Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-New York) was born on November 20, 1925 and died on June 6, 1968. Eulogy delivered by Edward M. Kennedy on June 8, 1968 at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York. Background Music: EVE Online - Red Glowing Dust
If ever God gives me an opportunity to go to the United States of America, I would pray for an hour of silent time at the Arlington Cemetery to shed a few tears to the most beloved brothers whose loss was immense to the entire world.
They were murdered and yes the entire world should mourn! They weren't perfect but they wanted to fight all the evils that are now coming to power in this day and age because that power eliminated them and those who stood in their way!
That is a beautiful sentiment The Kennedy's were loved not just here in America but the entire world obviously there were a handful that hated them I remember when JFK and his brother Bobby were assassinated sad times in America
I will never forget this as long as I live. I graduated from highschool the evening of June 4, 1968. I came home as soon as the graduation was over to watch the returns of the California primary. After his acceptance speech I went to bed feeling America was going to be saved only to be awakened at 6:30am the next morning by my mother. She said Bobby wake up they shot Bobby Kennedy. My heart sank and I was glued to the tv until the funeral was over. I remember watching the train as it traveled through town after town. Police officers, Firefighters, Veterans and Boy Scouts saluting as the train went by. Most of all I remember the sign one man held up as the train passed. The sign read Pray for us Bobby. America has never recovered from the 1960s.
Me too 💔 i was in 6th grade and had started Kids for Kennedy in my grade school. We were watching TV when it happened. I went to bed praying for his survival. My mother woke me up for school and it was the first thing I asked her - how is Bobby? - and she said quietly “He didn’t make it.” And my 11 year old mind thought - I remember this so clearly - “Well that’s it then. There’s no hope for this world.” And I wish the ensuing 54 years had proved me wrong.
A great Senator...Teddy rocked the house...a Great Dem. Nobody can match his passion in decency for the HUMAN factor. Considering what he lost in life...two great brothers...so much more...shocked he made it through...
I wish we had Ted now, our senate is made up of pond scum, that is own by religion, oil, guns, healthcare, and lists goes on, they certainly are not beholden to the American people
charley tisdale Someone asked him about that and he simply said that he tried NOT to remember those times with his brothers on Hyannis Port. He said they were simply too painful to remember!!! But honestly - John and Bobby were bookends and Ted was simply too many years younger to be part of that crowd. I am sure his missed his brothers - but he had plenty to keep him busy!!!
Edward Kennedy's finest speech, by far. Eloquent and from the heart, no speech, under any circumstances, could possibly be derived from a more soulful foundation.
I break down every time I listen to this eulogy. He was destined for greatness, only to be cut down at the cusp of his greatest triumph. I share my short name with him and forever I am left to wonder what would have been!!! Rest in peace RFK!!! You were one of the greatest leaders that could have made the difference!!
This eulogy is one for the ages. One of the most moving things I have ever heard. This country once had good and genuine men as president. Look at what we are living with today. Wow. Very depressing.
@nikki alford HILLARY CLINTON COULD NEVER HAVE BEEN SUCH A DISASTEROUS AND EMBARRASSING AND UNACCOMPLISHED FOOL AS THE FOOL CONTAMINATING THE EHITE HOUSE AND THE COUNTRY.
