People like to claim that this jfk quote is vaguely socialist but I say nothing could be further from the truth. Socialism is a government monopolization of private industry, thereby stripping citizens of their license to create. This quote asks - not demands - that you give of yourself for the betterment of your nation. Making a conscious decision to do something that is not necessarily in your selfish interest requires both license and self-actualization, neither of which are permissible in a socialist regime.