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Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan Quotes

40th U.S. President

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Famous Ronald Reagan Quotes

“Our principles were revolutionary. We began as a small, weak republic. But we survived. Our example inspired others, imperfectly at times, but it inspired them nevertheless. This constitutional republic, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, prospered and grew strong. To this day, America is still the abiding alternative to tyranny. That is our purpose in the world - nothing more and nothing less.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“Isn't our choice really not one of left or right, but of up or down? Down through the welfare state to statism, to more and more government largesse accompanied always by more government authority, less individual liberty, and ultimately, totalitarianism, always advanced as for our own good. The alternative is the dream conceived by our Founding Fathers, up to the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with an orderly society.”

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Book:Speaking my mind: selected speeches
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“The freedom of thought and action we Americans enjoy today seems as natural as the air we breathe. But there is a danger we may take this freedom for granted. We must never forget it was bought for us at a great price. The brave and resourceful Americans whose sacrifices gained our Independence and preserved it for more than 200 years against formidable foes have set an example of unflinching loyalty to the ideal of liberty and justice for all.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“Our Founding Fathers well understood that concentrated power is the enemy of liberty and the rights of man. They knew that the American experiment in individual liberty, free enterprise and republican self-government could succeed only if power were widely distributed. And since in any society social and political power flow from economic power, they saw that wealth and property would have to be widely distributed among the people of the country. The truth of this insight is immediately apparent.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“Whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty's lamp guiding your steps and opportunity's arm steadying your way.”

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Book:The Last Best Hope: The Greatest Speeches of Ronald Reagan
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“There is a fundamental difference between separation of church and state and denying the spiritual heritage of this country. Inscribed on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. are Jefferson's words, 'The God Who gave us life gave us liberty -- can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?'”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“Two visions of the world remain locked in dispute. The first believes all men are created equal by a loving God who has blessed us with freedom. The second vision believes that religion is opium for the masses. It believes that eternal principles like truth, liberty, and democracy have no meaning beyond the whim of the state. And [Vladimir] Lenin spoke for them.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“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.”

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Book:A Time for Choosing: The Speeches of Ronald Reagan, 1961-1982
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“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.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.”

BelieveWarGovernmentPeaceMoneyLibertyTeachMilitaryAnti WarAntiwarAggressionPeace WarGreat WarVeterans DayOur VeteransHonoring VeteransHonoring Our VeteransGreat Veterans DayThank A VeteranGovernment And SocietyThank You VeteranVeterans Day InspirationalCost Of WarWar VeteranVeteran AppreciationFunny Veterans DayVeterans Day AppreciationGovernment And PoliticsUs VeteransAnti GovernmentAnti ConservativeGovernment Welfare
Book:Ronald Reagan
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“A troubled and afflicted mankind looks to us, pleading for us to keep our rendezvous with destiny; that we will uphold the principles of self-reliance, self-discipline, morality, and - above all - responsible liberty for every individual that we will become that shining city on a hill.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“I hope we once again have reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts.”

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Book:The Last Best Hope: The Greatest Speeches of Ronald Reagan
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“Someday, the realm of liberty and justice will encompass the planet. Freedom is not just the birthright of the few, it is the God-given right of all His children, in every country. It won't come by conquest. It will come, because freedom is right and freedom works. It will come, because cooperation and good will among free people will carry the day.”

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Book:Ronald Reagan
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“More than a decade ago, a Supreme Court decision literally wiped off the books of fifty states statutes protecting the rights of unborn children. Abortion on demand now takes the lives of up to 1.5 million unborn children a year. Human life legislation ending this tragedy will some day pass the Congress, and you and I must never rest until it does. Unless and until it can be proven that the unborn child is not a living entity, then its right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness must be protected.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again.”

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Book:The Last Best Hope: The Greatest Speeches of Ronald Reagan
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“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

