“We think there is a parallel between the Federal involvement in education and the decline in quality over recent years.”

The federal government did not create the states; the states created the federal government.

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.

Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things.

Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way.

Democracy is worth dying for, because it’s the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.

Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.

Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.

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

I didn’t leave the Democratic party, the Democratic Party left me.

We should measure welfare’s success by how many people leave welfare, not by how many are added.

Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.

Excellence does not begin in Washington.

If history teaches anything, it teaches that self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don’t have that problem.

There are no such things as limits to growth, because there are no limits to the human capacity for intelligence, imagination, and wonder.

I’ve turned down twentysomething million dollars for movies.

We know that if one man’s rights are denied, the rights of all are endangered.

Never do things others can do and will do if there are things others cannot do or will not do.

If inflation-adjusted interest rates decline in a given country, its currency is likely to decline.

Strategy is choice. Strategy means saying no to certain kinds of things.

The greatest problem America faces is the decline of middle class incomes.

When scientifically investigating the natural world, the only thing worse than a blind believer is a seeing denier.

We must say no to illegal immigration so we can continue to say yes to legal immigration.