Transcript: Your Eminences, Your Excellencies, Mr. President: On behalf of Mrs. Kennedy, her children, the parents and sisters of Robert Kennedy, I want to express what we feel to those who mourn with us today in this Cathedral and around the world. We loved him as a brother, and as a father, and as a son. From his parents, and from his older brothers and sisters -- Joe and Kathleen and Jack -- he received an inspiration which he passed on to all of us. He gave us strength in time of trouble, wisdom in time of uncertainty, and sharing in time of happiness. He will always be by our side. Love is not an easy feeling to put into words. Nor is loyalty, or trust, or joy. But he was all of these. He loved life completely and he lived it intensely. A few years back, Robert Kennedy wrote some words about his own father which expresses [sic] the way we in his family felt about him. He said of what his father meant to him, and I quote: "What it really all adds up to is love -- not love as it is described with such facility in popular magazines, but the kind of love that is affection and respect, order and encouragement, and support. Our awareness of this was an incalculable source of strength, and because real love is something unselfish and involves sacrifice and giving, we could not help but profit from it." And he continued, "Beneath it all, he has tried to engender a social conscience. There were wrongs which needed attention. There were people who were poor and needed help. And we have a responsibility to them and to this country. Through no virtues and accomplishments of our own, we have been fortunate enough to be born in the United States under the most comfortable conditions. We, therefore, have a responsibility to others who are less well off." That is what Robert Kennedy was given. What he leaves to us is what he said, what he did, and what he stood for. A speech he made to the young people of South Africa on their Day of Affirmation in 1966 sums it up the best, and I would like to read it now: There is discrimination in this world and slavery and slaughter and starvation. Governments repress their people; millions are trapped in poverty while the nation grows rich and wealth is lavished on armaments everywhere. These are differing evils, but they are the common works of man. They reflect the imperfection of human justice, the inadequacy of human compassion, our lack of sensibility towards the suffering of our fellows. But we can perhaps remember -- even if only for a time -- that those who live with us are our brothers; that they share with us the same short moment of life; that they seek -- as we do -- nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can. Surely, this bond of common faith, this bond of common goal, can begin to teach us something. Surely, we can learn, at least, to look at those around us as fellow men. And surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us and to become in our own hearts brothers and countrymen once again. The answer is to rely on youth -- not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. The cruelties and obstacles of this swiftly changing planet will not yield to the obsolete dogmas and outworn slogans. They cannot be moved by those who cling to a present that is already dying, who prefer the illusion of security to the excitement and danger that come with even the most peaceful progress. It is a revolutionary world we live in, and this generation at home and around the world has had thrust upon it a greater burden of responsibility than any generation that has ever lived. Some believe there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world's ills. Yet many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the Protestant reformation; a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth; a young woman reclaimed the territory of France; and it was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World, and the 32 year-old Thomas Jefferson who [pro]claimed that "all men are created equal." These men moved the world, and so can we all. Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. *It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.* Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. And I believe that in this generation those with the courage to enter the moral conflict will find themselves with companions in every corner of the globe. For the fortunate among us, there is the temptation to follow the easy and familiar paths of personal ambition and financial success so grandly spread before those who enjoy the privilege of education. But that is not the road history has marked out for us. Like it or not, we live in times of danger and uncertainty. But they are also more open to the creative energy of men than any other time in history. All of us will ultimately be judged, and as the years pass we will surely judge ourselves on the effort we have contributed to building a new world society and the extent to which our ideals and goals have shaped that event. *The future does not belong to those who are content with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of new ideas and bold projects. Rather it will belong to those who can blend vision, reason and courage in a personal commitment to the ideals and great enterprises of American Society.* Our future may lie beyond our vision, but it is not completely beyond our control. It is the shaping impulse of America that neither fate nor nature nor the irresistible tides of history, but the work of our own hands, matched to reason and principle, that will determine our destiny. There is pride in that, even arrogance, but there is also experience and truth. In any event, it is the only way we can live. That is the way he lived. That is what he leaves us. My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it. Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world. As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him: Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not.
This is one of the most beautiful eulogies I've ever heard. The last few minutes of it, when you can hear Ted's voice cracking, always brings tears to my eyes. Today is June 5, 2018, the 50th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy's death. RIP, Bobby.
+Spreadin Ruccus they both would of been, but every time we have a person of peace and equality step up to make a change for greater good they get assasinated, But we cannot give up cause ultimately GOOD shall prevail over EVIL eventually !!
Perhaps what made this speech so great was that Ted didn't use the event to show people how fancy he can talk. Instead he took his brother's own words and presented them to everyone with due credit. He let his brother's actions speak for themselves, and didn't try to draw attention to himself. Subsequently we see just how awesome Ted is. Great man.
'Has anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?' I was 13yrs old and remember the horror that another Kennedy had been cut down. Sad to say, several of his sons became addicts but survived apart from David. May they all rest in peace
I felt a swell of emotion come up listening to this eulogy as it tells us what we should be as a people to our fellow man, which is in sharp contrast to what we have today. God bless the words, the skill and the delivery of what we ought to be. This is a testament to the legacy of the Kennedy name.
A man of profound vision. May his memory be blessed. "[It's] the work of our own hands, matched to reason and principle, that will determine our destiny..." RFK "My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, but be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, who saw suffering and tried to heal it, who saw war and tried to stop it." Edward Kennedy
He was born on my birthday, just quite a few years previous to me. but I am honoured to share that day with him. love to him and his fight to bring love, peace and prosperity to our world, and mostly his country. God has Robert in his hands and I hope he is still working for our love and peace.
My admiration for Ted Kennedy only multiplies every time I hear this. I listened to it the day before I gave the eulogy to my own brother and it filled me with hope and love. I of course broke down, I'm no Kennedy and so not a great speaker but people were moved and they understood. A brotherly bond is a unbroken covenant. Love is an everlasting testimonial to it.
