Ronald Reagan Quotes
Trust, but verify.
Reagan, Ronald. "Remarks on Signing the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty." 8 Dec. 1987. Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1987, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989, p. 1449.
Lord Action had a famous version of this sentiment—{625555}.
{625555} is a Russian Proverb conveying the same idea.
The President had taken a hard line against Iran developing the capacity for nuclear weapons even though some other nations in the world had nuclear capability. However the President and other leaders of Iran had already publicly stated that there should be death to the United States, that our ally Israel should be wiped off the map. Critics of the President claimed that these statements were just rhetoric that is part of the culture of Islamic politics and oratory. The president responded with this quotation. Before WWII Adolf Hitler had written Mein Kampf and wrote about everything that he eventually did causing death and destruction throughout the world. At the time he wrote these things few took him seriously.
Commenting on jail guards who were engaged in drug smuggling:
Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989 and became a highly influential voice of modern conservatism. Prior to his presidency, he was a Hollywood actor and union leader before serving as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975.
