100+ Famous Ronald Reagan Quotes That Inspire Leadership and Freedom

"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."

"We are told we must choose between a left or right. I would like to suggest there is a third choice: up—mankind's upward course."

"Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge."

"There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right."

"The work of freedom is never done, but it’s worth doing."

"I believe we shall rise to the challenge. When the call is heard, free men will answer."

"Peace is not the absence of conflict; peace is the creation of an environment where all can flourish."

"We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker."

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

"It isn’t so much that I’m a conservative, but that I was born in the wrong decade. I should’ve been born in the founding of this country."

"Let us begin anew—acknowledging that much has changed in the last four years, but there is much more to do."

"The best way to get people to act responsibly is to give them responsibility."

"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."

"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.'"

"Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction."

"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."

"If you analyze it, I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism."

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

"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so."

"We must keep in mind that when it comes to totalitarianism, repression, and aggression, it doesn't make any difference who the skin color is or who the religion is. It's still evil."

"Our mission is to preserve and strengthen that precious spark of freedom which has come down to us through the ages."

"Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged."

"You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on Earth."

"The government plays a key role in maintaining a sound economy, but the engine of growth is private enterprise."

"Taxes are the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society."

"The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program."

"A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his."

"Government does not create jobs. It creates paperwork."

"If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

"We were told during the campaign that we had the worst of all possible worlds: stagflation. Well, now we have the best of all possible worlds: rising employment and falling inflation."

"The problem with our economy is not that people aren’t working hard enough. It’s that government is making it harder for them to succeed."

"The American people are tired of being told that the government knows best."

"Don’t tax you. Don’t tax me. Tax that fellow behind the tree."

"The eight most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the IRS, and I'm here to help.'"

"The issue is not whether we can afford to spend more on government programs. The issue is whether we can afford to lose the incentives that drive prosperity."

"If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."

"Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged."

"We are a nation under God, and I believe we must not fear to proclaim that truth."

"Can we expect success from a nation that counts it a vice to be virtuous?"

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table."

"The Lord said, 'Thou shalt not kill,' and yet we have capital punishment and war. There’s a flaw in that logic."

"My belief is that we are put on Earth to help others. What the others are here for, I don’t know."

"I agree with Thomas Jefferson—I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too little."

"We need to teach our children morality. They need to learn right from wrong."

"Without God, there is no virtue because there’s no prompting of the conscience."

"We cannot survive as a free nation without faith in a higher power."

"The foundation of our society must rest upon the bedrock of morality and faith."

"Evil does exist in the world. A friend of mine says the only reputation he wants is that when he dies, the devil will burn his fingers."

"Trust, but verify."

"They reserve the right to commit any crime at any time and any place, and call it justice."

"The West won’t contain communism. It will transcend communism."

"I believe in peace through strength."

"We must stand tall and speak clearly, and carry a big stick."

"A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought."

"I am convinced that there is no substance to the rumor that I plan to invade Poland."

"The boys at the State Department always want to take the heavy hand off the throttle and drift."

"Dictators and tyrants may use terror as a tool, but free nations rely on truth and courage."

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden… to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

"America is too great for small dreams."

"We are always more united than when we are divided."

"The future belongs to the optimist."

"We must reject the idea that tomorrow belongs to the cynics."

"It’s morning again in America."

"When you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat."

"We are a nation that has a government—not the other way around."

"No dream is too large, no challenge too great."

"Let us renew our covenant! We are the nation that built the transcontinental railroad…"

"The American Dream is not dead. We will revive it."

"We are a shining city upon a hill."

"There is no obstacle we cannot overcome when we stand together."

"The government is like a baby: an alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other."

"The closest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth is a government program."

"Government does not solve problems. It subsidizes them."

"Government is not the solution to our problems. Government is the problem."

"How is it that we hear so much about the budget deficit and so little about the failure deficit?"

"The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy."

"The idea that government bureaucrats can manage the economy better than millions of individuals making their own decisions is simply absurd."

"One day, I hope we can ask the federal government to do something and not have to send out a search party to find someone who can actually do it."

"The federal government has 2.4 million employees. I haven’t fired anyone yet, but I think I can do something about that."

"Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in the saying: ‘If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.’"

"The National Debt is not going to be solved by raising taxes. It’s going to be solved by lowering spending."

"We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t collected enough taxes; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we’ve spent too much."

"Character is the one thing we each must build for ourselves."

"We must teach our children that responsibility is not a dirty word."

"Success in life is not measured by wealth, but by character."

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment."

"The family is the basic unit of society. If families fail, everything fails."

"We must reject the notion that we are helpless victims of forces beyond our control."

"You can’t strengthen the weak by weakening the strong."

"You can’t help the poor by destroying the rich."

"You can’t lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer."

"We must encourage self-reliance, not dependency."

"The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear."

"Happiness is not something government can give you. It’s something you make for yourself."

"America is the last best hope of man on Earth."

"We are a nation made of many peoples, but we are united in one dream."

"This is the country that brought forth the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Emancipation Proclamation."

"We are a nation of pioneers, inventors, and builders."

"Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government."

"From time to time, we have been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people."

"The American people are not afraid to face reality. That’s why we’ll win."

"We are the nation that built the transcontinental railroad, opened the Golden Gate, and brought light to the Empire State Building."

"Let us begin anew, remembering that the only limits to our achievements are those we place on ourselves."

"America’s greatness is not in its size or power, but in its soul."

"We are a shining city upon a hill—whose walls are security and whose beacon is hope."

"Our nation is not defined by ethnicity or ancestry, but by ideals."

"I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency—even if I’m in a cabinet meeting."

"The Democrats promise a lot. They promise each other a lot."

"They don’t make GM cars anymore—they import them from Detroit."

"I paid for this microphone, Senator!"

"I’m not going to pick on the unemployed. I’ve been unemployed myself."

"I have wondered from time to time what goes through the head of a goose when it flies south for the winter."

"After my experience, I’ve come to the conclusion that what one person sees as romantic, another sees as ridiculous."

"I believe in the separation of powers. The President should not interfere in the Justice Department. I wish the same principle would apply to governors."

"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I’ve come to realize that it bears a close resemblance to the first."

"I’ve always believed that the Pledge of Allegiance should be mandatory—except for politicians."

"I didn’t lose the election. I just didn’t get enough votes."

"If you’ve seen one redwood, you’ve seen them all."