--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe with all my heart that our…" description: "\"I believe with all my heart that our first priority must be world peace, and that use of force is always and only a last resort, when everything else h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/ronald-reagan-119_believe_i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-our-fir_63834.jpg" --- # I believe with all my heart that our first priority must… ![“I believe with all my heart that our first priority must be world peace, and that use of force is always and only a last resort, when everything else has failed, and then only with regard to our national security.” quote by Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/ronald-reagan-119_believe_i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-our-fir_63834.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/ronald-reagan-119_believe_i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-our-fir_63834.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/ronald-reagan-119_believe_i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-our-fir_63834.jpg) > “I believe with all my heart that our first priority must be world peace, and that use of force is always and only a last resort, when everything else has failed, and then only with regard to our national security.” [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates that peace should be pursued first, and military action only as a final, narrowly defined measure to protect national security. **In simple terms:** Peace first, force last Key Takeaway Use force only as a last resort Themes peace national security ethical leadership conflict resolution political philosophy Mood hopeful determined Type political statement ethical maxim When to use this quote - government policy deliberations - international crisis negotiations - defense strategy meetings Key Concepts peaceful diplomacy security doctrine moral restraint Practical Applications - guiding foreign policy frameworks - educational curricula on ethics of war Questions to Reflect On - When is diplomatic effort truly exhausted? - How do we balance moral ideals with practical security needs? A Different Perspective Critics argue that defining 'last resort' can be subjective, potentially justifying premature military action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Last resort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-resort/) [National security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-security/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Priorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priorities/) [Resorts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resorts/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Use of force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-of-force/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-peace/) ## Related quotes > [Iran has essentially mastered all of the complex science and technology that they need to have a completely indigenous nuclear weapons program. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/to-engage-in-war-is-always-to-pick-a-wild-card-and-war-must-always-be/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [Every single empire in its official discourse has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/every-single-empire-in-its-official-discourse-has-said-that-it-is-not/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) ## More by Ronald Reagan > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. 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Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. 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It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe with all my heart that our first priority must be world peace, and that use of force is always and only a last resort, when everything else has failed, and then only with regard to our national security.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ronald Reagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-our-first-priority-must-be-world/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-our-first-priority-must-be-world/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/ronald-reagan-119_believe_i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-our-fir_63834.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/ronald-reagan-119_believe_i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-our-fir_63834.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/ronald-reagan-119_believe_i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-our-fir_63834.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe with all my heart that our first priority must be world peace, and that use of force is always and…” — Ronald Reagan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ronald Reagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I believe with all my heart...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-our-first-priority-must-be-world/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-our-first-priority-must-be-world/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```