"Without God, there is no virtue, because there's no prompting of the conscience. Without God, we're mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." -- Ronald Reagan
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.
The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
We did not seek the role of leadership that has been thrust upon us. But whether we like it or not, the events of our time demand America's participation. October 12, 1972
A leader, once convinced a particular course of action is the right one, must have the determination to stick with it and be undaunted when the going gets rough. December 5, 1990
The challenge of statesmanship is to have the vision to dream of a better, safer world and the courage, persistence, and patience to turn that dream into reality. March 8, 1985
There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit. January 21, 1981
I know it's hard when you're up to your armpits in alligators to remember you came here to drain the swamp. February 10, 1982
The American people would rather reach for the stars than reach for excuses why we shouldn't. – when his Democratic opponent questioned the costs of the manned space program, President Reagan called for its continuance.
Doverai no proverai (trust but verify) – Old Russian proverb, resurrected by Ronald Reagan
And my all-time favorite campaign quote:
A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose your job. And a recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.
Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: "We the people." "We the people" tell the government what to do, it doesn't tell us. "We the people" are the driver, the government is the car. And we decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which "We the people" tell the government what it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.
My tagline:
“Life is tough. It’s even tougher if you’re stupid.” — John Wayne
“I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.”
“All the way into the hanger”
I was there in the Navy at the time and I remember this well. When Qaddafi decided to extend the coastal claims of Libya to the waters where American naval maneuvers were conducted. The entire Gulf of Sidra, extended up to one hundred miles from Libya’s coast, and it was proclaimed by Qaddafi to be Libyan water, off limits to our Navy. Jimmy Carter meekly rescheduled our maneuvers to stay outside disputed area, ordering us to not cross Qaddafi’s line. True to form, Carter failed to confront Qaddafi over the issue even after a siege on the American embassy in Tripoli in 1979.
Within months after taking office, Ronald Reagan took a stand. He made it clear that American maneuvers in the Gulf of Sidra would proceed as they always had. Anticipating trouble, Reagan was asked by the Joint Chiefs what American Navy pilots do if attacked? Would Reagan’s orders allow for “hot pursuit”? Reagan’s answer – “All the way into the hanger.” You know the rest of the story.