176. Ronald Reagan and Laozi Philosophy

I have found that the presidents, from Richard Nixon, who normalized the relationship between China and the United States in 1972, to current President Barrack Obama, have paid attention to draw positive elements from traditional Chinese civilization. They quoted the Chinese sages in their speeches. For example,
his 1988 State of the Union Address, Ronald Reagan quoted Laozi’s advice. In the following please read the paragraph from his speech on January 25, 1988:

"And as an ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao-tzu, said: 'Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish; do not overdo it.'Well, these ideas were part of a larger notion, a vision, if you will, of America herself--an America not only rich in opportunity for the individual but an America, too, of strong families and vibrant neighborhoods; an America whose divergent but harmonizing communities were a reflection of a deeper community of values: the value of work, of family, of religion, and of the love of freedom that God places in each of us and whose defense He has entrusted in a special way to this nation."