Top 10 Greatest Quips from Ronald Reagan

Human Events ^ | 1/20/05

[rhema]

10. "Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." —Remarks at a business conference, Los Angeles, March 2, 1977

9. "You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans." —The Observer, March 29, 1981

8. “Thomas Jefferson once said, "We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying." —Circa 1988

7. "I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I'm in a cabinet meeting." —Said often during his presidency, 1981-1989

6. "How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." —Remarks in Arlington, Virginia, September 25, 1987

5. "The 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." —Remarks to the White House Conference on Small Business, August 15, 1986

4. “I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.” —Said often during his presidency, 1981-1989

3. "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." —Farewell Address to the Nation, The White House, January 11, 1989

2. "I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born." —The New York Times, September 22, 1980

1. "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit." — First Inaugural Address, January 21, 1981

[operation clinton cleanup]

"Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement."

Haha! The man made fools out of the press and they thought he was the fool.

[cake_crumb]

"That made me laugh."

He sure knew how to throw the press for a loop.

[BluesDuke]

"...occasion on which Mr. Reagan threw out the day's ceremonial first pitch and did a charming inning and a half of play-by-play..."

Now that would be cool to hear.

I have been trying to find a sound clip of that play-by-play (I have a swelling collection of old-time/classic radio broadcasts---including a late 1934 game between the Yankees and the Detroit Tigers, play-by-play by Ty Tyson). I also recall Mr. Reagan doing a bit of play-by-play on radio for the first All-Star Game after he left the White House.

[jamesm51]

I tell you, everytime I read one of these threads I greatly regret being too young to remember this great man as our president.

Ditto. I was alive for about 2 years of his presidency.

[conservativebabe]

Thanks for posting that. It was great to hear his voice again, and all the incredible cheering in the background.

[xmission]

Recovery , recession etc. audio"

[Irish Rose]

A few (unposted) favorites of mine:

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much.

You know, I like your White House photographers’ motto, “One picture is worth a thousand denials.”

The United Sates has much to offer the third world war.

[xmission]

Long RR Tribute audio (6.3m)

[cake_crumb]

"The man made fools out of the press and they thought he was the fool."

Yep, exactly. Here are a couple of other gems:

"Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives."

"Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them."

"Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them."

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

"I favor the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and it must be enforced at gunpoint if necessary."

-- R.R., 1966

"How can a president not be an actor?"

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Sorry if this has already been posted, but I like this one:

"Some people spend their entire lives wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem."

[cake_crumb]

"Thanks to the Internet and Jim Robinson, that job will be much easier. We are no longer controlled by the publishers, TV Networks, and liberal academia. The truth is out there for everyone to see."

"Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders"

[eleni121]

"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."

During war, government is not the problem.

[eleni121]

http://www.radioamerica.org./audio/ReaganCuts/Track50.mp3

Thanks for the resource. I love it!

[xmission]

That one is my favorite. There's a good one about buying a car in russia out there if I can isolate it.

[cake_crumb]

"The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much."

"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15."

"Status quo, you know, is Latin for 'the mess we're in'. "

[xmission]

Youth and inexperience audio

[Richard Kimball]

I wish Carter had concentrated on something besided destroying the United States.

[xmission]

Russian Car delivery Audio. funny

[RayChuang88]

I am so glad you mentioned that speech! What made it so amazing was that less than one year after President Reagan left office, the Berlin Wall DID finally fall. THAT, in my humble opinion, was Reagan's greatest legacy.

[eleni121]

Russia (and its autos) has come a long way since its struggles under Soviet domination. And no UAW!

Lada 2110