Quote of the day by John F. Kennedy: 'The rights of every man are diminished when...'

John F. Kennedy delivered the quote 'The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened' during a June 11, 1963, national address after Alabama Governor George Wallace blocked Black students Vivian Malone and James Hood from enrolling at the University of Alabama.

Kennedy used the speech to urge Congress to pass new civil rights laws guaranteeing equal access to public places, protecting voting rights, and speeding school integration, which became the foundation for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

When a society allows one person's protections to be taken away, it weakens the shield that keeps everyone else safe, reflecting ideas from Alexis de Tocqueville and John Donne.