I remember so well those dark days in June. I was 16, in my junior year in hs. I remember lying in bed, listening to my transistor radio, as election results began to com ein after 11PM EST. I remember being up quite late, waiting to hear the results. RFK was declared the winner, and I knew as I shit the eadio off, that for the next 3 weeks some friends and I (we dubbed ourselves Kennedy's Kids, would be going down to his campaign office and work as much as possible on his Presidential campaign. The shock that morning hearing of the shooting and then the next day, learning he had died, still hurts almost 52 years later. He was and always will be, my political hero.
He would of been a Great President, he was so loved and respected by the people. He gave us so much hope and inspiration for a better America. We were so taken by him and he made us believe. I cried when JFK was taken from us but Bobby was So Special. I remember he was fearless and I guess that's what we loved so much about him. I still remember. ✌
Their ideals shaped our generations to come... lived this family. They gave a lot more. Ted makes me cry with this....great words for Bobby.... rest in peace...i was 12 when he was taken, remember vividly his causes, his earnestness, and devoted service to America.
Where are American men like this today? The citizens today have given up their conscience for their phones, their property portfolios, and focus only on what benefits themselves. We may not have men like this in our nation who can rise to lead. So many blockages in their way to prevent them. The establishment doesn't want men like this to lead. How very sad.
You know this eulogy shows that you have to respect Ted Kennedy no matter your political views it’s sad that he became the last surviving son who took care of not only his own three children but became a surrogate father to John’s and Bobby’s as well
I think the world would do well to listen to this speech over and over and over . Hate is not in us , lt is taught to us by people who hate . I weep for humanity .
Such a Great speech! I wonder if he wrote it, or who did? Anyone know? I think Mr. Jack Kennedy would have outdone his brother in his great service to our country, and though I couldn't yet read or watch TV in '67, I saw an excitement that no longer exists in politics today.. I also think that was the last time we Americans trusted any of our countries leadership. Even Ted is missed, I think I can forgive him? He truly did seem to care about the poor folks I think.
the victory we seek today lay in the memory of thoughs who have come before and shown us all the path. in a time of fear and dispare they brought forward the lite of peace and understanding. we need only remember there sacrifice and make a dream that was into a reality that is.
RFK was a man who evolved, was willing to change, to see his misconceptions and change. He understood when the time came what responsibilities were before him We didn't get to see how America and the world could have been had he lived. Surely it would have been a better place.
Beautiful eulogy! such soaring rhetoric. the kennedies had a way of touching your soul! such great statesmen. i was not born when rfk was a presidential candidate. he would have made a fine president. So saddened the way the kennedies died. gunned down by such evil men. rot in hell sirhan sirhan and oswald.
me too. it doesn't take anything away from the speech. anyone who truly appreciates the emotions that can be elicited from music would appreciate it... at least, that's what I think.
JFK was the best Democrat president during my lifetime. He was a true patriot that loved and fought for America. What ever happened to "Ask not what your country can do you, but instead ask what you can do for your country?" Now it would seem that it's just, "What free stuff can I get from the government? " I was a small boy when I first heard those patriotic words on live TV. They have stuck with me my entire life.
Leaders who inspire through oratory talent, and who advocate for good will, and public service; are usually remembered fondly, and admired. JFK has dedications and memorials to honor him in many parts of Europe as well.
Hi Jeff Schwartz It appears I am lost dazed and confused however I assure you I am not :) I have always had a deep interest in JFK. While I loved this speech by Edward for his brother Robert, JFK always comes to my mind. I remember back in my school days when we had libraries not Google and had to do book reports etc. I would write on JFK.
I was crying hard, when I saw this, so many years ago. -----------Our nation was never the same.--------------never.--------------NEVER----------------------------WolfSky9, 74 y/o
I was was 20 years old and woke up to my clock radio (believe it or not there was such a thing) and the reporter was saying "this tragedy in Los Angeles". As usual I was late for work and didn't realize that a great leader had been stolen from us.
Благодарю эту семью за смелость и желание любить прекрасную землю. Все тёмное , что убирало эту семью ; не смогло убрать Любовь к этой семье по всему миру. Смерти нет есть вечная любовь. Мысли их очистит деньги от грязных дел и служить только для любви жива .
We need someone like that now, he and JFK were about hope , Nixon said , when they look at you ,they see who they can be,when they look at me ,they see who they are... we need someone we can look up to
