US Presidency
1983

The basis of those ideals and principles is a commitment to freedom and personal liberty that, itself, is grounded in the much deeper realization that freedom prospers only where the blessings of God are avidly sought and humbly accepted. The American experiment in democracy rests on this insight. Its discovery was the great triumph of our Founding Fathers, voiced by William Penn when he said: If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants. Explaining the inalienable rights of men, Jefferson said, The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time. And it was George Washington who said that of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.