Who said “The margin is narrow, but the responsibility is clear.”?

Verified

John F. Kennedy. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceJohn F. Kennedy, press conference (November 10, 1963). Transcript, The New York Times (November 11, 1963), p. 20. In Theodore Sorensen's Kennedy (1965), these words are followed by "There may be difficulties with the Congress, but a margin of only one vote would still be a mandate" (p. 219).

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z
“The margin is narrow, but the responsibility is clear.”
— John F. Kennedy
VerifiedJohn F. Kennedy, press conference (November 10, 1963). Transcript, The New York Times (November 11, 1963), p. 20. In Theodore Sorensen's Kennedy (1965), these words are followed by "There may be difficulties with the Congress, but a margin of only one vote would still be a mandate" (p. 219). · evidenceVoting

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: John F. Kennedy, press conference (November 10, 1963). Transcript, The New York Times (November 11, 1963), p. 20. In Theodore Sorensen's Kennedy (1965), these words are followed by "There may be difficulties with the Congress, but a margin of only one vote would still be a mandate" (p. 219)..

APA

Kennedy, J. F. (n.d.). The margin is narrow, but the responsibility is clear. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/41650-the-margin-is-narrow-but-the-responsibility-is/

MLA

Kennedy, John F. “The margin is narrow, but the responsibility is clear.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/41650-the-margin-is-narrow-but-the-responsibility-is/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Kennedy, John F. “The margin is narrow, but the responsibility is clear.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/41650-the-margin-is-narrow-but-the-responsibility-is/.

Related quotes

“We’d all like t’vote fer th’best man, but he’s never a candidate.”
— Kin Hubbard
VerifiedThe Best of Kin Hubbard (1984) Variant: We'd all like to vote for the best man but he's never a candidate. · evidenceDetails & citeVoting

More quotes by John F. Kennedy

All 98 John F. Kennedy quotes →