Ronald Reagan came up in a conversation the other day. I was reminded of having visited the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley California some years back.

It was a very interesting place to visit. Our main motivation to go there was because of a temporary Norman Rockwell art exhibition at the library. Since that visit, we’ve had occasion to go to the Rockwell museum in Stockbridge, Massachussetts – but that’s another story.

The Reagan years memorabilia on display was more interesting than I had imagined it would be. The term “library” may discourage some people from visiting presidential “libraries.” I’ve been to a handful of them and they really are fascinating places.  

The Jimmy Carter library in Atlanta and the Lyndon Johnson library in Austin were impressive to me. Aside from being a repository of books and papers, the Reagan Library is more like a modern and interesting museum complete with a full sized replica of the White House oval office.

Some time ago, I received an e-mail from a relative that contained lots of Ronald Regan quotes.  I don’t know if they were collected as a group somewhere else or not.

I know some Sanpeters may not be Ronnie fans, but I’m going to repeat these quotes here for those who may want to join with me for a moment of nostalgia back to the 1980s.

Here are the quotes:

“Here’s my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.”

“The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

“The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant: It’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.”

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

“I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.”

“The taxpayer: That’s someone who works for the federal government but doesn’t have to take the civil service examination.”

“Government is like a baby:  An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.”

“If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

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

“I’ve laid down the law, though – to everyone from now on about anything that happens: no matter what time it is, wake me, even if it’s in the middle of a Cabinet meeting.”

“It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.”

“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.”

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

“No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”   

A poetic, romantic side of Reagan is shown in the book “I Love You, Ronnie.” If you haven’t seen the book, go to your library and find it. This book of letters from Ronnie to Nancy shows interesting insights into the type of personality he had and the feelings he felt for his wife Nancy.

Here’s a brief excerpt:

“…We are so much “one” that you are as vital to me as my own heart – with one exception; you could never be replaced with a transplant.”

“Whatever I treasure and enjoy – this home, our ranch, the sight of the sea – all would be without meaning if I didn’t have you. I live in a permanent Christmas because God gave me you…” (from a letter written on a Christmas Day)  

It will be a 10 years this June since President Reagan passed away. He went the same way my mother did via “the long goodbye” of Alzheimer’s.