Quotes

Reagan on Humor

“'Well,' he says, 'I like the drumstick, Ma likes the drumstick, and the kid likes the drumstick. We got tired of fighting for it.' 'How does it taste?' 'I don't know. I've never been able to catch one.'”

June 5, 1985

““On our way here in Air Force One, I was looking down over your countryside out here because most of the way from Oklahoma I was looking down at clouds. And I could say that it reminded me of a story, but actually, I wanted to tell the story whether anything reminded me or not. It was about a fellow that was driving down a country road, and all of a sudden he looked out and there beside him was a chicken -- he was doing about 45 and the chicken was running alongside. So he stepped on the gas, he got it up to about 60, and the chicken caught up with him and was right beside him again, and then he thought, as he was looking at him, that the chicken had three legs. But before he could really make up his mind for sure, the chicken took off out in front of him at 60 miles an hour and turned down a lane into a barnyard. Well, he made a quick turn and went down into the barnyard, too, and there was a farmer standing there, and he asked him, he said, "Did a chicken come past you?'' And he said, "Yeah.'' Well, he said, "Am I crazy or did the chicken have three legs?'' He says, "Yep, it's mine.'' He says, "I breed three-legged chickens.'' And the fellow said, "For heaven sakes, why?'' Well, he says, "I like the drumstick, and Ma likes the drumstick, and now the kid likes the drumstick, and we just got tired of fighting for it.'' And the driver said, "Well, how does it taste?'' He says, "I don't know. I've never been able to catch one.''”

— Excerpted from Remarks at a Fundraising Dinner for Senator Mack Mattingly in Atlanta, Georgia