Ronald Reagan Quotes

president of the United States from 1981 to 1989 and actor (1911-2004)

Add quote

Ronald Wilson Reagan (6 February 1911 – 5 June 2004) was an American politician and actor, who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Prior to his presidency, he served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975, following a career as a Hollywood actor and union leader. He was the husband of Jane Wyman (1940–1949) and Nancy Davis (married in 1952).

From: Wikiquote (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Birth Name: Ronald Wilson Reagan

Also Known As: Dutch • The Gipper • The Great Communicator

Alternative Names: President Reagan • President Ronald Reagan • Ronald W. Reagan • Ronald W Reagan • R. W. Reagan

From Wikidata (CC0)

Showing quotes in randomized order to avoid selection bias. Click Popular for most popular quotes.

I do not want to go back to the past; I want to go back to the past way of facing the future.

I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism.

Our government needs the church, because only those humble enough to admit they're sinners can bring democracy the tolerance it requires to survive

I've heard that hard work never killed anyone, but I say why take the chance?

There is no humanity or charity in destroying self-reliance, dignity, and self-respect.

We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them — this morning, as they prepared for their journey, and waved good-bye, and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.

If we’re free to dare – and we are – if we’re free to give – and we are – then we’re free to shape the future and have within our grasp all that we dream the future will be.

The vast majority of students at the university only wanted an education. But for months they were robbed of it by the rampaging of a minority; meanwhile, many moderate voices on the faculty were silenced by the intimidation of left-wing professors whose vision of freedom of speech was limited to speech about things they agreed with.

I believe with all my heart that standing up for America means standing up for the God who has so blessed our land. We need God’s help to guide our nation through stormy seas. But we can’t expect Him to protect America in a crisis if we just leave Him over on the shelf in our day-to-day living. Speech, New Orleans, November 16, 1982

As government expands, liberty contracts.

I've seen what men can do for each other and do to each other. I've seen war and peace, feast and famine, depression and prosperity, sickness and health. I've seen the depths of suffering and the peaks of triumph. And I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph, and that there is purpose and worth to each and every life.

Government is like a baby: an alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.

In a country ruled by laws, it seemed to me that nothing was more important than removing politics from the process of choosing judges. During previous administrations in California, governors had often handed out judgeships to friends and cronies like prizes at a company picnic. Not only had this produced a lot of inferior judges, it had placed a number of partisans on the bench who believed that putting on the black robes of a judge gave them a license to rewrite the laws. I wanted judges who would interpret the Constitution, not rewrite it.

No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote; but a Republican bucking the giveaway trend might re-create some voters who have been staying home.