"To sit back hoping that someday, some way, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last - but eat you he will"

Ronald Reagan’s statement uses a vivid metaphor to warn against complacency and passive hope in the face of growing danger or injustice. The “crocodile” in his analogy represents a looming threat or problem, one that is dangerous, predatory, and will ultimately consume those who fail to act. Sitting back and waiting for “someone” to fix things equates to feeding the very threat that endangers everyone, nurturing its ability to cause harm. Inaction, therefore, is not a shield from danger; it is an invitation for it to grow stronger.

The idea of "hoping he will eat you last" suggests a wishful, self-preserving mindset: perhaps by not confronting the problem, or by deferring responsibility, one might escape its consequences for a little while. Yet this hope is ultimately futile. The core message is stark, danger and wrongdoing do not disappear when ignored. Delaying action or expecting others to intervene simply postpones the inevitable. The threat will continue to claim victims until there are none left, and eventually, it will come for the bystanders who did nothing.

Reagan alludes to the perils of appeasement and the moral hazards of indifference, echoing historical instances where societies suffered greater disasters because early warning signs were dismissed or responsibility was neglected. Passivity can embolden aggressors, enabling them to become more formidable. Only proactive engagement, even at personal risk, provides the opportunity to halt or reverse destructive trends.

On a broader level, this metaphor speaks to civic responsibility. Democracies and just societies depend on the willingness of individuals and communities to stand up to injustice, corruption, and threats to freedom. Waiting for undefined “someones” to intervene is a surrender of agency. Protecting values and rights demands vigilance and action, not the passive hope that dangers will bypass us if only we stay quiet and compliant.