95 Ronald Reagan Quotes on Leadership & Freedom (2021)
These Ronald Reagan quotes are full of wisdom and prove why some refer to him as one of the best US presidents of all time. In the comments below, tell us which quote inspired you the most.
Read our quotes by Ronald Reagan on leadership, freedom and success to command your motivation!
Born Ronald Wilson Reagan on February 6, 1911 to John Edward “Jack” Reagan and Nellie Wilson Reagan in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan went on to become an actor, a U.S. Governor, and the President.
Rold Reagan started his career as an actor and in 1937 signed to Warner Brothers, and over the next thirty years, he would appear in over 50 different films.
His most notable appearances were in the 1940 biopic Knute Rockne, All American and the 1942 film Kings Row. Also in 1940, Reagan married fellow star, actress Jane Wyman, but they divorced in 1948.
Reagan served as the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1947 to 1952, and it was then that he met Nancy Davis, an actor he would marry in 1952.
In 1952, Reagan hosted The General Electric Theater, and this is where his political views shifted from liberal to conservative.
In 1964, he gave a televised speech for Barry Goldwater, and two years later, he won California governorship in a landslide, and he was reelected in 1970.
In both 1968 and 1976, Reagan attempted to make bids for the Republican presidential nomination, but he didn’t receive the nod until 1980, in which election he defeated Jimmy Carter.
He was the oldest president elected, at the age of 69. An assassination attempt occurred on March 30, 1981, where the President was hit, but he survived.
A major history-making moment of Reagan’s presidency was when, in 1981, he appointed Judge Sandra Day O’Connor as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
Reagan was reelected in a landslide, and the days after his time in the White House were mostly spent dealing with Alzheimer’s disease for almost a decade before his death on June 5, 2004.
Don’t forget to also read these wise presidential quotes and sayings from past presidents.
Inspirational Ronald Reagan Quotes
1. When you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat. – Ronald Reagan
2. Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means. – Ronald Reagan
3. We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone. – Ronald Reagan
4. All great change in America begins at the dinner table. – Ronald Reagan
5. Coercion, after all, merely captures man. Freedom captivates him. – Ronald Reagan
6. 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
Also, check out these John McCain quotes about character, America and more.
Ronald Reagan Quotes on Leadership
7. 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
8. 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
9. Don’t be afraid to see what you see. – Ronald Reagan
10. Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States. – Ronald Reagan
11. 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
12. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be one nation gone under. – Ronald Reagan
13. 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
14. 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
15. Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things. – Ronald Reagan
16. 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
17. Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. – Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan Quotes on Freedom
18. Welfare’s purpose should be to eliminate, as far as possible, the need for its own existence. – Ronald Reagan
19. 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
20. 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
21. The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away. – Ronald Reagan
22. There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder. – Ronald Reagan
23. 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
24. 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
Ronald Reagan quotes to elevate your mind
25. 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
26. There is absolutely no circumstance whatever under which I would accept that spot. – Ronald Reagan
27. One way to make sure crime doesn’t pay would be to let the government run it. – Ronald Reagan
28. 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
29. The ultimate determinate in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas – a trial of spiritual resolve; the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideas to which we are dedicated. – Ronald Reagan
30. If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth. – Ronald Reagan
31. 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. – Ronald Reagan
32. 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
Ronald Reagan quotes to inspire and teach
33. Without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. – Ronald Reagan
34. Protecting the rights of even the least individual among us is basically the only excuse the government has for even existing. – Ronald Reagan
35. Some people wonder all their lives if they’ve made a difference. The Marines don’t have that problem. – Ronald Reagan
36. Man is not free unless government is limited. – Ronald Reagan
37. Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music. – Ronald Reagan
38. 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
39. Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They’re just braver five minutes longer. – Ronald Reagan
40. If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under. – Ronald Reagan
41. The future doesn’t belong to the faint-hearted; it belongs to the brave. – Ronald Reagan
42. In raising and instructing our children, in providing personal and compassionate care for the elderly, in maintaining the spiritual strength of religious commitment among our people– in these and other ways, America’s families make immeasurable contributions to America’s well-being. Today, more than ever, it is essential that these contributions not be taken for granted and that each of us remember that the strength of our families is vital to the strength of our nation. – Ronald Reagan
43. Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders. – Ronald Reagan
44. 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. – Ronald Reagan
45. I believe the best social program is a job – Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan quotes on Life
46. Trust, but verify. – Ronald Reagan
47. We will always remember. We will always be proud.We will always be prepared, so we will always be free. – Ronald Reagan
48. We the people tell the government what to do. It doesn’t tell us. – Ronald Reagan
49. Don’t try to make your dreams a reality, they’re only filled with things that don’t make sense and trolls. Things are better in reality. – Ronald Reagan
50. Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty. – Ronald Reagan
51. “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.” ― Ronald Reagan
52. “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
53. “Never let the things you can’t do stop you from doing what you can.” ― Ronald Reagan
54. “A people free to choose will always choose peace.” ― Ronald Reagan
55. “I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress.” ― Ronald Reagan
56. “We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we will always be free.”
