Quotes

Reagan on National Security, Foreign Policy, and America

“But it's far better to prevent a crisis than to have to face it unprepared at the last moment.”

February 19, 1983

“I have lived through two world wars. I saw the American people rise to meet these crises, and I have faith in their willingness to come to their nation's defense in the future. But it's far better to prevent a crisis than to have to face it unprepared at the last moment. That's why we have an overriding moral obligation to invest now, this year, in this budget, in restoring America's strength to keep the peace and preserve our freedom.”

— Radio Address to the Nation on Defense Spending