Ronald Reagan Quotes

Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.

We must use all the tools of American power in resolving disputes, including diplomacy. And we must have sufficient congressional debate and oversight before ever putting another U.S. solider in harm's way.

If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for War.

Our country has never started a war. Our sole objective is deterrence, the strength and capability it takes to prevent war.

To insist on strength ... is not war-mongering. It is peace-mongering.

Any idea that you can have a league for security is nuts, and all people who favor it are potential murderers… as long as man is man, there will be war and the only way to avoid trouble is to have the best army and navy, which we now have.

America remains the indispensable nation. There are times when America, and only America, can make a difference between war and peace, between freedom and repression.

We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.

Our policy is simple: We are not going to betray our friends, reward the enemies of freedom, or permit fear and retreat to become American policies — especially in this hemisphere. None of the four wars in my lifetime came about because we were too strong.

As president, I decided that a strong, confident America could advance our national security by engaging directly with the Iranian government. We've seen the results.

History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap. To keep the peace, we and our allies must be strong enough to convince any potential aggressor that war could bring no benefit, only disaster.

The power of making war often prevents it.

In America, we believe in peace through strength, and that's what we will have.

Throughout history civilian populations and political rulers have talked of peace. We have never been free of war. The soldier, whose profession is war, understands that peace must be enforced by superior military might. The certainty of defeat is the only effective deterrent we can use to maintain peace. Furthermore, we can be strong without being aggressive.

You and I have the courage to say to our enemies, 'There is a price we will not pay.' There is a point beyond which they must not advance. This is the meaning of the phrase 'Peace through strength.'

As we watch the world today, sometimes it seems that we're at the mercy of events instead of shaping events. And a strong America's essential to shape events, and a strong America, by the way, depends on a strong military.

Having strength, having a strong military, is the ally of peace. Exercising that strength through military action is not always necessary if you have the confidence and clarity of vision and purpose which America demands.

Preventing a war is tantamount to winning a war.

For ultimately, the only way to win wars, is to prevent them occurring in the first place.

Peace through strength works; but the flip side is war invited by weakness.

Wars are most often won by those who have made the greatest effort to prevent them.

No matter how the Prime Minister [Benjamin Disraeli] may finger the hilt of the sword, the nation will take care that it never leaves the scabbard.

Deterrence is to prevent war, not to win a war.

The Mutual Security Act was intended not to fight a war but to prevent a war.

I am convinced there is no more effective method of preventing a war than a decisive stance illustrating that we are ready at any moment to repel possible attack.