John F. Kennedy, referring to the Bay of Pigs disaster, press conference, April 21, 1961. The Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1961, p. 312.
“
There's an old saying that victory has 100 fathers and defeat is an orphan.
— John F. Kennedy on Victory
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "There's an old saying that victory has 100 fathers and defeat is an orphan." in the context of "John F. Kennedy, referring to the Bay of Pigs disaster, press conference, April 21, 1961. The Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1961, p. 312." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Victory" (Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations (1989))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed February 05, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (29 May 1917 – 22 November 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and Jack, was the 35th president of the United States (1961–1963), a United States senator from Massachusetts (1953–1960), and a United States representative (1947–1953). Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his work as president concerned relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba. He is the older brother of Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, and the first husband of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. He was shot in the presence of his wife in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
About John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (29 May 1917 – 22 November 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and Jack, was the 35th president of the United States (1961–1963), a United States senator from Massachusetts (1953–1960), and a United States representative (1947–1953). Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his work as president concerned relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba. He is the older brother of Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, and the first husband of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. He was shot in the presence of his wife in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
View all quotes →