Profiles in Courage.

Written by John F. Kennedy, this book is an essential classic. It details the story of eight men, all United States Senators, and their courageous stands. John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Sam Houston, Thomas Hart Benton, Edmund G. Ross, Lucius Quintus Lamar, George Norris, and Robert Taft imparted a heritage to us. A heritage that would challenge us to greater heights should we know it. They came, left their mark, and our country would never be the same because they had lived.

In John F. Kennedy's own words, "To be courageous, these stories make clear, requires no exceptional qualifications, no magice formula, no special combination of time, place, or circumstance. It is an opportunity that sooner or later is presented to us all. In whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience, each man must decide for himself what course he will follow."

These stories define the very essence of courage, even in the face of complete sacrifice, begging the quiet question, "Would we do the same?" While the stirring stories presented in this book can teach, encourage, challenge, and inspire, they cannot supply courage itself or answer that question. For the courage in large and small, we can only ask God.