How we cite our quotes: (Sentence)
Quote #1
I'm pleased to be here today with you who are keeping America great by keeping her good. Only through your work and prayers and those of millions of others can we hope to survive this perilous century and keep alive this experiment in liberty—this last, best hope of man. (30-31)
Reagan believes American traditions—liberty, freedom, and acceptance—are nurtured and protected by the average person, someone who believes that, no matter what, the good spirit will endure and overcome all other dark happenings in the world. The average American is keeping America great by keep her good.
Quote #2
Our nation, too, has a legacy of evil with which it must deal. (101)
Throughout the speech, Ronnie looks at evil as a living, breathing thing—the kind of monster you thought for sure was under your bed when you were five. He does this to make it clear the monster is one we, the United States, have been fighting for essentially our entire history, and since we know exactly how to succeed in battle, we have to share our knowledge with other countries and help them defeat their own bad guys.
Quote #3
The glory of this land has been its capacity for transcending the moral evils of our past. (102)
Glory of this land totally sounds like it should be in a song, right? Hum a jaunty tune and consider why Reagan talks about America's glory in relation to the bad stuff we've done. It's important to be honest about that stuff, for sure, but Reagan is using this speech to make it clear that America's greatness comes from our nation's ability to make changes when it's necessary, to recognize the power of faith and tradition, and use those things to keep ourselves and the rest of the world honest and good.
Quote #4
[…]I urge you to beware the temptation of pride—the temptation...to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil. (157).
It would be so easy to attribute the issues in the nuclear arms race to a trigger-happy totalitarian regime, and ignore the underlying conflict between the good and evil. And it would be a mistake for the average person to underestimate the power he or she has in fighting back, because they problems are human issues, not just governmental disagreements.
Quote #5
I believe this because the source of our strength in the quest for human freedom is not material, but spiritual. And because it knows no limitation, it must terrify and ultimately triumph over those who would enslave their fellow man. (165-166)
Americans aren't interested in advocating for freedom because we get gold stars or pats on the back. The country was founded on the understanding that freedom should be a given, that all people have access to it simply because they're people. And Reagan believes such ideologies will always overcome the kind of governments that take advantage of their citizens.