The Wit and Wisdom of Ted Kennedy (11 page)

But that's not the way Ted Kennedy had been brought up to think, and so, as he suffered loss after loss—with each sibling's early death, with his son Teddy, Jr.'s battle with cancer, and throughout so many other tragedies and sorrows—he simply pushed himself on, working more, attending more events, and yes, drinking too much and partying too hard. His first marriage broke down as a result. It was not until he met the woman who would become his second wife—Victoria Reggie—that he found a way to get off that dangerous road. She introduced him to the value of looking honestly at oneself, of grappling with his own painful emotions. She opened him up to himself.

We are the beneficiaries of this change in his outlook, which enabled him to put down on paper so many beautiful and deeply moving thoughts that would otherwise be forever lost. The writings that came out of the final year of his life—particularly his posthumously published memoir,
True Compass
”give us passages stunning in their depth of feeling, all the more so for the often lyrical and even haunting quality of the prose. In the end he reveals himself to be a writer of great insight into his own soul, and he should be remembered for that, as much as for any of his grand orations before entranced crowds.

Asked by the Jonathan Karp, the publisher of his 2009 memoir
True Compass,
how he dealt with all the loss in his life, Senator Kennedy answered:

I think the reason I have been so restless in my life is that I have been trying to stay ahead of the darkness, to just keep moving to stay ahead of the despair.

—As quoted by Jonathan Karp in
The Washington Post,
September 13, 2009

I recognize my own shortcomings—the faults in the conduct of my private life. I realize that I alone am responsible for them, and I am the one who must confront them. I believe that each of us as individuals must not only struggle to make a better world, but to make ourselves better, too.

—Speech to his constituents,
Oct. 25, 1991

Sailing on
Mya
[his boat] with Vicki at my side and my dogs, Splash and Sunny, at my feet. And, of course, a Democrat in the White House and regaining our majority in the Senate.

—Response to May 2006
Vanity Fair
interview
question, “What is your idea of perfect happiness?”

I do not seek to escape responsibility for my actions by placing the blame either on the physical and emotional trauma brought on by the accident, or on anyone else. I regard as indefensible the fact that I did not report the accident to the police immediately.

—Public statement after the
Chappaquiddick accident,
July 25, 1969

That night on Chappaquiddick Island ended in a horrible tragedy that haunts me every day of my life. I had suffered sudden and violent loss far too many times, but this night was different. This night I was responsible. … Yes, it was an accident. But that doesn't erase the fact that I had caused an innocent woman's death.

Atonement is a process that never ends. I believe that. Maybe it's a New England thing, or an Irish thing, or a Catholic thing. Maybe all of those things. But it's as it should be.

—True Compass: A Memoir,
2009

I'm not afraid to die.

—Said in response to a reporter's question
soon after the assassination of
his brother Robert in June, 1968

You want power because it's an opportunity.

—Remark, 1980

[T]he pursuit of the presidency is not my life. Public service is.

—From Senator Kennedy's declaration that he
would not run for President in 1988

To a person in public life, nothing is more distressing today than the massive cynicism, hostility, and outright distrust that is undermining the people's basic faith and confidence in government and its institutions.

—Speech, September 10, 1976

One of my favorite Seuss classics is “Horton Hears A Who”. … In that story, the Mayor of Who-ville involves everyone in his community to help save their small town. It is the smallest Who that saves the day and empowers young people with the knowledge that they can make a difference. It is a lesson that my mother taught all of her children. I was the youngest in my family so I always had a soft spot for that little Who that had a hard time finding his own voice.

—Remarks at the dedication of the
Dr. Seuss National Memorial
in Springfield, MA, Mar 31, 2002

In his memoir
True Compass
Ted Kennedy wrote of how in the blur of days following the assassination of his brother Robert, he often found refuge in sailing.

I surrendered myself to the sea and the wind and the sun and the stars on these voyages. I let my mind drift, when it would, from my sorrows to a semblance of the momentous joy I have always felt at the way a sailboat moves through the water. I love sailing in the day, but there's something special about sailing at night. And on these nights in particular, my grieving was subsumed into a sense of oneness with the sky and the sea. The darkness helped me feel the movement of the sea, and it helped displace the emptiness inside me with the awareness of
direction.
An awareness that there is a beginning to the voyage and an end to the voyage, and that this beginning and ending is a part of the natural order of things.

—True Compass,
2009

As a young boy, I was taught to live by the words in the 25th chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel where the Lord said that when we care for the least of those among us—the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, and the destitute—we are also caring for Him.

—Speech, March 14, 2005

All of my life, the teachings of my faith have provided solace and hope, as have the wonders of nature, especially the sea, where religion and spirituality meet the physical. This faith has been as meaningful to me as breathing or loving my family. It's all intertwined.

—True Compass: A Memoir,
2009

The greatest blessing to me of my more recent years has been my wife Vicki's presence in my life. … Our conversations are long, our banter is fast, and her humor keeps life fun. Words are very much a part of our lives, but it is also the quiet moments when, hand in hand, we invite the stillness in, which truly sustains my faith and touches my heart.

—True Compass: A Memoir,
2009

From the letter that he wrote to Pope Benedict XVI, hand-delivered by President Obama:

I am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines. I was diagnosed with brain cancer more than a year ago and although I continue treatment, the disease is taking its toll on me. I am 77 years old and preparing for the next passage of life. I have been blessed to be part of a wonderful family and both of my parents, particularly my mother, kept our Catholic faith at the center of our lives. That gift of faith has sustained and nurtured and provides solace to me in the darkest hours. I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith I have tried to right my path. I want you to know, Your Holiness, that in my nearly 50 years of elective office I have done my best to champion the rights of the poor and open doors of economic opportunity. I have worked to welcome the immigrant, to fight discrimination and expand access to health care and education. I have opposed the death penalty and fought to end war. Those are the issues that have motivated me and have been the focus of my work as a United States senator. I also want you to know that even though I am ill, I am committed to do everything I can to achieve access to health care for everyone in my country. This has been the political cause of my life. I believe in a conscience protection for Catholics in the health field and I will continue to advocate for it as my colleagues in the Senate and I work to develop an overall national health policy that guarantees health care for everyone. I have always tried to be a faithful Catholic, Your Holiness, and though I have fallen short through human failings, I have never failed to believe and respect the fundamental teachings of my faith. I continue to pray for God's blessings on you and on our church and would be most thankful for your prayers for me.

—July 2009

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

W
E ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE ASSISTANCE OF OUR SENIOR
researcher, John Peter Kaytrosh. Peggy Robin's insight and editorial judgment were invaluable in putting this book together. Claire Adler's fast fingers helped us get the book done on time. Jeanne Welsh was instrumental in bringing this book into being, and Karen Adler made a very helpful suggestion as we got started. We appreciate Claiborne Hancock's foresight and hard work in getting this book done so swiftly. Without the help of numerous people at Pegasus, this book would never have found its way into your hands, and we would especially like to thank Maria Fernandez for interior design, Michael Fusco whose talent you see as the book's cover, Phil Gaskill who noticed our typos and more, and Michael Levatino and Deirdre Dolan, who revealed to bookstores the wisdom of carrying
The Wit and Wisdom of Ted Kennedy.

THE WIT AND WISDOM OF TED KENNEDY

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Collection copyright © 2009 by Bill Adler and Bill Adler, Jr.

First Pegasus Books edition November 2009

Interior design by Maria Fernandez

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