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Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan Quotes

40th U.S. President

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Famous Ronald Reagan Quotes

“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.".”

PeopleIfsInspirationalBelieveWellsMeanChildrenStatesDoneEarthTogetherLastsAmericaFightingGivenI BelieveUnitedRaceUnited StatesMankindOne DayStrongerOur ChildrenRemainsI Believe InFinishedTyrannyWorking TogetherBelieve In YouDeprivationHoping For The BestGood FightI Believe In You
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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“When a child loses his parent, they are called an orphan. When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow or widower. When parents lose their child, their isn't a word to describe them. This month recognizes the loss so many parents experience across the United States and around the world. It is also meant to inform and provide resources for parents who have lost children due to miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, stillbirths, birth defects, SIDS, and other causes.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“The full consequences of a default or even the serious prospect of default by the United States are impossible to predict and awesome to contemplate. Denigration of the full faith and credit of the United States would have substantial effects on the domestic financial markets and on the value of the dollar in exchange markets. The Nation can ill afford to allow such a result. The risks, the cost, the disruptions, and the incalculable damage lead me to but one conclusion: the Senate must pass this legislation before the Congress adjourns.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“Our enemies may be irrational, even outright insane, driven by nationalism, religion, ethnicity or ideology. They do not fear the United States for its diplomatic skills or the number of automobiles and software programs it produces. They respect only the firepower of our tanks, planes and helicopter gunships.”

MayStatesUnitedNumbersEnemyUnited StatesProduceSkillsProgramDrivenInsaneIdeologyPlanesNationalismSoftwareIrrationalTanksAutomobileDiplomaticEthnicityHelicoptersDo Not Fear
Book:A Shining City: The Legacy of Ronald Reagan
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“Our problems are both acute and chronic, yet all we hear from those in positions of leadership are the same tired proposals for more government tinkering, more meddling and more control---all of which led us to this state in the first place... We must have the clarity of vision to see the difference between what is essential and what is merely desirable, and then the courage to bring our government back under control and make it acceptable to the people.”

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Author: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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“My fellow Americans, I must speak to you tonight about a mounting danger in Central America that threatens the security of the United States. This danger will not go away it will grow worse, much worse, if we fail to take action now.”

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Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1986
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“After watching the State of the Union address the other night [1994], I'm reminded of the old adage that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Only in this case, it's not flattery, but grand larceny: the intellectual theft of ideas that you and I recognize as our own. Speech delivery counts for little on the world stage unless you have convictions, and, yes, the vision to see beyond the front row seats.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“Americans are not going to tolerate intimidation, terror and outright acts of war against this nation and its people. And we are especially not going to tolerate these attacks from outlaw states run by the strangest collection of misfits, Looney Tunes and squalid criminals since the advent of the Third Reich ... There can be no place on earth where it is safe for these monsters to rest,or train or practice their cruel and deadly. We must act together - or unilateraly, if necessary - to ensue that these terrorists have no sanctuary, anywhere.”

PeopleIfsWarStatesRunningEarthTogetherNationsPracticeSafeThirdsTrainTerrorCriminalsMonstersTerroristCollectionsTunesTolerateDeath PenaltySanctuaryIntimidationOutlawAdventMisfitsLooney Tunes
Author:Ronald Reagan
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“We must remove government's smothering hand from where it does harm; we must seek to revitalize the proper functions of government. We do these things to set loose again the energy and the ingenuity of the American people. We do these things to reinvigorate those social and economic institutions which serve as a buffer and a bridge between the individual and the state - and which remain the real source of our progress as a people.”

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Book:Speaking my mind: selected speeches
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“My friends, we did it. We weren't just marking time, we made a difference. We made (America) stronger - we made (America) freer - and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad. Not bad at all. And so, goodbye. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.”

MadeStatesHandsAmericaLeftDifferencesUnitedUnited StatesMy FriendsStrongerGoodbyeBlessUnited States Of AmericaGod BlessGod Bless YouMarking Time
Book:Speaking my mind: selected speeches
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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.”

