In 1963, President John F. Kennedy established the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, to recognize “individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.” (The award replaced the Medal of Freedom, which was established in 1945 by President Harry S. Truman to honor civilian service.)
Looking at the extensive list of civilians awarded since 1963 (some of whom have been honored posthumously), we can see a wide variety of expertise: musicians, scientists, authors, athletes, entertainers, ambassadors, journalists, comedians, and more. And although there are many recipients whose names may not be instantly recognizable, plenty of others are well known figures.
We’ve gathered a list of quotes from some of the most famous Presidential Medal of Freedom honorees, from JFK’s presidency to today — luminaries we’d likely all agree were worthy of this prestigious title. These quotes don’t originate from acceptance speeches or responses to the honor; rather, they encapsulate the worldviews of these remarkable people. May their words inspire us to strive for the kind of greatness they’ve achieved.
The planet is everybody's. All it offers is the grass, the sky, the water, the ineluctable dream of peace and fruition.E.B. White, selected by John F. Kennedy in 1963
All right. I'm corny. But I think there's just about 140 million people in this country that are just as corny as I am.Walt Disney, selected by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964
You have to dream, you have to have a vision, and you have to set a goal for yourself that might even scare you a little because sometimes that seems far beyond your reach.Gregory Peck, selected by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1969
A century hence, 2000 may be viewed as quite a primitive period in human history. It's something to hope for.Neil Armstrong, selected by Richard Nixon in 1969
The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself — the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us — that's where it's at.Jesse Owens, selected by Gerald Ford in 1976
I hate flowers — I paint them because they're cheaper than models and they don't move!Georgia O’Keeffe, selected by Gerald Ford in 1977
Non-cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.Martin Luther King Jr., selected by Jimmy Carter in 1977
I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.Jackie Robinson, selected by Ronald Reagan in 1984
Hollywood dishes out too much praise for small things. I won't let it get me, but too much praise can turn a fellow's head if he doesn't watch his step.James Stewart, selected by Ronald Reagan in 1985
When you're too mad and too rattled to see straight, you're bound to make mistakes. You can't go on and on for years being miserable about a situation and not have it change you.Lucille Ball, selected by George H.W. Bush in 1989
What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor but the silence of the bystander.Elie Wiesel, selected by George H.W. Bush in 1992
I did not get on the bus to get arrested. I got on the bus to go home.Rosa Parks, selected by Bill Clinton in 1996
Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.Nelson Mandela, selected by George W. Bush in 2002
I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.Harper Lee, selected by George W. Bush in 2007
My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.Stephen Hawking, selected by Barack Obama in 2009
I'm an American, and most of the time proud of it. Even when I am displeased with what my country is doing, I am still an American who is displeased.Maya Angelou, selected by Barack Obama in 2011
The work that is called for is the construction of our “more perfect union.” That job will never, ever be completed, one that requires rigorous attention and unfading wherewithal and all hands.Tom Hanks, selected by Barack Obama in 2016
The image is one thing and the human being is another… It's very hard to live up to an image.Elvis Presley, selected by Donald Trump in 2018
We're not just athletes or entertainment — we're human too, and we have real emotions. Sometimes they don't realize that we have things going on behind the scenes that affect us whenever we go out and compete.Simone Biles, selected by Joe Biden in 2022
Featured image credit: Encyclopaedia Britannica/ Universal Images Group via Getty Images
