Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

John F. Kennedy delivered this line in his Inaugural Address on January 20, 1961, at the U.S. Capitol, as he assumed the presidency at the height of the Cold War. The speech sought to reassure allies, warn adversaries, and frame American leadership as a global defense of “liberty” against Soviet communism. Coming after crises such as the Berlin confrontations and amid decolonization and superpower competition for influence in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, Kennedy used sweeping, rhythmic pledges to project resolve and readiness for sacrifice. The sentence functions as a public commitment of U.S. power and resources to the containment of communism and the maintenance of alliances.

The sentence is a maximalist vow: the United States will accept virtually any cost—financial, military, and moral—to protect and advance “liberty.” Its power comes from the escalating parallel clauses (“pay any price… bear any burden…”) that create a sense of inexhaustible national will. The line also reveals the era’s ideological framing: complex geopolitical conflicts are cast as a single struggle between liberty and its foes, justifying intervention and alliance-building on a global scale. Admired as a statement of resolve, it can also be read as an open-ended commitment that risks overreach, because it offers no limiting principle for what “any price” might entail.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”