FreedomLibertyGenerationsLibertarianCommunismVotingPatriotExtinctionFreedom And LibertyFreedom LibertyLimited GovernmentThis GenerationVeterans DayLimiting GovernmentAmerican PresidentPersonal FreedomOur VeteransAmerican PatriotismAmerican LibertyAmerican PatriotGreat PresidentsAmerica FreedomHonoring VeteransHonoring Our VeteransPatriotism In AmericaPrice Of FreedomVeterans Day Thank YouGreat Veterans DayIndependence And FreedomGreat FreedomAmerican FreedomThank A VeteranThank You VeteranVeterans Day InspirationalFragile ThingsOne Nation Under GodHappy Veterans DayVeteran AppreciationFunny Veterans DayLost GenerationVeterans Day AppreciationAmerican VeteransInspirational FreedomSecurity And FreedomMass ExtinctionPatriotism And FreedomVeteran MemorialVeterans And FreedomAmerican Independence DayInspiring PatrioticFreedom And ResponsibilityPeace Through Strength
Author:Ronald Reagan
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“To those who cite the first amendment as reason for excluding God from more and more of our institutions and everyday life, may I just say: The first amendment of the Constitution was not written to protect the people of this country from religious values; it was written to protect religious values from government tyranny.”

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Book:Ronald Reagan
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“God, the source of our knowledge, has been expelled from the classroom. He gives us His greatest blessing, life, and yet many would condone the taking of innocent life. We expect Him to protect us in a crisis, but turn away from Him too often in our day-to-day living. I wonder if He isn't waiting for us to wake up.”

IfsGivingHas BeensGodTurnsWaitingReligiousLibertyWonderSourceBlessingProtectWake UpCrisisInnocentClassroomDay To DayGreatest BlessingsInnocent LifeDay To Day Living
Book:Speaking my mind: selected speeches
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“Today, the United States stands as a beacon of liberty and democratic strength before the community of nations. We are resolved to stand firm against those who would destroy the freedoms we cherish. We are determined to achieve an enduring peace - a peace with liberty and with honor. This determination, this resolve, is the highest tribute we can pay to the many who have fallen in the service of our Nation.”

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Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1981
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“Simple morality dictates that unless and until someone can prove the unborn human is not alive, we must give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it is (alive). And, thus, it should be entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

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Book:Ronald Reagan
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“Fellow Americans, our duty is before us tonight. Let us go forward, determined to serve selflessly a vision of man with God, government for people, and humanity at peace. For it is now our task to tend and preserve, through the darkest and coldest nights, that "sacred fire of liberty" that President Washington spoke of two centuries ago, a fire that tonight remains a beacon to all oppressed of the world, shining forth from this kindly, pleasant, greening land we call America.”

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Book:Ronald Reagan
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“In an ironic sense, Karl Marx was right. We are witnessing today a great revolutionary crisis, a crisis where the demands of the economic order are conflicting directly with those of the political order. But the crisis is happening not in the . . . West, but in the home of Marxism-Leninism, the Soviet Union. It is the Soviet Union that runs against the tide of history by denying human freedom and human dignity to its citizens.”

HumansHomeRunningTodayPoliticalOrderFreedomLibertyEconomicCitizensDemandHappeningsDignityCrisisUnionsWestRevolutionaryIronicSovietTidesSoviet UnionMarxismHuman DignityHuman FreedomEconomic OrderMarxism Leninism
Author:Ronald Reagan
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“Two Soviets . . . were talking to each other. And one of them asked, "What's the difference between the Soviet Constitution and the United States Constitution?" And the other one said, "That's easy. The Soviet Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of gathering. The American Constitution guarantees freedom after speech and freedom after gathering."”

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Book:Ronald Reagan
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“Our status as a free society and world power is not based on brute strength. When we've taken up arms, it has been for the defense of freedom for ourselves and for other peaceful nations who needed our help. But now, faced with the development of weapons with immense destructive power, we've no choice but to maintain ready defense forces that are second to none. Yes, the cost is high, but the price of neglect would be infinitely higher.”

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Book:Ronald Reagan
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“The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of these United States are covenants we have made not only with ourselves, but with all mankind. Our founding documents proclaim to the world that freedom is not the sole prerogative of a chosen few. It is the universal right of all God's children.”

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Book:A Shining City: The Legacy of Ronald Reagan
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“But in the West today, we see a free world that has achieved a level of prosperity and well-being unprecedented in all human history. In the Communist world, we see failure, technological backwardness, declining standards of health, even want of the most basic kind - too little food. Even today, the Soviet Union still cannot feed itself. After these four decades, then, there stands before the entire world one great and inescapable conclusion: Freedom leads to prosperity. Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace. Freedom is the victor.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things. It is the continuing revolution of the marketplace. It is the understanding that allows us to recognize shortcomings and seek solutions. It is the right to put forth an idea, scoffed at by the experts, and watch it catch fire among the people. It is the right to follow your dream, or stick to your conscience even if you're the only one in a sea of doubters.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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