300 Inspirational Quotes From Ronald Reagan On Leadership
1. “I used to say that politics was the second-oldest profession. I have come to know that it bears a gross similarity to the first.” – Ronald Reagan
2. “To grasp and hold a vision, that is the very essence of successful leadership – not only on the movie set where I learned it, but everywhere.”
3. “Money can’t buy happiness, but it will certainly get you a better class of memories.”
4. “Washington’s adventuristic policy, whipping up international tension to the utmost, is pushing mankind towards nuclear catastrophe.”
5. “We are never defeated unless we give up on God.” Ronald Reagan
6. “Trust, but verify. ” – Ronald Reagan
7. Government does not solve problems. It subsidizes them.
8. “Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” – Ronald Reagan
9. “The art of communication is the language of leadership.” – James Humes, author and speechwriter for presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan.
10. Make It Look Easy. Reagan believed that part of a professional’s code is to “make it look easy.” One might usefully recall another adage in this putting this in perspective: It didn’t just happen.
11. “Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” Ronald Reagan
12. They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong.
13. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”– President Ronald Reagan
14. “The war economy provides comfortable niches for tens of thousands of bureaucrats in and out of military uniform, who go to the office every day to build nuclear weapons or to plan nuclear war; millions of workers whose jobs depend on the system of nuclear terrorism; scientists and engineers designed to look out for that final technological breakthrough that can provide total security; contractors unwilling to give up easy profits; warrior intellectuals who sell threats and bless wars.”
15. “It isn’t so much that liberals are ignorant. It’s just that they know so many things that aren’t so.”
16. The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away.
17. “I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress.”
18. “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.”
19. “My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose. Somehow we win out.” – Ronald Reagan
20. “Every new day begins with possibilities.”
21. “There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” ~ Ronald Reagan
22. “The Wright brothers, Apple and Dr. King are just three examples. Harley-Davidson, Disney and Southwest Airlines are three more. John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan were also able to inspire.”
23. “The federal government did not create the states; the states created the federal government.”
24. “A people free to choose will always choose peace. ”
25. “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
26. “Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things.” – Ronald Reagan
27. “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”
28. “Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.” – Ronald Reagan
29. “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” Ronald Reagan
30. “My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose–somehow we win out.” Ronald Reagan
31. “Regimes planted by bayonets do not take root.”
32. “Life is one grand, sweet song so start the music.” – Ronald Reagan
33. “Trust, but verify.” ~ Ronald Reagan
34. “Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.”
35. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets people to do the greatest things.” –Ronald Reagan
36. “Trust, but verify” – Ronald Reagan
37. “He never stopped trying to save the world.” – Ron Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan
38. Seek Allies. Some people seek out reasons to disagree with others. Reagan strove to find areas of common ground. He was skilled at building alliances. This included locating shared interests or concerns with people and organizations who might otherwise be viewed as in opposition. He did not hesitate to reach out to those who became “Reagan Democrats.” So, too, he made a point of working with members of his own Republican Party who were not 100% “Reagan Republicans.” The Reagan administration cobbled together an unlikely set of allies in its efforts to turn the tide of the Cold War against the Soviet Union. Then, remarkably, Reagan and Soviet leader Gorbachev moved from the Cold War to cooperation.
39. “A world without nuclear weapons may be a dream but you cannot base a sure defence on dreams. Without far greater trust and confidence between East and West than exists at present, a world without nuclear weapons would be less stable and more dangerous for all of us.”
40. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” – Ronald Reagan
41. Wherever a beautiful soul has been there is a trail of beautiful memories. – Ronald Reagan
42. "Life is one grand sweet song so start the music.”― Ronald Reagan
43. There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder.
44. “There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” Ronald Reagan
45. “You can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”- Ronald Reagan
46. “There is little use for the being whose tepid soul knows nothing of great and generous emotion, of the high pride, the stern belief, the lofty enthusiasm, of the men who quell the storm and ride the thunder… It is war-worn Hotspur, spent with hard fighting, he of the many errors and valiant end, over whose memory we love to linger, not over the memory of the young lord who ‘but for the vile guns would have been a valiant soldier.'”
