Caroline Kennedy Quotes & Sayings

I know my mother so well, so it's hard for me to remember that people have a certain image of her, but they don't really know her personality. — Caroline Kennedy

I know how important it is to, you know, to be my own person. — Caroline Kennedy

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals, and to imagine that together we can do great things.
In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible. — Caroline Kennedy

Growing up in politics I know that women decide all elections because we do all the work. — Caroline Kennedy

Falling in love is a series of moments in which the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Those moments are not continuous, but the sense of union with another person is just about the best thing there is. — Caroline Kennedy

I feel that my father's greatest legacy was the people he inspired to get involved in public service and their communities, to join the Peace Corps, to go into space. And really that generation transformed this country in civil rights, social justice, the economy and everything. — Caroline Kennedy

I have come to believe, more strongly than ever, that after people die they really do live on through those who love them. — Caroline Kennedy

It's true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work, particularly for mothers. But when you look back on all the Christmases in your life, you'll find you've created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good and bad, are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul. — Caroline Kennedy

The most beautiful people are all in the library. — Caroline Kennedy

As much as we need a prosperous economy, we also need a prosperity of kindness and decency. — Caroline Kennedy

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president - not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans. — Caroline Kennedy

I never thought I'd be doing poetry books. I never really studied poetry. But the first one I did was after my mother died, and I realized that people sort of think and talk about her style and fashion, but in fact, what made her the person she was was really her love of reading and ideas. — Caroline Kennedy

Most of the books that I've written have been focused on, sort of, the individual, and sort of, either a voice, a personal voice, or a kind of transforming event where they step forward to fight for something they value. — Caroline Kennedy

Well there's nobody who has a more supportive husband than I do, and he has a business that he runs, and it's his own business, so he has work to do, my kids have school to do, I mean, people have - there are other things in life besides politics. — Caroline Kennedy

I've been a Democrat all my life. — Caroline Kennedy

I think my mother ... made it clear that you have to live life by your own terms and you have to not worry about what other people think and you have to have the courage to do the unexpected. — Caroline Kennedy

The amazing thing about the winners is that none of them really felt that they were doing anything special. They just felt like it was the right thing to do. — Caroline Kennedy

They'll tell you they love you like stars in the West But along comes corn whiskey; they love it the best. Go, — Caroline Kennedy

The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and that means we have to have an independent judiciary, judges who can make decisions independent of the political winds that are blowing. — Caroline Kennedy

John and I were lucky because our mother was a strong woman with high expectations and a strong sense of values. She encouraged us to pursue things we were interested in and not think about what other people wanted us to do. — Caroline Kennedy

I'm not as shy as everybody makes me out to be. — Caroline Kennedy

I don't remember my father reading to me, but I remember him telling me bedtime stories. I got to pick what was in them, and then he'd make them up. — Caroline Kennedy

I may, and I think I represent a tradition that means a lot to me, which has really always been about fighting for others, for middle-class families, for working class - for working people, you know, and that's a tradition and a commitment that I take very seriously. — Caroline Kennedy

Now is the time to move this country forward. — Caroline Kennedy

In my family in particular, I think, there was a sense we have to work twice as hard. — Caroline Kennedy

There's so much to think about when you're becoming an adult, and there's so many great poems about that apprehension and excitement. — Caroline Kennedy

Many people remember that spirit that President Kennedy summoned forth. Many people look to me as somebody who embodies that sense of possibility. — Caroline Kennedy

I enjoy writing. I enjoy that kind of process. — Caroline Kennedy

I've raised three kids. I'm a lawyer. I've written books on the Constitution. — Caroline Kennedy

When you're going through something, whether it's a wonderful thing like having a child or a sad thing like losing somebody, you often feel like 'Oh my God, I'm so overwhelmed; I'm dealing with this huge thing on my own.' In fact, poetry's a nice reminder that, no, everybody goes through it. These are universal experiences. — Caroline Kennedy

Now more than ever, I have learned that, when people die, they truly do live throughout those who love them. — Caroline Kennedy

There are many ways to serve. — Caroline Kennedy

The happiest years of my mother's life were spent in Washington, D.C. It was where she met my father, where John was born and where I spent my earliest years. — Caroline Kennedy

