--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: President Kennedy’s assassination, less…" description: "\"President Kennedy’s assassination, less than two weeks ago, has struck the world dumb. It’s like no one wants to be the first to break the silence. Not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/kathryn-stockett-1284_assassination_president-kennedy-s-assassination-less-t_2464880.jpg" --- # President Kennedy’s assassination, less than two weeks… ![“President Kennedy’s assassination, less than two weeks ago, has struck the world dumb. It’s like no one wants to be the first to break the silence. Nothing seems important.” quote by Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/kathryn-stockett-1284_assassination_president-kennedy-s-assassination-less-t_2464880.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/kathryn-stockett-1284_assassination_president-kennedy-s-assassination-less-t_2464880.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/kathryn-stockett-1284_assassination_president-kennedy-s-assassination-less-t_2464880.jpg) > “President Kennedy’s assassination, less than two weeks ago, has struck the world dumb. It’s like no one wants to be the first to break the silence. Nothing seems important.” [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes collective shock and silence following a national tragedy, feeling loss of purpose **In simple terms:** World feels stunned after a leader’s death Key Takeaway Acknowledge grief and find new purpose Themes grief national trauma silence Mood somber reflective Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - public discourse - personal coping - historical analysis Key Concepts Collective mourning media impact historical memory Questions to Reflect On - What actions can restore meaning after a crisis? - How does silence affect societal recovery? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on despair can hinder healing ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assassination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assassination/) [Assassination Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assassination-weeks-696478/) [Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Break Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-silence-653182/) [Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumb/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kennedy/) [Kennedy assassination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kennedy-assassination/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-kennedy/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Silence Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-important-696479/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [ \[On President Kennedy's assassination Nov. 22, 1963:\] Something dreadful is going to happen to the president today. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-dixon/on-president-kennedy-s-assassination-nov-22-1963-something-dreadful/) [Jeane Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-dixon/) > [It was around 1985 before I heard the news of President Kennedy's assassination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/it-was-around-1985-before-i-heard-the-news-of-president-kennedy-s/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [If Lee Harvey Oswald had nothing to do with President Kennedy's assassination and was framed…this otherwise independent and defiant would-be revolutionary, who disliked taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-bugliosi/if-lee-harvey-oswald-had-nothing-to-do-with-president-kennedy-s/) [Vincent Bugliosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-bugliosi/) > [“The faster they jumped to break the silence, the more important the situation was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-grey/the-faster-they-jumped-to-break-the-silence-the-more-important-the/) [Jamie Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-grey/) > [“In 1963 activists demanding racial justice forced President Kennedy to come out for civil rights legislation. Within a year and a half of Kennedy's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-patterson/in-1963-activists-demanding-racial-justice-forced-president-kennedy/) [James T. Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-patterson/) > [I love talking about Kennedy assassination...a great archetypal example of how totalitarian government...sorry, wrong meeting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-love-talking-about-kennedy-assassination-a-great-archetypal-example/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [I was driving home the other night, listening to the radio, and the guy filling in for Art Bell on Coast to Coast AM…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rippetoe/i-was-driving-home-the-other-night-listening-to-the-radio-and-the-guy/) [Mark Rippetoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rippetoe/) > [The Kennedy assassination has demonstrated that most of the major events of world significance are masterfully planned and orchestrated by an elite coterie of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-fletcher-prouty/the-kennedy-assassination-has-demonstrated-that-most-of-the-major/) [L. Fletcher Prouty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-fletcher-prouty/) > [The Kennedy assassination is one of the ghostliest parts of our history. The Kennedy family - that's our royalty. It's fascinating and tragic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-belzer/the-kennedy-assassination-is-one-of-the-ghostliest-parts-of-our/) [Richard Belzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-belzer/) > [Dogs would make totally incompetent criminals. If you could somehow get a group of dogs to understand the concept of the Kennedy assassination, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/dogs-would-make-totally-incompetent-criminals-if-you-could-somehow/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Medicare, getting through that in the '60s, after Kennedy's assassination, where there was such an emotional desire to do something to carry on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/medicare-getting-through-that-in-the-60s-after-kennedy-s/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [I love talking about the Kennedy assassination. The reason I do is because I'm fascinated by it. I'm fascinated that our government could lie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-love-talking-about-the-kennedy-assassination-the-reason-i-do-is/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [People tell me, 'Bill, let it go. The Kennedy assassination was years ago. It was just the assassination of a President and the hijacking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/people-tell-me-bill-let-it-go-the-kennedy-assassination-was-years-ago/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [I'm trying to finish my book on the Kennedy assassination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-bugliosi/i-m-trying-to-finish-my-book-on-the-kennedy-assassination/) [Vincent Bugliosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-bugliosi/) > [It's impossible to write about the Kennedy assassination and its aftermath without taking note of twenty-five years of paranoia which has collected around that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/it-s-impossible-to-write-about-the-kennedy-assassination-and-its/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) ## More by Kathryn Stockett > [Oh, it was delicious to have someone to keep secrets with. If I'd had a sister or a brother closer in age, I guessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/oh-it-was-delicious-to-have-someone-to-keep-secrets-with-if-i-d-had-a/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [I was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1969, in a time and place where no one was saying, 'Look how far we've come,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/i-was-born-in-jackson-mississippi-in-1969-in-a-time-and-place-where/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“Tonight, I'll strip off all this armor and let it be as it was before..