If somebody had made that [deal] to me when I was a businessman, I would have said he proposed to give me the sleeves from his vest.

The minute you start talking about what you're going to do if you lose, you have lost.

If they are too big to fail, make them smaller.

Before you get mugged by reality, take out an insurance policy. It's the Reagan way.

Between 1980 and 1990, the number of countries that were classified as 'free' or 'mostly free' increased by about 50%.

I don't know how you define 'neoconservatism,' but I think it's associated with trying to spread open political systems and democracy.

I learned in business that you had to be very careful when you told somebody that's working for you to do something, because the chances were very high he'd do it. In government, you don't have to worry about that.