To the extent that we are all educated and informed, we will be more equipped to deal with the gut issues that tend to divide us. — Caroline Kennedy

It is not easy to stand up against your constituents or your friends or colleagues or your community and take a tough stand for something you believe is right. Because you always want to keep working and live to fight another battle and it might cost you your career. — Caroline Kennedy

I can't stand to hear his [Obama's] voice anymore. He's a liar, and worse. — Caroline Kennedy

I think that the presidency really brings out the best in a lot of people. — Caroline Kennedy

You have to remind kids to stay connected to the meaning of Christmas. Sometimes it takes a little bit of effort, but it's so worth it. — Caroline Kennedy

In a funny way, poems are suited to modern life. They're short, they're intense. Nobody has time to read a 700-page book. People read magazines, and a poem takes less time than an article. — Caroline Kennedy

We need a President who is not afraid of complexity, who believes in an open and tolerant society, and who knows that the world can be made new again - and that President is Al Gore. — Caroline Kennedy

I doubt women will be surprised that men write more often about the loss of face and the loss of power, while women tend to write about the loss of self. — Caroline Kennedy

I've campaigned for people. I've campaigned across the country for people. I have supported people in local elections. I do work with groups and causes. So, I feel like I am a participant and a civically-engaged citizen. — Caroline Kennedy

Well I've been writing books. So that, by its nature, is kind of a solitary occupation. And from time to time I have research help, but mostly I've done those completely on my own. — Caroline Kennedy

Poetry is really a way of sharing feelings and ideas. — Caroline Kennedy

I grew up in New York, I love New York. — Caroline Kennedy

I am, you know, a Democrat through and through. I've always voted Democratic. You know, that is where my heart lies. — Caroline Kennedy

Going into politics is something people have asked me about forever. — Caroline Kennedy

One of the greatest gifts my brother and I received from my mother was her love of literature and language. With their boundless energy, libraries open the door to these worlds and so many others. I urge young and old alike to embrace all that libraries have to offer. — Caroline Kennedy

Education was the most important value in our home when I was growing up. People don't always realize that my parents shared a sense of intellectual curiosity and a love of reading and of history. — Caroline Kennedy

I have a lifelong devotion to public service. — Caroline Kennedy

Sharing the holiday with other people, and feeling that you're giving of yourself, gets you past all the commercialism. — Caroline Kennedy

Well, I think, you know, the arts are really what - one of the things that make this country strong. We always think it's our economy or our military power, but in fact, I think it's our culture, our civilization, our ideas, our creativity. — Caroline Kennedy

Well, the role of money in politics is pretty corrupting right now. — Caroline Kennedy

After my mom died, there was so much written about her fashion and her style and all that, and I felt that one of the most important parts of her was missing, her real intellectual curiosity. — Caroline Kennedy

When you make the right decision, it doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks. — Caroline Kennedy

I grew up in a household where reading was encouraged. My mother believed in the power of words, and my father obviously did too. — Caroline Kennedy

Change isn't easy, it takes time. — Caroline Kennedy

The biggest problem is people are afraid of poetry, think they can't understand it or that it will be boring. — Caroline Kennedy

I feel like my grandparents and parents gave me a tremendous amount. And if I can pass some of that on, then I'll be very happy. — Caroline Kennedy

I can see both sides of term limits, and I think, in different positions, term limits make more sense than in some others. — Caroline Kennedy

Our mothers are our first teachers, and we teach others the same lessons we learn from them. As a child, when your mother believes in you, you believe in yourself, and when that happens, there is nothing you can't do. As a mother, that is the greatest gift we can give to a child. — Caroline Kennedy

When I was younger, I thought my task was to forge ahead and succeed as an individual. But growing older has helped me realize that our success lies in our relationships - with the family we are born into, the friends we make, the people we fall in love with, and the children we have. Sometimes we struggle, sometimes we adapt, and at other times we set a course for others to follow. We are all leaders and followers in our lives. We are constantly learning from and teaching one another. We learn, too, that the most important work is not done by those who seem the most important, but by those who care the most. — Caroline Kennedy