47. “We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.”
48. “Our policy is simple: We are not going to betray our friends, reward the enemies of freedom, or permit fear and retreat to become American policies — especially in this hemisphere. None of the four wars in my lifetime came about because we were too strong.”
49. “Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today’s world do not have.” – Ronald Reagan
50. “A wife who loses a husband is called a widow. A husband who loses a wife is called a widower. A child who loses his parents is called an orphan. There is no word for a parent who loses a child. That’s how awful the loss is.”
51. Today, if you invent a better mousetrap, the government comes along with a better mouse.
52. “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.” Ronald Reagan
53. Raise taxes
54. “To sit back hoping that someday, someway, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last – but eat you he will.”
55. “I believe the best social program is a job.”
56. “Never let the things you can’t do, stop you from doing what you can.”
57. “Trust, but verify.” —Ronald Reagan
58. “Here’s my strategy on the Cold War – we win, they lose.”
59. “I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport.” — George W. Bush
60. “As government expands, liberty contracts.”
61. “Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way” Ronald Reagan
62. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” —Ronald Reagan, former U.S. President
63. “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.”
64. 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.
65. “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!”
66. Don’t Be Limited by Others’ Expectations. They said a professional actor could never be elected president. They said a divorced person could not be elected president. They said he was too old to be elected president. They said he could never reach agreement the Soviet Union to curtail the ruinous arms race. “They” could not faze Ronald Reagan.
67. “Peace is not absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” ~ President Ronald Reagan
68. “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.” – Ronald Reagan
69. “I like Mr Gorbachev. We can do business together.”
70. “Government does not solve problems. It subsidizes them.”
71. “We’re looking forward to a great season at the University of California – if we find a way to put cleats on their sandals.”
72. “A people free to choose will always choose peace.” Ronald Reagan
73. “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.”
74. “Wherever a beautiful soul has been there is a trail of beautiful memories.” – Ronald Reagan
75. “History does not teach fatalism. There are moments when the will of a handful of free men breaks through determinism and opens up new roads. People get the history they deserve.”
76. The taxpayer—that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination. — Ronald Reagan
77. “The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away.” – Ronald Reagan
78. “Trust, but verify. ” —Ronald Reagan
79. “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.”
80. “I didn’t leave the Democratic party, the Democratic Party left me.”
81. “To sit back hoping that someday, some way, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last – but eat you he will.” Ronald Reagan
82. “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God then we will be a nation gone under.” Ronald Reagan
83. “I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon.” — Ronald Reagan
84. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” – Ronald Reagan, former U.S. President
85. “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don’t have that problem.”
86. “When you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat.”
87. Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out.
88. “One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project.” – Ronald Reagan
89. “Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we’ve ever known.” ~ Ronald Reagan
90. “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We’ll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we’ll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.” – Ronald Reagan
91. “I call upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace, to give us the means of rendering those nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete.”
92. “The more the plans fail, the more the planners plan.” ~ Ronald Reagan
93. “Self-defense is not only our right; it is our duty.”
94. Wherever a beautiful soul has been there is a trail of beautiful memories.” – Ronald Reagan
95. My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose-somehow we win out.” Ronald Reagan
96. “People who are sort of average, without much talent or very notable qualities, often make the best friends.” –John Green 2. “The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters.” -Anonymous 3. “I think if you surround yourself with good people and do the right things, good things will happen.” -Kobe Bryant 4. “You can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” -Ronald Reagan 5. “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. It won’t get done because they’re too busy, but it will get done because someone put in the effort.”-Tony Robbins
97. “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.” – Ronald Reagan
98. “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.” ~ Ronald Reagan
99. “Trust, but verify.”– Ronald Reagan
100. “A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation.”