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/tonight-i-ll-strip-off-all-this-armor-and-let-it-be-as-it-was-before/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“We look at each other a second. " I'm tired of the rules," I say. Aibileen chuckles and looks out the window. I realise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/we-look-at-each-other-a-second-i-m-tired-of-the-rules-i-say-aibileen/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“She blow em clean over. She suck the grits off the candle and start eating. After while, she smile up at me, say, "How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/she-blow-em-clean-over-she-suck-the-grits-off-the-candle-and-start/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [Babies like fat. Like to bury they face up in you armpit and go to sleep. They like big fat legs too. That I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/babies-like-fat-like-to-bury-they-face-up-in-you-armpit-and-go-to/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [They say it's like true love, good help. You only get one in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/they-say-it-s-like-true-love-good-help-you-only-get-one-in-a-lifetime/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [That white uniform was her 'pass' to get into white places with us - the grocery store, the state fair, the movies. Even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/that-white-uniform-was-her-pass-to-get-into-white-places-with-us-the/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“Kindness don't have no boundaries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/kindness-don-t-have-no-boundaries/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [Her nose wrinkle up cause now she got to remember to say she Mae Mobley Three, when her whole life she can remember, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/her-nose-wrinkle-up-cause-now-she-got-to-remember-to-say-she-mae/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“And then I realize what I’ve known all night. He is looking at me but he is thinking about... her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/and-then-i-realize-what-i-ve-known-all-night-he-is-looking-at-me-but/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“He needs "space" and "time," as if this were physics and not a human relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/he-needs-space-and-time-as-if-this-were-physics-and-not-a-human/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“Find I can get my point across a lot better writing them down”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/find-i-can-get-my-point-across-a-lot-better-writing-them-down/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“That’s her favorite story cause when I tell it, she get two presents. I take the brown wrapping from my Piggly Wiggly grocery bag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/that-s-her-favorite-story-cause-when-i-tell-it-she-get-two-presents-i/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [Stuart stands and says, 'Come here,' and he's on my side of the room in one stride and he claps my hands to his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/stuart-stands-and-says-come-here-and-he-s-on-my-side-of-the-room-in/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) [Explore all 250 Kathryn Stockett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) ## More Assassination quotes > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ We have the ability to take him \[President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez\] out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/we-have-the-ability-to-take-him-president-of-venezuela-hugo-chavez/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [“Assassination is murder with a touch more precision. Brother Sim is precise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/assassination-is-murder-with-a-touch-more-precision-brother-sim-is/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [Strange, (is it not?) that battles, martyrs, blood, even assassination should so condense - perhaps only really lastingly condense - a Nationality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/strange-is-it-not-that-battles-martyrs-blood-even-assassination/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [In modern day academia, secretly assassinating your peers is not necessarily performed the same way it was in king Tarquins day. The growth in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-spacey/in-modern-day-academia-secretly-assassinating-your-peers-is-not/) [Simon Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-spacey/) > [The Romans have provided a lot of writers with a model for various interstellar empires, of course, and no wonder. The Roman Empire is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/the-romans-have-provided-a-lot-of-writers-with-a-model-for-various/) [Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/) > [We know from Talmadge Hayer, one of the men who carried out the assassination, who was shot by Ruben X as he tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manning-marable/we-know-from-talmadge-hayer-one-of-the-men-who-carried-out-the/) [Manning Marable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manning-marable/) > [Assassination's the fastest way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/assassination-s-the-fastest-way/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [“He also had a condition that was referred to as granulated eyelids and it caused him to blink more than usual, as if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-hansen/he-also-had-a-condition-that-was-referred-to-as-granulated-eyelids/) [Ron Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-hansen/) > [“Hundreds of political assassinations related to minority races, labor leaders and spokesmen against fascism have taken place in the U.S. since World War II.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-brussell/hundreds-of-political-assassinations-related-to-minority-races-labor/) [Mae Brussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-brussell/) > [However, after the assassination of Salman Taseer, the killer of Salman Taseer was welcomed by the religious fanatics. And they showered rose petals on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahbaz-bhatti/however-after-the-assassination-of-salman-taseer-the-killer-of-salman/) [Shahbaz Bhatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahbaz-bhatti/) > [There is not a single celebrated Southern name in any of the departments of human industry except those of war, assassination, lynching, murder, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-not-a-single-celebrated-southern-name-in-any-of-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I think that the implication of King's assassination has not been fully appreciated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-think-that-the-implication-of-king-s-assassination-has-not-been/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [The Senate has been debased to the level of a forum of hate and character assassination sheltered by the shield of congressional immunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-chase-smith/the-senate-has-been-debased-to-the-level-of-a-forum-of-hate-and/) [Margaret Chase Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-chase-smith/) > [A deep, black grief gripped Robert Kennedy in the months following his brother's assassination. He lost weight, fell into melancholy silences, wore his brother's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-clarke/a-deep-black-grief-gripped-robert-kennedy-in-the-months-following-his/) [Thurston Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-clarke/) [Browse all 264 Assassination quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assassination/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "President Kennedy’s assassination, less than two weeks ago, has struck the world dumb. It’s like no one wants to be the first to break the silence. Nothing seems important.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kathryn Stockett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/president-kennedy-s-assassination-less-than-two-weeks-ago-has-struck/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assassination" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/president-kennedy-s-assassination-less-than-two-weeks-ago-has-struck/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/kathryn-stockett-1284_assassination_president-kennedy-s-assassination-less-t_2464880.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/kathryn-stockett-1284_assassination_president-kennedy-s-assassination-less-t_2464880.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/kathryn-stockett-1284_assassination_president-kennedy-s-assassination-less-t_2464880.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“President Kennedy’s assassination, less than two weeks ago, has struck the world dumb. It’s like no one…” — Kathryn Stockett", "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": "Kathryn Stockett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "President Kennedy’s assassination, less than two...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/president-kennedy-s-assassination-less-than-two-weeks-ago-has-struck/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/president-kennedy-s-assassination-less-than-two-weeks-ago-has-struck/#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 } } ] } ```