/historians-will-come-to-their-own-judgments-about-president-kennedy/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anguish"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/historians-will-come-to-their-own-judgments-about-president-kennedy/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/edward-kennedy-3423_anguish_historians-will-come-to-their-own-judgme_2235095.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/edward-kennedy-3423_anguish_historians-will-come-to-their-own-judgme_2235095.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/edward-kennedy-3423_anguish_historians-will-come-to-their-own-judgme_2235095.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Historians will come to their own judgments about President Kennedy. Here is how I choose to remember him…” — Edward Kennedy",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Edward Kennedy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Historians will come to their own...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/historians-will-come-to-their-own-judgments-about-president-kennedy/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/historians-will-come-to-their-own-judgments-about-president-kennedy/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
