Quotes from Ronald Reagan

Families stand at the center of our society. And every family has a personal stake in promoting excellence in education.

I hope when you are my age, you'll be able to say - as I have been able to say: We lived in freedom. Our lives were a statement, not an apology.

Among the things he passed on to me were the belief that all men and women, regardless of their color or religion, are created equal and that individuals determine their own destiny; that is, it's largely their own ambition and hard work that determine their fate in life.

where the preservation of a natural resource like the redwoods is concerned, that there is a common sense limit. I mean, if you've looked at a hundred thousand acres or so of trees — you know, a tree is a tree, how many more do you need to look at?

We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone.

Whatever his reasons, Gorbachev had the intelligence to admit Communism was not working, the courage to battle for change, and, ultimately, the wisdom to introduce the beginnings of democracy, individual freedom, and free enterprise. As I said at the Brandenburg Gate in 1987, the Soviet Union faced a choice: Either it made fundamental changes or it became obsolete. Gorbachev saw the handwriting on the Wall and opted for change.

On the streets of Moscow, looking into thousands of faces, I was reminded once again that it's not people who make war, but governments—and people deserve governments that fight for peace in the nuclear age.

Many countries of the world, I said, had constitutions, but in almost every case they were documents in which governments told their people what they could do. The United States had a constitution, I said, that was different from all the others because in it the people tell their government what it can do. Its three most important words are "We the people," its most important principle, freedom.

Wherever a beautiful soul has been there is a trail of beautiful memories...

I've laid down the law, though, to everyone from now on about anything that happens: no matter what time it is, wake me, even if it's in the middle of a Cabinet meeting.

I believe now, as I alway have, that America's strength is in 'We the People.'

We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.

A truly successful army is one that, because of its strength and ability and dedication, will not be called upon to fight, for no one will dare to provoke it.

We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we will always be free.

We are never defeated unless we give up on God.

Anyone who seeks success or greatness should first forget about both and seek only the truth. The rest will follow.

Piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.

Let us not forget who we are. Drug abuse is a repudiation of everything America is.

To sit back hoping that someday, some way, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last - but eat you he will.

We might come closer to balancing the Budget if all of us lived closer to the Commandments and the Golden Rule.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.

Outside of its legitimate function, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector

I think the best possible social program is a job

History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.