Ronald Reagan

Explore 31 quotes by Ronald Reagan

Freedom and incentives unleash the drive and entrepreneurial genius that are the core of human progress.

Ronald Reagan

Second Inaugural Address of Ronald Reagan

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Topic

Incentives Political theory Theory of progress Progress Capitalism

Speaker

Ronald Reagan

Source

Second Inaugural Address of Ronald Reagan Presidential inaugural address

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1985 1980s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Reagan, Ronald. "Second Inaugural Address." 21 Jan. 1985, United States Capitol rotunda, US Capitol Building, Washington, DC, USA.

Since the turn of the century, the number of democracies in the world has grown fourfold. Human freedom is on the march, and nowhere more so than in our own hemisphere. Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit. People, worldwide, hunger for the right of self-determination, for those inalienable rights that make for human dignity and progress.

Ronald Reagan

Second Inaugural Address of Ronald Reagan

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Topic

Spread of freedom and democracy Democracy Freedom Political theory

Speaker

Ronald Reagan

Source

Second Inaugural Address of Ronald Reagan Presidential inaugural address

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1985 1980s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Reagan, Ronald. "Second Inaugural Address." 21 Jan. 1985, United States Capitol rotunda, US Capitol Building, Washington, DC, USA.

Government is like a baby—it’s got an alimentary canal at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.

Ronald Reagan

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Topic

Government

Speaker

Ronald Reagan

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1965 1960s 20th century

Authentication Score 1

Citation

Reagan, Ronald. "Conservatives Rallied: Goldwater Can Win Presidency in 1968, CRA Convention." Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 1965, p. B5, col. 3. Originally, a joke during campaign for Governor of California in 1965.

It's not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work—work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it.

Ronald Reagan

First Inaugural Address of Ronald Reagan

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Topic

Role of government Citizen and state American politics

Speaker

Ronald Reagan

Source

First Inaugural Address of Ronald Reagan Presidential inaugural address

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1981 1980s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Reagan, Ronald. "First Inaugural Address." 20 Jan. 1981, West Front, US Capitol Building, Washington, DC, USA.

Our New Beginning is a continuation of that beginning created two centuries ago when, for the first time in history, government, the people said, was not our master, it is our servant; its only power that which we the people allow it to have.

Ronald Reagan

Second Inaugural Address of Ronald Reagan

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Topic

Citizen and state American experiment

Speaker

Ronald Reagan

Source

Second Inaugural Address of Ronald Reagan Presidential inaugural address

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1985 1980s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Reagan, Ronald. "Second Inaugural Address." 21 Jan. 1985, United States Capitol rotunda, US Capitol Building, Washington, DC, USA.

No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. So governments' programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth.

Ronald Reagan

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Topic

Big government Government Political theory

Speaker

Ronald Reagan

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1964 1960s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Reagan, Ronald. "A Time for Choosing." U.S. presidential election campaign. 27 Oct. 1964, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California, USA. TV broadcast.

One legislator accused me of having a nineteenth-century attitude on law and order. That is a totally false charge. I have an eighteenth-century attitude. That is when the Founding Fathers made it clear that the safety of law-abiding citizens should be one of the government's primary concerns.

Ronald Reagan

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Topic

Law and order Crime Purpose of government Government

Speaker

Ronald Reagan

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1973 1970s 20th century

Authentication Score 0

Citation

Reagan, Ronald. Address to the Republican State Central Committee Convention. Republican State Central Committee Convention. 7 Sept. 1973, USA.

I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.

Ronald Reagan

1984 Presidential Debates

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Topic

American politics Political campaigns Politics

Speaker

Ronald Reagan

Source

1984 Presidential Debates Presidential debates

Medium

Political debate

Statement Type

Political joke Joke

Language

English

Time

1984 1980s 20th century

Authentication Score 0

Citation

Reagan, Ronald. "The Second Reagan-Mondale Presidential Debate." 21 Oct. 1984, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, MO, USA. Presidential debate.

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.

Ronald Reagan

1989 Farewell Address

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Topic

American Revolution Limited government Government Political theory American politics

Speaker

Ronald Reagan

Source

1989 Farewell Address Presidential Farewell Address

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1989 1980s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Reagan, Ronald. "Farewell Address to the Nation." 11 Jan. 1989, Oval Office, The White House, Washington, DC, USA.

And I hope we have once again 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.

Ronald Reagan

1989 Farewell Address

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Topic

Limited government Freedom Political theory Government Politics

Speaker

Ronald Reagan

Source

1989 Farewell Address Presidential Farewell Address

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1989 1980s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Reagan, Ronald. "Farewell Address to the Nation." 11 Jan. 1989, Oval Office, The White House, Washington, DC, USA.

And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was 8 years ago. But more than that: After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.

Ronald Reagan

1989 Farewell Address

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Topic

City on a hill American exceptionalism American politics America

Speaker

Ronald Reagan

Source

1989 Farewell Address Presidential Farewell Address

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1989 1980s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Reagan, Ronald. "Farewell Address to the Nation." 11 Jan. 1989, Oval Office, The White House, Washington, DC, USA.