Wednesday Wisdom: 11 Quotes from Ronald Reagan

I am always on the lookout for wisdom. Over the years, I’ve grown to cherish different tropes and anecdotes that offer a moral to the story, so to speak. Naturally, I love the wisdom that the Bible offers us. But, I also like the wisdom experience teaches us and the wisdom shared by people charged with leading others during a great endeavor. You can find wisdom in nearly every facet of society, often without having to look too far or too hard. Wisdom is there for the taking if you are attune to it.

Ronald Reagan served as the 40th President of the United States of America. One of the many things Reagan is known for is his skillful way of turning a phrase. In an age of political spin and hyperbole, Reagan cut to the chase, speaking plainly and with a straightforward honesty even his greatest critics admired.

Here are 11 quotes of wisdom quipped by the President who may well have been our last great iconic leader. Imagine if Reagan would have had access to Twitter!

Trust, but verify.

Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.

We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.

There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder.

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

Freedom is never more than one generation 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.

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.

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

Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours.

The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.

We are never defeated unless we give up on God.

Reagan is the last world leader I remember being larger than life. I remember listening to his satellite radio show early mornings before school on our local radio station before he became President.

Now that I’m officially an American, I appreciate him and his honest tidbits even more. He said it like he saw it. That was a rare commodity in the 1980s. It is even rarer today.

Speaking of becoming an American—-I voted for my first time ever on Monday. What a privilege and joy it was to cast my vote. Freedom comes with rights and responsibilities. Voting is both a right and a responsibility. I urge you to go vote. Democracy depends on our participation.