101. “If America is to offer greater economic opportunity to her citizens, if she’s to defend our freedom, democracy, and keep the peace, then our children will need wisdom, courage, and strength – virtues beyond their reach without education. In the words of Thomas Jefferson: If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be.” Ronald Reagan
102. “Government is like a baby: an alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.”
103. “My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you today that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.”
104. “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.” Ronald Reagan
105. “Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way”
106. “If not us, who? And if not now, when?”
107. “You can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” – Ronald Reagan
108. “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally – not a 20 percent traitor.”
109. “We are forever indebted to those who have given their lives that we might be free.”
110. “For 20 years, the Soviet Union has been accumulating enormous military might. They didn’t stop when their forces exceeded all requirements of a legitimate defensive capability. And they haven’t stopped now.”
111. “Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.” Ronald Reagan
112. When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.
113. “To grasp and hold a vision, that is the very essence of successful leadership-not only on the movie set where I learned it, but everywhere.”
114. “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.”
115. “Stick to your dreams and determine that you’re going to make them come true.”
116. “Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.” – Ronald Reagan
117. America has begun a spiritual reawakening. Faith and hope are being restored. Americans are turning back to God. Church attendance is up. Audiences for religious books and broadcasts are growing. And I do believe that he has begun to heal our blessed land. - Author: Ronald Reagan
118. “There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.”
119. “Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.”
120. “Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours.” – Ronald Reagan
121. “Don’t be afraid to see what you see.” Ronald Reagan
122. August 5, 1981. That’s the date it became official. It’s rare that we can point to an exact date when a business theory or idea becomes an accepted practice. But in the case of mass layoffs, we can. August 5, 1981, was the day President Ronald Reagan fired more than 11,000 air traffic controllers.
123. Study Your Part. Actors study the characters they are asked to inhabit and translate. Ronald Reagan developed his notion of the “role” of leader with Franklin Roosevelt in mind. Young Reagan voted for FDR in each of his four presidential runs. Over time, Reagan’s politics evolved in another direction. He was nonetheless able to look beyond politics and partisanship as he evaluated leadership.
124. “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” – Ronald Reagan
125. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” — Ronald Reagan
126. “We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” – Ronald Reagan
127. “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.”
128. “Democracy is worth dying for, because it’s the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.”
129. “Like perestroika itself, glasnost made its way with considerable difficulty. [Party officials] on all levels regarded the strictest secrecy and protection of authorities from criticism from below as the holy of holies… they opposed glasnost in every way they could, both openly and secretly, trampling its first shoots in the local press… [But] glasnost awakened people from their social slumber, helped them overcome indifference and passivity and become aware of the stake they had in change and of its important implications for their lives. Glasnost helped us to explain and promote awareness of the new realities of our new political course. In short, without glasnost there would have been no perestroika.”
130. “I used to say that politics was the second-oldest profession. I have come to know that it bears a gross similarity to the first.”
131. “I’ve always believed that a lot of the troubles in the world would disappear if we were talking to each other instead of about each other.” Ronald Reagan
132. “Preservation of our environment is not a liberal or conservative challenge, it’s common sense.” Ronald Reagan
133. “Our rockets can find Halley’s comet, and fly to Venus with amazing accuracy, but side by side with these scientific and technical triumphs is an obvious lack of efficiency in using scientific achievements for economic needs… many Soviet household appliances are of poor quality.”
134. The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
135. Embody Your Vision. It’s often observed that Reagan, the actor, was memorably authentic. His life and work were unified. Reagan strove to convey integrity. He came to embody his vision.
