Ronald Reagan, (1911-2004) 40th US President Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quote Share via Email Print this Page [1-30] of 73 Ronald Reagan quotesRonald Reagan QuotesRonald Reagan Next 30 quotes An informed patriotism is what we want.~ Ronald Reagan As we celebrate Thanksgiving ... we should ask what we can do as individuals to demonstrate our gratitude to God for all He has done. Such reflection can only add to the significance of this precious day of remembrance. Let us recommit ourselves to that devotion to God and family that has played such an important role in making this a great Nation, and which will be needed as a source of strength if we are to remain a great people.~ Ronald Reagan Former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart noted (in his dissent of Abington Township, 1963) ‘if religious exercises are held to be impermissible activity in schools, religion is placed at an artificial and state-created disadvantage. Permission for such exercises for those who want them is necessary if the schools are truly to be neutral in the matter of religion. And a refusal to permit them is seen not as the realization of state neutrality, but rather as the establishment of a religion of secularism.'~ Ronald Reagan Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.~ Ronald Reagan It would seem that not only is religion lacking in the schools -- so is common sense. I wonder what a teacher is supposed to say if a kid asks about those four words on a dime -- 'In God We Trust.' Or maybe that's why they aren't being taught how to read these days.~ Ronald Reagan Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people. We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should. Happy Fourth of July.~ Ronald Reagan Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!~ Ronald Reagan Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.~ Ronald Reagan Republicans believe the best way to assure prosperity is to generate more jobs. The Democrats believe in more welfare.~ Ronald Reagan There are some who've forgotten why we have a military. It's not to promote war; it's to be prepared for peace.~ Ronald Reagan Tyranny, like fog in the well known poem, often creeps in silently 'on little cat feet.'~ Ronald Reagan We even had to pass a special law in the Congress just a few weeks ago to allow student prayer groups the same access to school rooms after classes that a Young Marxist Society … would already enjoy.~ Ronald Reagan Welfare's purpose should be to eliminate, as far as possible, the need for its own existence.~ Ronald Reagan Man is not free unless government is limited.... As government expands, liberty contracts.~ Ronald Reagan Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: 'We the people.' 'We the people' tell the government what to do, it doesn't tell us. 'We the people' are the driver, the government is the car. And we decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which 'We the people' tell the government what it is allowed to do. 'We the people' are free. This belief has been the underlying basis for everything I've tried to do these past eight years.~ Ronald Reagan Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things. It is the continuous revolution of the marketplace. It is the understanding that allows us to recognize shortcomings and seek solutions.~ Ronald Reagan No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.~ Ronald Reagan Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.~ Ronald Reagan Only when the human spirit is allowed to invent and create, only when individuals are given a personal stake in deciding economic policies and benefiting from their success -- only then can societies remain economically alive, dynamic, prosperous, progressive and free.~ Ronald Reagan I just wanted to speak to you about something from the Internal Revenue Code. It is the last sentence of section 509A of the code and it reads: 'For purposes of paragraph 3, an organization described in paragraph 2 shall be deemed to include an organization described in section 501C-4, 5, or 6, which would be described in paragraph 2 if it were an organization described in section 501C-3.' And that's just one sentence out of those fifty-seven feet of books.~ Ronald Reagan There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.~ Ronald Reagan The NRA believes America's laws were made to be obeyed and that our Constitutional liberties are just as important today as 200 years ago. And by the way, the Constitution does not say Government shall decree the right to keep and bear arms. The Constitution says 'The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.'~ Ronald Reagan If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals -- if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.~ Ronald Reagan As we struggle to teach our children … we dare not forget that our civilization was built by men and women who placed their faith in a loving God. If Congress can begin each day with a moment of prayer … so then can our sons and daughters.~ Ronald Reagan No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!~ Ronald Reagan We developed at the local school district level probably the best public school system in the world. Or it was until the Federal government added Federal interference to Federal financial aid and eroded educational quality in the process.~ Ronald Reagan If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.~ Ronald Reagan Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.~ 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. It´s so hard for government planners, no matter how sophisticated, to ever substitute for millions of individuals working night and day to make their dreams come true. The fact is, bureaucracies are a problem around the world.~ Ronald Reagan Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.~ Ronald Reagan Next 30 quotes Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print