A single quotation will suffice to characterize both this book and the Reagan presidency. Speaking My Mind is a collection of Reagan's speeches; this excerpt is from the Eureka College Alumni Dinner, May 9, 1982:

"It seems that the late Bud Cole - God rest his soul - and I were declared ineligible if we did not take a makeup exam, and it was the day before the homecoming game. So, we went over to the gym that afternoon, and we got into our football uniforms. And then we went up in the Burgess Hall to the classroom where your father was there. And he gave us each two questions and said, "Take your choice of one." And he said, "I'll be in the Administration Building if you need me." And we finished the exam in quick time and went out to the field, convinced that we had passed the exam - and we had - and were able to play the next day in the game. That spirit of Eureka lasts not only four years but a lifetime, and that's why there are so many of you gathered here this evening.