136. “If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be one nation gone under.” – Ronald Reagan
137. “Heroes may not be braver than anyone else, they’re just braver five minutes longer.” Ronald Reagan
138. “My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose – somehow we always win out.” – Ronald Reagan
139. “The struggle now going on for the world will never be decided by bombs or rockets, by armies or military might. The real crisis we face today is a spiritual one; at root, it is a test of moral will and faith.” Ronald Reagan
140. “I have left orders to be awakened at any time during national emergency, even if I’m in a cabinet meeting.”
141. “If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen. ”
142. “The struggle now going on for the world will never be decided by bombs or rockets, by armies or military might. The real crisis we face today is a spiritual one; at root, it is a test of moral will and faith.” – Ronald Reagan
143. Translate Your Vision Into Management. Reagan’s clear communication of his vision fostered a supportive culture in the organizations he led. Everyone—from the general public to the many members of his presidential administration—understood the keystones of Reagan’s vision. This empowered people at every level to advance Reagan’s agenda.
144. “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” — Ronald Reagan
145. Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July. The Democrats believe every day is April 15.
146. “Peace is not the absence of conflict but the ability to cope with conflict by peaceful means.”
147. Cultivate Durable Optimism. Durable optimism was a hallmark of Reagan’s leadership. He believed, even in the darkest days, that brighter days lay ahead. This connected him to the young—with whom he had a unique bond as president—and to future generations. His enthusiasm helped restore America’s confidence in herself. Reagan’s understanding of the power of optimism in leadership arose, in part, from his youth during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
148. “America is too great for small dreams.”
149. “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” Ronald Reagan
150. “Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way” ~ Ronald Reagan
151. Compromise to Advance Your Goals. Long before he entered electoral politics, Reagan served as a highly effective labor negotiator. He learned to fight hard for the interests of those he represented–and when to accept a compromise that would be in everyone’s interest. When he was unable to achieve all of his announced goals, he would frame the ultimate agreement in a way that would enable him to return for additional concessions in the future.
152. “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.”
153. “The future doesn’t belong to the light-hearted. It belongs to the brave.”
154. Roosevelt Quotes On Power, Happiness, Democracy, Success And More
155. “Don’t be afraid to see what you see.” – Ronald Reagan
156. “Trust but verify.” Ronald Reagan
157. “Peace is more than just an absence of war. True peace is justice, true peace is freedom, and true peace dictates the recognition of human rights.”
158. Maintain Perspective. Reagan evaded the prideful temptation to conspicuously burn the midnight oil as president. He understood that the tasks only he could undertake—such as top decisions relating to life and death, representing the nation in various capacities—called upon his judgment and perspective. He spent the equivalent of a year of his presidency away from the White House, at his ranch in California. Of course, no president can ever entirely be “off.” Reagan was by no means detached from necessary decision-making, much less idle. He was separated from the day-to-day minutiae, better equipped to keep his eye on the big picture.
159. “Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid.”
160. “There are no easy answers. but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” ~ Ronald Reagan
161. “The Gorbachev Doctrine represented a shift of policy and performance, disengaging by choice from a whole global confrontation with the United States, to a policy predicated on cooperative security and normalised relations with other countries.”
162. “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth!”
163. “May every day be a new beginning, and every dawn bring us closer to that shining city upon a hill.” — Ronald Reagan
164. "Peace is not absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” — President Ronald Reagan
165. “The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted, it belongs to the brave.” Ronald Reagan
166. “If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
167. “I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph, and there is purpose and worth to each and every life.”
168. Money can’t buy happiness, but it will certainly get you a better class of memories.” – Ronald Reagan
169. “Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives”
170. “Coercion, after all, merely captures man. Freedom captivates him.”
171. “Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.”
172. “It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?”– Ronald Reagan
173. “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
174. “It was leadership here at home that gave us strong American influence abroad, and the collapse of imperial Communism.”
175. “Without a vision the people perish.” Ronald Reagan
176. “Wherever a beautiful soul has been, there is a trail of beautiful memories.” – Ronald Reagan
177. “If you think you can – you can!”
