I had a lot of experience with people smarter than I am.

The tough decisions that a president has to make in the Oval Office are in no way related to the capability of a person to do well on television. On the other hand, the capability of a person to project favorably on television enhances that person's odds of being elected so he can serve in the Oval Office. So you can't ignore the talents, one, to be very effective on television, and on the other hand, to be very effective as an operating president.

Can a free people restrain crime without sacrificing fundamental liberties and a heritage of compassion?... Let us show that we can temper together those opposite elements of liberty and restraint into one consistent whole. Let us set an example for the world of a law-abiding America glorying in its freedom as well as its respect for law.

It feels like getting a back massage from the Grim Reaper: one must get comfortable with the most horrifying things in the world.

Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life.

A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.

This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts.