Memorable quotes from former President Reagan
WASHINGTON - Here are some memorable quotes from former
President Ronald Reagan:
``Government should do only those things the people cannot do for themselves.'' (June 23, 1971)
``If we get the federal government out of the classroom, maybe we'll get God back in.'' (Washingtonian magazine, July 1976)
`` Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.'' (March 3, 1978)
``With our eyes fixed on the future, but recognizing the realities of today ... we will achieve our destiny to be a shining city on a hill for all mankind to see. (March 17, 1978)
``Honey, I forgot to duck.'' (Comment to his wife, Nancy, after being shot outside the Washington Hilton Hotel, March 30, 1981)
``We cannot, as citizens, pick and choose the laws we will or will not obey.'' (Comment on firing striking air-traffic controllers, Sept. 3, 1981)
``We're the party that wants to see an America in which people can still get rich.'' (May 4, 1982)
``So, in your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to beware the temptation of pride - the temptation of blithely declaring yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.'' (March 8, 1983)
``These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.'' (40th anniversary of the Normandy invasion D-Day ceremony, June 6, 1984)
``My fellow Americans: I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.'' (Jesting comment while testing a microphone before a broadcast, Aug. 11, 1984)
``And let me add, in the party of Lincoln, there is no room for intolerance and not even a small corner for anti-Semitism or bigotry of any kind. Many people are welcome in our house, but not the bigots.'' (Acceptance speech, Republican National Convention, Aug. 23, 1984)
``Four years ago we raised a banner of bold colors - no pale pastels. We proclaimed a dream of an America that would be `a shining city on a hill.''' (Acceptance speech, Republican National Convention, Aug. 23, 1984)
``The glistening hope of that lamp is still ours. Every promise, every opportunity is still golden in this land. And through that golden door our children can walk tomorrow with the knowledge that no one can be denied the promise that is America.
``Her heart is full; her door is still golden, her future bright. She has arms big enough to comfort and strong enough to support. For the strength in her arms is the strength of her people. She will carry on in the '80s unafraid, unashamed and unsurpassed.
``In this springtime of hope, some lights seem eternal; America's is.'' (Acceptance speech, Republican National Convention, Aug. 23, 1984)
``Well, what they will say about us 100 years from now depends on how we keep our rendezvous with destiny.(Oct. 21, 1984)
``I will not make age an issue in this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience.'' (Oct. 21, 1984)
``America's view of apartheid is simple and straightforward: We believe it is wrong. We condemn it. And we are united in hoping for the day when apartheid will be no more.'' (Sept. 9, 1985)
``We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God." (On the destruction of the space shuttle Challenger, Jan. 28, 1986)
``The White House is the leakiest place I've ever been in.'' (April 9, 1986)
``The nine most terrifying words in the English language are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." (Aug. 23, 1986)
``General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!'' (Brandenburg Gate, West Berlin, June 12, 1987)
``We've done our part. And as I "walk off into the city streets," a final word to the men and women across America who for eight years did the work that brought America back: My friends, we did it. We weren't just marking time, we made a difference. We made the city stronger, we made the city 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.'' (Farewell address, Jan. 11, 1989)
``I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.'' (From his letter to the American people about his Alzheimer's disease, Nov. 5, 1994)
Thank you. The pic was done in PSP mosaic.
