Quotes

Reagan on Democracy, and America

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free . . . it expects what never was and never will be.”

December 8, 1983

“If America is to offer greater economic opportunity to her citizens, if she's to defend our freedom, democracy, and keep the peace, then our children will need wisdom, courage, and strength -- virtues beyond their reach without education. In the words of Thomas Jefferson: 'If a nation expects to be ignorant and free . . . it expects what never was and never will be.'”

— Remarks at the National Forum on Excellence in Education in Indianapolis, Indiana