Reagan won the Cold War by first restoring America's economy and

Hear the words of Kathleen Troia McFarland, who declared: “Reagan won the Cold War by first restoring America’s economy and military and then staring down an economically weakened Soviet Union. He knew defeating Russia couldn’t be accomplished without laying the groundwork.” These words speak not only of a single leader, but of a strategy ancient in wisdom: that no great struggle is won by passion alone, but by preparation, patience, and the steady building of strength before the decisive contest.

The origin of this saying lies in the age of the Cold War, a conflict unlike the wars of old. There were no massive armies clashing in open battle, no cities besieged in the manner of antiquity. Instead, it was a war of endurance, fought in shadow and in spirit, where ideology, economy, and technology were the weapons. The United States and the Soviet Union stood locked in a contest that lasted decades, testing the very limits of human will and ingenuity.

The meaning of McFarland’s words is that Ronald Reagan understood the true foundation of victory: before facing an enemy abroad, a nation must secure its strength at home. He revived a struggling economy, giving new vigor to American industry. He rebuilt the military, not merely in numbers, but in confidence, investing in technology, missile defense, and readiness. Only then, standing upon solid ground, could he look across the divide at a Soviet Union already burdened by stagnation and inefficiency, and press upon it with resolve until its edifice crumbled.

Consider the tale of Reagan’s challenge to the Soviets in Berlin: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” These words, spoken in 1987 before the Brandenburg Gate, rang out like a clarion call. They were not empty rhetoric, but the culmination of years of groundwork. The American economy surged while the Soviet economy faltered; American arms gleamed with new might while Soviet resources dwindled. In this moment, words had power because the strength behind them was real. And within just a few short years, the Berlin Wall fell, and with it, the Cold War ended.

The wisdom here reaches beyond Reagan, beyond his time. It is the wisdom of generals who knew that victory belongs not to those who rush into battle unprepared, but to those who build the foundation long before the clash. It is the wisdom of farmers who till the soil before harvest, of architects who lay stone upon stone before raising towers. The groundwork is invisible at first, but when the trial comes, it is what separates triumph from ruin.

The lesson for us is eternal: do not despise preparation, for it is the mother of victory. Whether in the struggles of nations or in the struggles of individual lives, one cannot face great challenges without first building inner and outer strength. To fight without groundwork is to build upon sand, but to prepare with diligence is to stand upon stone when the storms come.

What, then, must we do? In our own battles—whether they be for justice, for peace, for the flourishing of our communities—we must begin by strengthening our foundations. Let us cultivate knowledge, discipline, and unity before we face our adversaries. Let us repair what is weak, restore what is broken, and only then stand firm in confrontation. For like Reagan in the Cold War, we cannot hope to prevail if we have not first prepared.

Therefore, let McFarland’s words echo as a timeless teaching: that victory is not seized in the heat of the moment but earned in the long labor beforehand. Remember always that the walls of oppression, whether in nations or in hearts, will not fall to rhetoric alone. They fall when courage is joined with preparation, when vision is joined with groundwork, and when the will to endure outlasts the power of the foe.