“Socialism only works in two places: Heaven where they don't need it and hell where they already have it.”

“No government has ever voluntarily reduced itself in size—and that, in a way, became my theme.” 

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

“We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

“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.”

“Government does not solve problems. It subsidizes them.”

“Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.”

“Nothing lasts longer than a temporary government program.”

“For the average American, the message is clear. Liberalism is no longer the answer. It is the problem.”

“Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” 

“But Nancy is right—Presidents don’t have vacations—they just have a change of scenery”

“Trees cause more pollution than automobiles do.” 

“Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.”

“My parents constantly drummed into me the importance of judging people as individuals. There was no more grievous sin at our household than a racial slur or other evidence of religious or racial intolerance. A lot of it, I think, was because my dad had learned what discrimination was like firsthand. He’d grown up in an era when some stores still had signs at their door saying, NO DOGS OR IRISHMEN ALLOWED. When my brother and I were growing up, there were still ugly tumors of racial bigotry in much of America, including the corner of Illinois where we lived. At our one local movie theater, blacks and whites had to sit apart—the blacks in the balcony. My mother and father urged my brother and me to bring home our black playmates, to consider them equals, and to respect the religious views of our friends, whatever they were. My brother’s best friend was black, and when they went to the movies, Neil sat with him in the balcony. My mother always taught us: “Treat thy neighbor as you would want your neighbor to treat you,” and “Judge everyone by how they act, not what they are.” Once my father checked into a hotel during a shoe-selling trip and a clerk told him: “You’ll like it here, Mr. Reagan, we don’t permit a Jew in the place.” My father, who told us the story later, said he looked at the clerk angrily and picked up his suitcase and left. “I’m a Catholic,” he said. “If it’s come to the point where you won’t take Jews, then some day you won’t take me either.” Because it was the only hotel in town, he spent the night in his car during a winter blizzard and I think it may have led to his first heart attack.”

“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.”