--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ted Sorrenson, JFK's presidential speech…" description: "\"Ted Sorrenson, JFK's presidential speech writer, when asked how it came about that he wrote the \"ask not what you can do...\" speech, he would answer 'a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/peggy-noonan-4902_answers_ted-sorrenson-jfk-s-presidential-speech_1299504.png" --- # Ted Sorrenson, JFK's presidential speech writer, when… ![“Ted Sorrenson, JFK's presidential speech writer, when asked how it came about that he wrote the "ask not what you can do..." speech, he would answer 'ask not.'” quote by Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/peggy-noonan-4902_answers_ted-sorrenson-jfk-s-presidential-speech_1299504.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/peggy-noonan-4902_answers_ted-sorrenson-jfk-s-presidential-speech_1299504.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/peggy-noonan-4902_answers_ted-sorrenson-jfk-s-presidential-speech_1299504.png) > “Ted Sorrenson, JFK's presidential speech writer, when asked how it came about that he wrote the "ask not what you can do..." speech, he would answer 'ask not.'” [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The phrase “ask not” encapsulates the essence of the speech. **In simple terms:** “Ask not” is the core message. Key Takeaway Focus on core message. Themes politics communication leadership Mood analytical reflective Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - campaign speeches - public addresses - teaching - writing Key Concepts rhetoric public speaking Questions to Reflect On - What makes a phrase memorable? - How does brevity affect persuasion? A Different Perspective Simplifying can omit nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Ask Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-speech-4262799/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Jfk Presidential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jfk-presidential-4262800/) [Presidential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidential/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Speech Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech-writer-2869155/) [Writer Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-asked-1705998/) [Wrote Ask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-ask-1338060/) ## Related quotes > [I wrote 'All You Could Ask For' to honor a friend, Heidi Armitage, who left us much too soon in 2009 at the age of 43.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-greenberg/i-wrote-all-you-could-ask-for-to-honor-a-friend-heidi-armitage-who/) [Mike Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-greenberg/) > [I could use a Chris Matthews-level speech writer to script everything I say. 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I told my father I wanted to be a writer, he had asked me to consider my unfortunate wife, who would have me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mortimer/when-i-told-my-father-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-he-had-asked-me-to/) [John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mortimer/) > [“As you know, Joyce was a writer who asked his reader to give him a lifetime,” he said. “I am that reader, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/as-you-know-joyce-was-a-writer-who-asked-his-reader-to-give-him-a/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) ## More by Peggy Noonan > [Politicians, please, think of yourselves! Move to help Terri Schiavo, and no one will be mad at you, and you'll keep a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/politicians-please-think-of-yourselves-move-to-help-terri-schiavo-and/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [What we need most right now, at this moment, is a kind of patriotic grace - a grace that takes the long view, apprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/what-we-need-most-right-now-at-this-moment-is-a-kind-of-patriotic/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [I love eulogies. They are the most moving kind of speech because they attempt to pluck meaning from the fog, and on short order,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/i-love-eulogies-they-are-the-most-moving-kind-of-speech-because-they/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [But one immediate thing can be done right now, and that is: lower the temperature. 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That's why there are walls around mental institutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/boundaries-aren-t-all-bad-that-s-why-there-are-walls-around-mental/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [TV gives everyone an image, but radio gives birth to a million images in a million brains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/tv-gives-everyone-an-image-but-radio-gives-birth-to-a-million-images/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [When everyone in America knows you're in a dreadful position, admit you're in a dreadful position. Don't lie about it and make them roll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/when-everyone-in-america-knows-you-re-in-a-dreadful-position-admit/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [Beware the politically obsessed. 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