Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989.
| NUMBER: | 1815 |
| AUTHOR: | John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917–63) |
| QUOTATION: | In its [knowledge’s] light, we must think and act not only for the moment but for our time. I am reminded of the great French Marshal Lyautey, who once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow-growing and would not reach maturity for a hundred years. The Marshal replied, “In that case, there is no time to lose, plant it this afternoon.” |
| ATTRIBUTION: | President Kennedy used this story a number of times. The attribution to Marshal Lyautey is unverified. |
| SUBJECTS: | Time |