Americans across the country will celebrate the life of Ronald Reagan on February 6, the 100th anniversary of the former president and conservative icon's birth. In honor of the centennial, below, a slideshow of some of the most memorable quotes spoken by the 40th president of the United States.
The words are only a small piece of the Reagan legacy that will be honored and commemorated today.
(Click here to read about facts that might surprise you about the former president.)
Ronald Reagan's Centennial: His Famous Quotes
'Tear Down This Wall' - 1987(01 of10)
"If you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here, to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."Arguably one of Reagan's best television moments, he urged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to stop the communist hold over East Berlin and allow the country to unify under a democracy. Two years later, it happened in the dark of night. (MSNBC)
Mourning the Challenger - 1986(02 of10)
"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them -- this morning, as they prepared for their journey, and waved good-bye, and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God."In an address to the nation, Reagan eulogized the crew of the Challenger space shuttle. The whole country watched the shuttle explode in Earth's atmosphere on live television, and Reagan was able to offer words to a country in shock and mourning.(MSNBC)
Election Eve Vision - 1980(03 of10)
"Let us resolve tonight that young Americans will always ... find there a city of hope in a country that is free... And let us resolve they will say of our day and our generation, we did keep the faith with our God, that we did act worthy of ourselves, that we did protect and pass on lovingly that shining city on a hill."Spoken one day prior to the 1980 election, in which Reagan defeated President Jimmy Carter in a landslide, winning 44 states.(MSNBC)
'Make My Day' - 1985(04 of10)
"I have only one thing to say to the tax increasers: Go ahead, make my day."Threatening to veto tax-increase legislation after getting his record tax cut to date in 1981. He ultimately followed with two tax increases, though declined to go any further. (MSNBC)
The Patron Saint Of Taxes - 1989(05 of10)
"Common sense told us that when you put a big tax on something, the people will produce less of it. So, we cut the people's tax rates, and the people produced more than ever before."In Reagan's farewell address he touted the historic tax cuts passed under his administration in 1981. The so-called "Reaganomics" policy aimed at reviving the struggling economy of the 1970's focused heavily on reducing personal income taxes, while maintaining a relatively higher corporate tax rate. (Ronald Reagan Library)
Avoiding The Unthinkable - 1986(06 of10)
"A nuclear war cannot be won, and must never be fought."Reagan and Gorbachev arrived at the conclusion when they met in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1986 for a summit on arms control. The two countries came close to achieving a nuclear arms reduction treaty; however, it wouldn't be signed until President Bush took office in 1989 and got START I was passed.(Credit: The Dead Hand by David E. Hoffman)
Clashing With The Evil Empire - 1983(07 of10)
"The defense policy of the United States is based on a simple premise: The United States does not start fights. We will never be an aggressor. We maintain our strength in order to deter and defend against aggression -- to preserve freedom and peace."In a 1983 address, Reagan drew a contrast between the different approaches taken to policy by the United States and the Soviet Union. Reagan appeared to treat the relationship between the two nation's in purely good versus evil terms; however, he consistently made an effort to take the moral high ground in the struggle for peace.(The Reagan Library)
Explaining Afghanistan - 1988(08 of10)
"From the start, our policy in Afghanistan has, of course, been directed at restoring that country to an independent, nonaligned status, in which the Afghan people could decide their own future and to which their refugees could return safely and with honor...In a broader sense, our policy is intended to nurture what you might call more normal relations between East and West."The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and maintained a presence in the country for 10 years. Short of ordering U.S. troops to Afghanistan, Reagan endeavored to end the foreign military presence. Branding military aid as bolstering the cause of freedom and independence would later become a large component of his administration's foreign policy.(The Reagan Library)
Bombing In Beirut - 1983(09 of10)
"They were not afraid to stand up for their country or, no matter how difficult and slow the journey might be, to give to others that last, best hope of a better future. We cannot and will not dishonor them now and the sacrifices they've made by failing to remain as faithful to the cause of freedom and the pursuit of peace as they have been."Terrorists bombed barracks in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, killing 244 American marines. In 1983, the former president memorialized those that had their lives taken, at the time looking forward to a Middle East as free as the United States.beirut-memorial.org
'Honey, I forgot To Duck' - 1981(10 of10)
"Honey, I forgot to duck."Reagan spoke the words to his wife after being shot in 1981 by John Hinckley, Jr. Arriving at the hospital prior to surgery, the former president reportedly quipped to doctors, "Please tell me you're Republicans." (TIME,National Review)
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