Reagan Legacy Project

“Government is not the solution, it’s the problem.”

“If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. . . . The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.”

“A government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth.”

“I don’t believe in a government that protects us from ourselves. . . . (T)hat’s one of our sacred rights - to be stupid.”

“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.”

“I disagree completely when government says that because of the number of head injuries from accidents with motorcycles that (a person) should be forced to wear a helmet. I happen to think he’s stupid if he rides a motorcycle without a helmet, but that’s one of our sacred rights - to be stupid.”

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

“Realize that the doctor’s fight against socialized medicine is your fight. You can’t socialize the doctors without socializing the patients.”

“If some among you fear taking a stand because you are afraid of reprisals...recognize that you are just feeding the crocodile hoping he’ll eat you last.”

“I've noticed that everybody who is for abortion has already been born.”

“History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.”

“Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.”

“I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I'm in a cabinet meeting.”

“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.”

“The federal government has taken too much tax money from the people, too much authority from the states, and too much liberty with the Constitution.”

“(M)an 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.”

“I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves.”