The Wit and Wisdom of Ted Kennedy - Bill Adler [31]
Atonement is a process that never ends. I believe that. Maybe it’s a New England thing, or an Irish thing, or a Catholic thing. Maybe all of those things. But it’s as it should be.
—True Compass: A Memoir, 2009
I’m not afraid to die.
—Said in response to a reporter’s question
soon after the assassination of
his brother Robert in June, 1968
You want power because it’s an opportunity.
—Remark, 1980
[T]he pursuit of the presidency is not my life. Public service is.
—From Senator Kennedy’s declaration that he
would not run for President in 1988
To a person in public life, nothing is more distressing today than the massive cynicism, hostility, and outright distrust that is undermining the people’s basic faith and confidence in government and its institutions.
—Speech, September 10, 1976
One of my favorite Seuss classics is “Horton Hears A Who”. … In that story, the Mayor of Who-ville involves everyone in his community to help save their small town. It is the smallest Who that saves the day and empowers young people with the knowledge that they can make a difference. It is a lesson that my mother taught all of her children. I was the youngest in my family so I always had a soft spot for that little Who that had a hard time finding his own voice.
—Remarks at the dedication of the
Dr. Seuss National Memorial
in Springfield, MA, Mar 31, 2002
In his memoir True Compass Ted Kennedy wrote of how in the blur of days following the assassination of his brother Robert, he often found refuge in sailing.
I surrendered myself to the sea and the wind and the sun and the stars on these voyages. I let my mind drift, when it would, from my sorrows to a semblance of the momentous joy I have always felt at the way a sailboat moves through the water. I love sailing in the day, but there’s something special about sailing at night. And on these nights in particular, my grieving was subsumed into a sense of oneness with the sky and the sea. The darkness helped me feel the movement of the sea, and it helped displace the emptiness inside me with the awareness of direction. An awareness that there is a beginning to the voyage and an end to the voyage, and that this beginning and ending is a part of the natural order of things.
—True Compass, 2009
As a young boy, I was taught to live by the words in the 25th chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel where the Lord said that when we care for the least of those among us—the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, and the destitute—we are also caring for Him.
—Speech, March 14, 2005
All of my life, the teachings of my faith have provided solace and hope, as have the wonders of nature, especially the sea, where religion and spirituality meet the physical. This faith has been as meaningful to me as breathing or loving my family. It’s all intertwined.
—True Compass: A Memoir, 2009
The greatest blessing to me of my more recent years has been my wife Vicki’s presence in my life. … Our conversations are long, our banter is fast, and her humor keeps life fun. Words are very much a part of our lives, but it is also the quiet moments when, hand in hand, we invite the stillness in, which truly sustains my faith and touches my heart.
—True Compass: A Memoir, 2009
From the letter that he wrote to Pope Benedict XVI, hand-delivered by President Obama:
I am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines. I was diagnosed with brain cancer more than a year ago and although I continue treatment, the disease is taking its toll on me. I am 77 years old and preparing for the next passage of life. I have been blessed to be part of a wonderful family and both of my parents, particularly my mother, kept our Catholic faith at the center of our lives. That gift of faith has sustained and nurtured and provides solace to me in the darkest hours. I know that I have been an imperfect human