I'm a great believer that the most important years are the sort of early years but the preschool years and then into the first and second grades. If you get a good base in the first and second grade and you can read, you can do anything.
I may be the only mother in America who knows exactly what their child is up to all the time.
The personal things should be left out of, in my opinion, out of platforms and conventions.
I don't like attacking.
Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people - your family, friends, and coworkers, and even strangers you meet along the way.
Life has changed enormously, and I hope - I hope more people read good things.
Bias has to be taught. If you hear your parents downgrading women or people of different backgrounds, why, you are going to do that.
Nobody likes a child to die or losing an election.
I want to still be able to garden while I can bend over.
If human beings are perceived as potentials rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather that dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow to their capabilities.
I mean you can learn how to build a bullet or build a gun or build a bomb on the Internet.
People who worry about their hair all the time, frankly, are boring.
The winner of the hoop race will be the first to realize her dream, not society's dream, her own personal dream.
Believe in something larger than yourself... get involved in the big ideas of your time.
I hate abortions, but just could not make that choice for someone else.
Suddenly women's lib had made me feel my life had been wasted.
I married the first man I ever kissed. When I tell this to my children, they just about throw up.
The state dinner is almost a formula, but you try to make it interesting. You try not to overload it with too many political types. You try to get a cross section.
I'm a little old-fashioned.
If you are the wife of a governor or the wife of a vice president, I think you can be prepared for it.
To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.
Raising George Walker was not easy.
And who knows? Somewhere out there in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the president's spouse. I wish him well!
You get nothing done if you don't listen to each other.
I'm tired now of the elections.
Nancy Reagan was a perfectionist, and I am not.
I mean Afghanistan is a very rugged, complicated country.
You know, for one glorious half hour, I was the mother of the president-elect.
I think togetherness is a very important ingredient to family life.
I'm not going to jump out of airplanes or anything like someone else I know.
Nobody likes, you know, the ugly parts of politics.
Three publishers came to me at the White House after George lost and said, 'We would like to publish your book.' I said, 'Well, I don't have a book,' and they said well it's a well known fact that you have kept diaries.
I'm not a competitive person, and I think women like me because they don't think I'm competitive, just nice.
War is not nice.
My health is very good.
Value your friendship. Value your relationships.
Well, look at what people are doing for returned veterans now. The wounded warriors. They're working hard to make the wounded veterans feel that they are loved and welcomed home, unlike Vietnam. It was not a very kind, gentle world then. I think we are kinder and gentler.
My worst expectations never happened.
I really feel very strongly that the person who runs for office is the courageous one, and the one who everybody has to know.
I really loved living in the White House, but I don't miss it at all.
I'm taking a vow not to advise.
I don't think that's healthy for the country when anyone thinks their morals are better than anyone else's.
You may think the president is all-powerful, but he is not. He needs a lot of guidance from the Lord.
I do have the most marvelous husband, children, and grandchildren.
I'm worried about parents who aren't parenting.
You have to love your children unselfishly. That's hard. But it's the only way.
I have a pig valve.
Family and friends and faith are the most important things in your life and you should be building friendships.