― Ronald Reagan
57. “I have spent most of my life as a Democrat. I recently have seen fit to follow another course. I believe that the issues confronting us cross party lines.” ― Ronald Reagan
58. “They say we offer simple answers to complex problems. Well, perhaps there is a simple answer — not an easy answer — but simple.” ― Ronald Reagan
59. “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
60. “Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with conflict by peaceful means.” ― Ronald Reagan
Other Ronald Reagan quotes to inspire you
61. “Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
62. “If not us, who? And if not now, when?” – Ronald Reagan
63. “We must be cautious in claiming God is on our side. I think the real question we must answer is, are we on His side?” – Ronald Reagan
64. “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally – not a 20 percent traitor.” – Ronald Reagan
65. “I believe now, as I alway have, that America’s strength is in ‘We the People.’” – Ronald Reagan
66. “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
67. “Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” – Ronald Reagan
68. “We are never defeated unless we give up on God.” – Ronald Reagan
69. “Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.” – Ronald Reagan
70. “Many a man has failed because he had his wishbone where his backbone should have been.” – Ronald Reagan
You might also like these Harry Truman quotes from the unpopular president.
More Ronald Reagan Quotes
71. “I’ve noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.” – Ronald Reagan
72. “A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation.” – Ronald Reagan
73. “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” – Ronald Reagan
74. “I have left orders to be awakened at any time during national emergency, even if I’m in a cabinet meeting.” – Ronald Reagan
75. “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.” – Ronald Reagan
76. “You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans.” – Ronald Reagan
77. “The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.” – Ronald Reagan
78. “Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.” – Ronald Reagan
79. “It isn’t so much that liberals are ignorant. It’s just that they know so many things that aren’t so.” – Ronald Reagan
80. “Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.” – Ronald Reagan
81. “I don’t believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing.”― Ronald Reagan
82. “Government is not a solution to our problem government is the problem.”― Ronald Reagan
83. “Status quo, you know, is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in.’”― Ronald Reagan
84. “It seems to me that America is constantly reinventing what “America” means.”― Ronald Reagan
85. “The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant. It’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.”― Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan quotes that will make you think
86. “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.”
87. “Sometimes when I’m faced with an atheist, I am tempted to invite him to the greatest gourmet dinner that one could ever serve, and when we have finished eating that magnificent dinner, to ask him if he believes there’s a cook.”
88. “I’ve heard that hard work never killed anyone, but I say why take the chance?”
89. “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don’t have that problem.”
90. “America is too great for small dreams.”
91. “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.”
92. “The federal government did not create the states; the states created the federal government.”
93. “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.”
94. “Government does not solve problems. It subsidizes them.”
95. “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.”
Political Ronald Reagan quotes about government and democracy
96. “Latinos are Republican. They just don’t know it yet.” — Ronald Reagan
97. “I’ve often said there’s nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.” — Ronald Reagan
98. “History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.” — Ronald Reagan
99. “Inflation is as violent as a mugger, as frightening as an armed robber and as deadly as a hit man.” — Ronald Reagan
100. “Today we did what we had to do. They counted on America to be passive. They counted wrong.” — Ronald Reagan
101. “Democracy is worth dying for, because it’s the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.” — Ronald Reagan
102. “It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.” — Ronald Reagan
103. “My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes.” — Ronald Reagan
104. “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.” — Ronald Reagan
105. “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!” — Ronald Reagan
Additional Ronald Reagan quotes
106. “I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon.” – Ronald Reagan
107. “Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours.” – Ronald Reagan
108. “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” – Ronald Reagan
109. “I favor the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and it must be enforced at gunpoint if necessary.” – Ronald Reagan
110. “Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.” – Ronald Reagan
111. “We’re in greater danger today than we were the day after Pearl Harbor. Our military is absolutely incapable of defending this country.” – Ronald Reagan
112. “They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong.” – Ronald Reagan
113. “Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.” – Ronald Reagan
114. “The thought of being President frightens me and I do not think I want the job.” – Ronald Reagan
115. “It’s difficult to believe that people are still starving in this country because food isn’t available.” – Ronald Reagan
Which Ronald Reagan quotes are your favorite?
Ronald Reagan is one of those politicians that you either loved or really hated. Regardless of which camp you fall into, it is undeniable that Ronald Reagan is an important part of American History.
Do you have any other Ronald Reagan quotes you would like to see added to the list? Let us know in the comment section below.
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