MenWorldFirstsBelieveTwoStatesLibertyVisionPrinciplesDemocracyEqualEternalMassBlessedSpokesLockedDisputesLoving GodWhimDemocracies HaveOpium
Author:Ronald Reagan
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“If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

IfsInspirationalCountryStatesGodAmericaPoliticalReligionPoliticsNationsForgetGonePoliticianAuthorityDisappearChristian InspirationalPresidentialDivinityPatriotismPatrioticProvidencePatriotWithout GodReligious ToleranceAmerican PresidentEncyclopediaAmerican PatrioticUs PresidentReligious IntoleranceReligion And PoliticsChristian HeritageAmerican PatriotismAmerica FreedomPatriotism In AmericaGood PatrioticAmerican FreedomPledge Of AllegianceChristian PatrioticInspirational PatrioticOne Nation Under GodGod And CountryUs PresidentialInspiring PresidentialPatriotic ReligiousMoral DecayPrayer In SchoolBible School
Author: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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“If you serve a child a rotten hamburger in America, federal, state, and local agencies will investigate you, summon you, close you down, whatever. But if you provide a child with a rotten education, nothing happens, except that you're liable to be given more money to do it with. Well, we've discovered that money alone isn't the answer.”

IfsWellsChildrenStatesHappensAmericaGivenAnswersEducationLocalsAgencyMore MoneyRottenLiableHamburgers
Book:Ronald Reagan
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“I received a letter just before I left office from a man. I don't know why he chose to write it, but I'm glad he did. He wrote that you can go to live in France, but you can't become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Italy, but you can't become a German, an Italian. He went through Turkey, Greece, Japan and other countries. But he said anyone, from any corner of the world, can come to live in the United States and become an American.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“The Congress of the United States, in recognition of the unique contribution of the Bible in shaping the history and character of this Nation, and so many of its citizens, has by Senate Joint Resolution 165 authorized and requested the President to designate the year 1983 as the 'Year of the Bible.'”

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Book:Ronald Reagan
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“The United States and the freedom for which it stands, the freedom for which they died, must endure and prosper. Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply. It has a cost; it imposes a burden. And just as they whom we commemorate were willing to sacrifice, so too must we - in a less final, less heroic way - be willing to give of ourselves.”

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Book:Ronald Reagan
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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.”

StatesTodayNationsCommunityUnitedPayLibertyUnited StatesAchieveHonorHighestDeterminationDemocraticEndureDeterminedFirmFallenResolveCherishMemorialTributeMemorial DayBeaconsStand Firm
Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1981
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“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.”

PeopleShouldBelieveHas BeensCountryStatesRememberReligionBeliefSpeakNationsChurchUnitedPracticeUnited StatesAtheismLessonsWorshipUnityCommandOpennessChurch And StateSeparation Of Church And StateMandatesPluralismPluralism Is
Author:Ronald Reagan
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“I think there are some things ... that may even be distorted in the practice, such as some affirmative action programs becoming quota systems. And I'm old enough to remember when quotas existed in the United States for the purpose of discrimination, and I don't want to see that happen again.”

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Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1981
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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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“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.”

WorldChildrenMadeStatesFreedomUnitedLibertyUnited StatesMankindUniversalConstitutionIndependenceChosenSoleDocumentsDeclarationFoundingCovenantDeclaration Of IndependencePrerogative
Book:A Shining City: The Legacy of Ronald Reagan
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“Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty. Democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.”

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Author:Ronald Reagan
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“I welcome this chance to further strengthen the unbreakable ties between the United States and Israel and to assure you of our commitment to Israel's security and well-being. Israel and America may be thousands of miles apart, but we are philosophical neighbors sharing a strong commitment to democracy and the rule of law. What we hold in common are the bonds of trust and friendship, qualities that in our eyes make Israel a great nation. No people have fought longer, struggled harder, or sacrificed more than yours in order to survive, to grow, and to live in freedom”

PeopleWellsMayStatesEyeAmericaLawOrderStrongNationsGrowsChanceUnitedCommonQualityUnited StatesDemocracySecurityCommitmentHarderPhilosophicalIsraelNeighborMilesWelcomeWell BeingPresidentialTiesRule Of LawGreat NationsUnbreakableTrust And FriendshipMiles Apart
Author:Ronald Reagan
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“Israel exists; it has a right to exist in peace behind secure and defensible borders; and it has a right to demand of its neighbors that they recognize those facts. I have personally followed and supported Israel's heroic struggle for survival, ever since the founding of the State of Israel 34 years ago. In the pre-1967 borders Israel was barely 10 miles wide at its narrowest point. The bulk of Israel's population lived within artillery range of hostile Arab armies. I am not about to ask Israel to live that way again.”

WayYearsStatesFactsAsksBehindsStruggleDemandSurvivalYears AgoArmyPopulationIsraelWideNeighborMilesSecureRangePresidentialBordersHeroicFoundingHostileArtilleryStruggle For Survival
Author:Ronald Reagan
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