--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are not afraid to entrust the American…" description: "\"We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/john-f-kennedy-246_american_we-are-not-afraid-to-entrust-the-america_1416061.jpg" --- # We are not afraid to entrust the American people with… ![“We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.” quote by John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/john-f-kennedy-246_american_we-are-not-afraid-to-entrust-the-america_1416061.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/john-f-kennedy-246_american_we-are-not-afraid-to-entrust-the-america_1416061.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/john-f-kennedy-246_american_we-are-not-afraid-to-entrust-the-america_1416061.jpg) > “We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.” [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A free society must expose its people to diverse ideas and truths; fear of open discourse harms democracy. **In simple terms:** Open ideas are vital for democracy. Key Takeaway Protect free discourse. Themes freedom truth democracy Mood cautious hopeful Type political inspirational When to use this quote - education - media - political debate Key Concepts pluralism public discourse Questions to Reflect On - What limits do we place on information? - How can we foster open dialogue? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [“We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-are-not-afraid-to-entrust-the-american-people-with-unpleasant-3/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-are-not-afraid-to-entrust-the-american-people-with-unpleasant-2/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/a-nation-that-is-afraid-to-let-its-people-judge-the-truth-and/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [The greatest freedom of all is that which from fear, don't be afraid to be yourself people will judge you anyway, its better to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olermiday/the-greatest-freedom-of-all-is-that-which-from-fear-don-t-be-afraid/) [Blaze Olermiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olermiday/) > [The New Frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises, it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-new-frontier-of-which-i-speak-is-not-a-set-of-promises-it-is-a/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I believe the American people are more concerned with a man's views and abilities than with the church to which he belongs. I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/i-believe-the-american-people-are-more-concerned-with-a-man-s-views/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I'm afraid of people, in a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-haslam/i-m-afraid-of-people-in-a-way/) [Nicholas Haslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-haslam/) > [Consider what people think of you, but don't be afraid of what people think of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-holm/consider-what-people-think-of-you-but-don-t-be-afraid-of-what-people/) [Anders Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-holm/) > [Be honest about mistakes. Even if you are afraid of what people think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/be-honest-about-mistakes-even-if-you-are-afraid-of-what-people-think/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [Personally, I think they killed the bear because they were afraid of it. That s what people do, kill the things they re afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-thomas-ford/personally-i-think-they-killed-the-bear-because-they-were-afraid-of/) [Michael Thomas Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-thomas-ford/) > [“We don’t have to be so afraid of people. They are just people like us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-beattie/we-don-t-have-to-be-so-afraid-of-people-they-are-just-people-like-us/) [Melody Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-beattie/) > [Sometimes I am afraid for people like you who have to know things. Your kind will dig and hunt and worry at it until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isobelle-carmody/sometimes-i-am-afraid-for-people-like-you-who-have-to-know-things/) [Isobelle Carmody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isobelle-carmody/) > [I've been afraid of people playing their life away with too many toys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-ve-been-afraid-of-people-playing-their-life-away-with-too-many-toys/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [For years I would sit on the side when my friends swam in the water. There is no feeling worse than that, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/netta-barzilai/for-years-i-would-sit-on-the-side-when-my-friends-swam-in-the-water/) [Netta Barzilai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/netta-barzilai/) > [I am not a bit afraid of Siegfried Sassoon. That man can think. I am afraid only of people who cannot think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-am-not-a-bit-afraid-of-siegfried-sassoon-that-man-can-think-i-am/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) ## More by John F. Kennedy > [“We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-shall-pay-any-price-bear-any-burden-meet-any-hardship-support-any/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We stand today on the edge of a new frontier - the frontier of the 1960's - a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-stand-today-on-the-edge-of-a-new-frontier-the-frontier-of-the-1960/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We must recognize that every nation determines its policies in terms of its own interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-must-recognize-that-every-nation-determines-its-policies-in-terms/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Someone always needs rescuing, yet there's only one person who ever seems to understand you. It's a lot like being Lassie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/someone-always-needs-rescuing-yet-there-s-only-one-person-who-ever/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Student loans have been helpful to many. But they offer neither incentive nor assistance to those students who, by reason of family or other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/student-loans-have-been-helpful-to-many-but-they-offer-neither/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Great crises produce great men, and great deeds of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/great-crises-produce-great-men-and-great-deeds-of-courage/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [There comes a point where you see no evidence that the carrot and diplomacy are working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/there-comes-a-point-where-you-see-no-evidence-that-the-carrot-and/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Suspicion on one side breeds suspicion on the other, and new weapons beget counter-weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/suspicion-on-one-side-breeds-suspicion-on-the-other-and-new-weapons/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We have some of the most influential Members of Congress here today, and I do hope that we can get this appropriation for these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-have-some-of-the-most-influential-members-of-congress-here-today/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Disarmament without checks is but a shadow - and a community without law is but a shell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/disarmament-without-checks-is-but-a-shadow-and-a-community-without/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [This is one country. It has become one country because all of us and all the people who came here had an equal chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/this-is-one-country-it-has-become-one-country-because-all-of-us-and/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-courage-of-life-is-often-a-less-dramatic-spectacle-than-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/washington-is-a-city-of-southern-efficiency-and-northern-charm/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/peace-does-not-rest-in-the-charters-and-covenants-alone-it-lies-in/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) [Explore all 824 John F. Kennedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John F. 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