178. “Make no mistake about it, this attack was not just against ourselves or the Republic of Korea. This was the Soviet Union against the world and the moral precepts which guide human relations among people everywhere. It was an act of barbarism born of a society which wantonly disregards individual rights and the value of human life… They deny the deed, but in their conflicting and misleading protestations the Soviets reveal that, yes, shooting down a plane, even one with hundreds of innocent men, women, children and babies, is a part of their normal procedure if that plane is in what they claim as their airspace.”
179. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”
180. Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way. - Ronald Reagan
181. “The arts and humanities teach us who we are and what we can be. They lie at the very core of the culture of which we’re a part.”
182. “Think about one of the most powerful influences on a young child’s life – the absence of a father figure. Look back on recent presidents, and you’ll find an absent, or weak, or failed father in the lives of Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.” – Jeff Greenfield
183. Trust, but verify. – Ronald Reagan
184. “To sit back hoping that someday, someway, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last - but eat you he will.”
185. Craft a Compelling Vision. This is something we all know—yet few master. Reagan’s vision of individual freedom is the foundation of every aspect of his leadership, throughout his career.
186. “When you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat.” – Ronald Reagan
187. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” - Ronald Reagan
188. “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.”
189. “If history teaches anything, it teaches that self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly.”
190. “Nothing lasts longer than a temporary government program.”
191. “It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.”
192. “I want you to know that also 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.”
193. “There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits to human intelligence, imagination and wonder.” Ronald Reagan
194. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”- Ronald Reagan
195. “With freedom comes responsibility, a responsibility that can only be met by the individual.”
196. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” ~ Ronald Reagan
197. “There are no easy answers. but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” – Ronald Reagan
198. "Life is one grand, sweet song so start the music.” — Ronald Reagan
199. “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” – Ronald Reagan
200. “Don’t be afraid to see what you see.”
201. “Coercion, after all, merely captures man. Freedom captivates him.” – Ronald Reagan
202. “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, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
203. “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.” Ronald Reagan
204. “Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things.”
205. “I've heard that hard work never killed anyone, but I say why take the chance?”
206. “Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way.” –Ronald Reagan
207. “When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.”
208. “The time is now, my fellow Americans to recapture our destiny, to take it into our own hands.” Ronald Reagan
209. “Every new day begins with possibilities.” – Ronald Reagan
210. I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon. Ronald Reagan
211. Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way. - Ronald Reagan
212. “Wherever a beautiful soul has been there is a trail of beautiful memories...”
213. “We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” ~ Ronald Reagan
214. “While I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future.” Ronald Reagan
215. “As President Ronald Reagan famously joked with the chief surgeon on March 30, 1981, as he was wheeled into the operating room at George Washington University Hospital, after being shot by John Hinckley Jr., “I hope you’re all Republicans.” (To which the surgeon, a self-described liberal Democrat, replied, “We’re all Republicans today, Mr. President.”)”
216. “When he saw injustice, he wanted to do away with it. He saw communism, and he wanted to put an end to it.”
217. “I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon.” – Ronald Reagan
218. “Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” Ronald Reagan
219. “My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose – somehow we win out.” ~ Ronald Reagan
220. “[Soviet leader Yuri Andropov] criticised the received wisdom of the last decade of the Brezhnev years which maintained that the Soviet Union had entered the period of ‘mature socialism’… [Instead he] contrasted the fiction of a Soviet system capable of generating growth and technological progress, with the reality of an economy which was still relatively backward, of workers who lacked discipline, of bureaucrats who were corrupt and of party managers who were complacent.”
221. “There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder.” – Ronald Reagan
222. “A leader, once convinced that a particular course of action is the right one, must….be undaunted when the going gets tough.”
223. “If the Soviet Union were to sink tomorrow under the waters of the ocean, the American military-industrial establishment would have to go on, substantially unchanged, until some other adversary could be invented. Anything else would be an unacceptable shock to the American economy.”
