"We choose to go to the moon and do the other things, not because they are easy..."

[milestogo]

This is from President Kennedy's speech.

I've always wondered WHAT ARE THE OTHER THINGS?

Rice University, 1962

President John F. Kennedy gave a speech at Rice University in 1962 about the quest to put a man on the moon. “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard," he said to a cheering crowd.

[dawg]

1. I know!

And did we do them?

[Wounded Bear]

2. Civil rights, for one...

A lot of the groundwork for Johnson passing the Voting Rights Act was laid by the Kennedy administration.

[milestogo]

3. true but I don't know if thats what he was talking about in this speech

[LunaSea]

4. The middle part is the most quoted.

And often only quoted.

Here's the text with Kennedys notes-
https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/JFKPOF/040/JFKPOF-040-001

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_choose_to_go_to_the_Moon#External_links

[Journeyman]

5. Four paragraphs before this line . . .

Kennedy placed space exploration and the decision to make a moon landing into the context of previous efforts towards progress of many kinds: the industrial revolution, modern invention, nuclear power . . .

Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolutions, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it--we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.

The entire speech can be found here: https://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.htm

[milestogo]

7. Thank you.

[JHB]

6. "But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal?...

...And they may well ask: Why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon..."

Naturally, the "Why does Rice play Texas?" bit was a get-a-chuckle line, since he was speaking at Rice University.

Full speech below. The part I quoted starts at the 8:22 mark. He'd laid out more during the eight previous minutes too.

[milestogo]

8. Thank you.