Ronald Reagan quotes - page 14

Although I held public office for a total of sixteen years, I also thought of myself as a citizen-politician, not a career one. Every now and then when I was in government, I would remind my associates that "When we start thinking of government as 'us' instead of 'them,' we've been here too long." By that I mean that elected officeholders need to retain a certain skepticism about the perfectibility of government. (Ronald Reagan)
I know it's hard when you're up to your armpits in alligators to remember you came here to drain the swamp. View quote
Ronald Reagan
Why should we be frightened No people who have ever lived on this earth have fought harder, paid a higher price for freedom, or done more to advance the dignity of man than the living Americans, those Americans living in this land today. View quote
Ronald Reagan
We in the United States, above all, must remember that lesson, for we were founded as a nation of openness to people of all beliefs. And so we must remain. Our very unity has been strengthened by our pluralism. We establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief, nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate. All are free to believe or not believe, all are free to practice a faith or not, and those who believe are free, and should be free, to speak of and act on their belief. View quote
Ronald Reagan
I am very proud to be called a pig. It stands for pride, integrity and guts. View quote
Ronald Reagan
Money can't buy happiness but it will get you a better class of memories. View quote
Ronald Reagan
It was leadership here at home that gave us strong American influence abroad, and the collapse of imperial Communism. Great nations have responsibilities to lead, and we should always be cautious of those who would lower our profile, because they might just wind up lowering our flag. (RNC Annual Gala, Feb. 3, 1994) View quote
Ronald Reagan
Our whole system of government is based on We the people, but if we the people don't pay attention to what's going on, we have no right to bellyache or squawk when things go wrong. View quote
Ronald Reagan
Freedom is the recognition that no single person, no single authority or government has a monopoly on the truth, but that every individual life is infinitely precious, that every one of us put in this world has been put there for a reason and has something to offer. View quote
Ronald Reagan
Public servants say, always with the best of intentions, What greater service we could render if only we had a little more money and a little more power. But the truth is that outside of its legitimate function, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector. View quote
Ronald Reagan
Peace is more than just the absence of war. True peace is justice, true peace is freedom. And true peace dictates the recognition of human rights. (Ronald Reagan)
In America, our origins matter less than our destination, and that is what democracy is all about. (August 17, 1992) View quote
Ronald Reagan
Excellence does not begin in Washington. View quote
Ronald Reagan
The United States remains the last best hope for a mankind plagued by tyranny and deprivation. America is no stronger than its people -- and that means you and me. Well, I believe in you, and I believe that if we work together, then one day we will say, We fought the good fight. We finished the race. We kept the faith. And to our children and our children's children, we can say, We did all what could be done in the brief time that was given us here on earth. View quote
Ronald Reagan
My belief has always been . . . that wherever in this land any individual's constitutional rights are being unjustly denied, it is the obligation of the federal government -- at point of bayonet if necessary -- to restore that individual's constitutional rights. View quote
Ronald Reagan
America was founded by people who believe that God was their rock of safety. I recognize we must be cautious in claiming that God is on our side, but I think it's all right to keep asking if we're on His side. View quote
Ronald Reagan
You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. View quote
Ronald Reagan
Admittedly, there is a risk in any course we follow other than this, but every lesson in history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement, and this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face. View quote
Ronald Reagan
We in America have learned bitter lessons from two world wars It is better to be here in Europe ready to protect the peace, than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We've learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent. View quote
Ronald Reagan
Trust the people -- that is the crucial lesson of history. View quote
Ronald Reagan
This country was founded and built by people with great dreams and the courage to take great risks. (January 26, 1983) (Ronald Reagan)
All systems are capitalist. It's just a matter of who owns and controls the capital -- ancient king, dictator, or private individual. We should properly be looking at the contrast between a free market system where individuals have the right to live like kings if they have the ability to earn that right and government control of the market system such as we find today in socialist nations. View quote
Ronald Reagan
We have so many people who can't see a fat man standing beside a thin one without coming to the conclusion that the fat man got that way by taking advantage of the thin one. View quote
Ronald Reagan
During my first press conference as president, in answer to a direct question, I pointed out that, as good Marxist-Leninists, the Soviet leaders have openly and publicly declared that the only morality they recognize is that which will further their cause, which is world revolution. View quote
Ronald Reagan
Government is the people's business and every man, woman and child becomes a shareholder with the first penny of tax paid. View quote
Ronald Reagan