50 Brilliant Ronald Reagan Quotes on Leadership And Success

“Public Domain: Ronald Reagan at Durenberger Rally by Michael Evans, 1982 (NARA/Reagan Library)“, by pingnews.com

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. He was an American politician who served as the 40th president of the United State from 1981 to 1989 but was originally an American actor in his 20s, regarded as the only movie actor ever to become president. He became a highly influential voice of modern conservatism as he was known for his conservative republicanism. Ronald Reagan helped redefine the purpose of government and pressured the Soviet Union to end the Cold War. Having a remarkable skill as an orator, Ronald earned the title “The Great Communicator”.

Ronald Reagan Quotes

“A tree’s a tree. How many more do you need to look at?”
Opposing expansion of Redwood National Park, as quoted in Sacramento Bee (3 March 1966)

“You’d be surprised how much being a good actor pays off.”
Responding to a question from students at Shanghai’s University of Fudan as to which experiences best prepared him for the presidency (30 April 1984), cited by Paul Slansky, The Clothes Have No Emperor

“Facts are stupid things — stubborn things, I should say.”
Address to Republican National Convention. (15 August 1988)

“Status quo, you know, that is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in’.”
speech, Washington, 16 March 1981

“Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.”

“Let us ask ourselves; “What kind of people do we think we are?””
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1982)

“Democracy is not a fragile flower; still it needs cultivating.”
U.S. foreign policy and world realities: addresses by President Ronald W. Reagan, 1982 (ed. 1982)

“America needs jobs and opportunity, not make-work and handouts.”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1984)

“The family has always been the cornerstone of American society.”
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1982: (ed. Best Books on, 1982) – ISBN: 9781623769369

“Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.”

“Violence has been Nicaragua’s most important export to the world.”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1982)

“The criminal element now calculates that crime really does pay.”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1982)

“I didn’t leave the Democratic party; the Democratic party left me.”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1982)

“Our liberty springs from and depends upon an abiding faith in God.”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1982)

“We must have faith in the people of this country and faith in our principles.”

“In this springtime of hope, some lights seem eternal; America’s is.”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1982)

“Even now I wonder what I might have accomplished if I’d studied harder”
U.S. foreign policy and world realities: addresses by President Ronald W. Reagan, 1982 (ed. 1982)

“We need more Democrats in the Senate -Like Custer needed more arrows.”
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1986: (ed. Best Books on, 1988) – ISBN: 9781623769475

“After seeing Rambo last night I know what to do next time this happens.”
As quoted in: City Limits, 16 December 1987

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

“Either you will control your government, or government will control you.”
A Time for Choosing: The Speeches of Ronald Reagan, 1961-1982 (ed. Gateway Books, 1983)

“Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1982)

“I have only one thing to say to the tax increasers: Go ahead, make my day.”
Speech threatening to veto legislation raising taxes (13 March 1985)

“A bird on a tether, no matter how long the rope, can always be pulled back.”
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1988-1989: (ed. Best Books on, 1990) – ISBN: 9781623769529

“Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will.”

“It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure why take the chance?”
interview; in Guardian 31 March 1987

“When cruelty is inflicted on innocent people, it discredits whatever cause.”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1988)

“We didn’t discover our values in a poll taken a week before the convention.”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1982)

“There is nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.”
As quoted in: Time magazine, 28 December 1987

“Do what’s right and you’ll please some of the people and astound the rest.”

“I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.”
Joke at the Gridiron Club annual dinner (24 March 1984)

“We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1982)

“If you put it on the table as a bargaining chip, it becomes a bargaining chip”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1982)

“The price of freedom may be high, but never so costly as the loss of freedom.”
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1982: (ed. Best Books on, 1982) – ISBN: 9781623769369

“Stick to your dreams and determine that you’re going to make them come true.”

“They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong.”
The Greatest Speeches of Ronald Reagan (ed. 2004)

“One way to make sure crime doesn’t pay would be to let the government run it.”
The Reagan wit (ed. Jameson Books, 1981)

“Wearing love beads and touting our sincerity will not make this a safer world.”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1984)

The best social program is a productive job for anyone who’s willing to work.
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1982: (ed. Best Books on, 1982) – ISBN: 9781623769369

“The Bible can touch our hearts, order our minds, refresh our souls.”

“All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk.”
As quoted in Burlington Free Press [Vermont] (15 February 1980)

“I believe now, as I alway have, that America’s strength is in ‘We the People.’”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1991)

“We’ve got to teach history based not on what’s in fashion, but what’s important.”
Ronald Reagan (ed. 1991)

“Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They’re just braver five minutes longer.”
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1982: (ed. Best Books on, 1982) – ISBN: 9781623769369

“The best view of big government is in the rearview mirror as we leave it behind.”

“While I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future.”
Actor, Ideologue, Politician: The Public Speeches of Ronald Reagan (ed. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1993) – ISBN: 9780313284915