224. “We’re blessed with the opportunity to stand for something, for liberty and freedom and fairness, and these are things worth fighting for, worth devoting our lives to.” Ronald Reagan
225. “There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.”
226. “The constitution was never meant to prevent people from praying; its declared purpose was to protect their freedom to pray.” Ronald Reagan
227. “Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.”
228. “I’ve noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.”
229. “A people free to choose will always choose peace.” – Ronald Reagan
230. Status quo, you know, is Latin for 'the mess we're in.'
231. “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” – Ronald Reagan
232. “Trust but verify.” – Ronald Reagan
233. “AUGUST 5, 1981. That’s the date it became official. It’s rare that we can point to an exact date when a business theory or idea becomes an accepted practice. But in the case of mass layoffs, we can. August 5, 1981, was the day President Ronald Reagan fired more than 11,000 air traffic controllers.”
234. “Perestroika was born out of the realisation that problems of internal development in our country were ripe, even overripe, for a solution. New approaches and types of action were needed to escape the downward spiral of crisis, to normalise life, and to make a breakthrough to new frontiers. It can be said that to a certain extent perestroika was a result of a rethinking of the Soviet experience.”
235. “America is, and always will be, a shining city on a hill.”
236. “While I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future.”
237. “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.”
238. Write. In common with many other effective leaders, Reagan was a serious writer. He had been a professional speaker, as well as an actor, for decades prior to becoming president. Writing required that he think through many, many events and ideas. It enabled him to experiment with various ways to express his observations in the most persuasive way. Writing reinforced his capacity to be engaged in events. At the same time, the focused listening and observation that fuel writing ensured that he was always an outsider, always scanning the larger scene.
239. Deploy Humor. Reagan’s use of humor was legendary. He often disarmed foes and critics with a gentle but lethal touch. So, too, he would not hesitate to poke fun at himself. This enabled him to address legitimate, sensitive issues of public concern, such as his advancing age while serving as president.
240. “Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.”
241. Take action and believe in yourself. Dreams do come true.
242. “Since I came to the White House, I’ve gotten two hearing aids, had a colon operation, a prostate operation, skin cancer, and I’ve been shot…damn thing is, I’ve never felt better.”
243. “Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They're just braver 5 minutes longer.”
244. “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere.” Ronald Reagan
245. “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”
246. “By working together, pooling our resources and building on our strengths, we can accomplish great things.”
247. “Social security has nothing to do with the deficit.” Ronald Reagan
248. “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.”
249. 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.
250. “Socialists ignore the side of man that is the spirit. They can provide you shelter, fill your belly with bacon and beans, treat you when you’re ill, all the things guaranteed to a prisoner or a slave. They don’t understand that we also dream.”
251. “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.”
252. “Status quo, you know, is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in’.”
253. “Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.”
254. “We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we will always be free.”
255. “I do not want to go back to the past; I want to go back to the past way of facing the future.”
256. “Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.” Ronald Reagan
257. “Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.”
258. “Government is not a solution to our problem government is the problem.”
259. “Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way.“
260. "I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport.” — George W. Bush
261. “I’ll be like Scarlett O’Hara-I’ll think about it tomorrow.”
262. “Life is one grand sweet song so start the music”
263. Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.
264. “We the people tell the government what to do, it doesn’t tell us.” ~ Ronald Reagan
265. “If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen.” Ronald Reagan
266. “Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” Ronald Reagan
267. “I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there’s purpose and worth to each and every life.”
268. “Money can’t buy happiness, but it will certainly get you a better class of memories.”- Ronald Reagan
269. “Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They’re just braver 5 minutes longer.”
270. “It’s hard, when you’re up to your armpits in alligators, to remember you came here to drain the swamp.”
271. Personnel Is Central to Management. Reagan’s presidential administration centralized personnel selection and management to an unprecedented extent. His team’s mantra was: “Personnel is policy.” Paradoxically at first glance, the central supervision of personnel management worked hand-in-glove within an overall approach of decentralizing and delegating authority.
272. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” Ronald Reagan
273. “The West will not contain communism; it will transcend communism. We will not bother to renounce it, we’ll dismiss it as a bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages are even now being written.”
274. Protect Your Health. The first duty of anyone entrusted with the well-being of others is to safeguard their own health. Reagan was memorably disciplined in terms of diet, exercise, and sleep.
275. “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere.” – Ronald Reagan
276. “Socialism only works in two places: Heaven where they don’t need it and hell where they already have it.”
277. “Welfare’s purpose should be to eliminate, as far as possible, the need for its own existence.” – Ronald Reagan
278. “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.”
279. “Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” – Ronald Reagan
280. “Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.”
281. Trust but verify. - Ronald Reagan
282. “Virtually all of us as Americans trace our history back to immigrants from distant lands, men and women who came to America with a firm willingness to work, asking only freedom.” Ronald Reagan
283. We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.
284. “Let us now begin… a crusade for freedom that will engage the faith and fortitude of the next generation. For the sake of peace and justice, let us move toward a world in which all people are at last free to determine their own destiny.”
285. “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.”
286. “I’ve always believed that a lot of the trouble in the world would disappear if we were talking to each other instead of about each other.”
287. “The price of freedom may be high, but never so costly as the loss of freedom.”
288. The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things. —Ronald Reagan, former U.S. President
289. “Our government needs the church, because only those humble enough to admit they’re sinners can bring democracy the tolerance it requires to survive”
290. “My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose – somehow we win out.“
291. “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” ~ Ronald Reagan
292. Communicate a Compelling Vision. Reagan demurred on being called the “Great Communicator.” He preferred to say that he communicated “great things.” So he did. Polls showed that Americans well understood his top priorities.
293. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” – Ronald Reagan<
294. My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose. Somehow we win out.
295. “Doverey, no proverey – Trust but verify.”
296. “If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be one nation gone under.”
297. “You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans. ”
298. “Respect for human rights is not social work; it is not merely an act of compassion. It is the first obligation of government and the source of its legitimacy.”
299. “There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.” Ronald Reagan
300. Money can’t buy happiness, but it will certainly get you a better class of memories.” Ronald Reagan
301. “Entrepreneurs are the forgotten heroes of America.“
302. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” —Ronald Reagan
303. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” ~ Ronald Reagan
304. “The future doesn't belong to the lighthearted. It belongs to the brave.”
305. “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.”
306. “Trust, but verify.” – Ronald Reagan
307. “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.” Ronald Reagan
308. “The Great Communicator” never thought that he would someday become a world leader. In fact, Reagan has worked for more than 25 years as an actor. He starred in over 50 different films and was usually typecast as the “good guy” — the characters were remarkably like Reagan himself.
309. “Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.”
310. “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.” – Ronald Reagan
311. “I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph, and there is purpose and worth to each and every life.” Ronald Reagan
312. “I’ve heard that hard work never killed anyone, but I say why take the chance?”
313. “If you're explaining, you're losing.”
314. “I hope we once again have 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.”
315. “This is the moment of your defeat. You have just put the last nails into the coffin of communism.”
316. “Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.”
317. “Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.” – Ronald Reagan
318. “Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we’ve ever known.”
319. Raise defense spending
320. “[The Soviets] preach the supremacy of the state, declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination of all peoples on the earth; they are the focus of evil in the modern world.”
321. “Great nations have responsibilities to lead, and we should always be cautious of those who would lower our profile, because they might just wind up lowering our flag.”
322. “In Search of Excellence” Revisited
323. “Here you discover that so long as books are kept open, then minds can never be closed.”
324. “The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away.”
325. “If more government is the answer, then it was a really stupid question.”
326. “It’s hard, when you’re up to your armpits in alligators, to remember you came here to drain the swamp.” Ronald Reagan