This document presents a four-quadrant controller for switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives with optimal ignition and turning angles for each operating quadrant. Trigger angles are chosen to maximize the average torque produced by the motor, which requires optimizing the area of the power conversion loop. The four-quadrant SR controller developed with the chosen optimization criteria provides fast response in the engine as well as a rapid braking response. The underlying contribution of this work is the development and solution of an optimal control problem to provide the best control strategies. The paper also provides specific guidance for changing the position of the firing angle when the motor operation changes from one quadrant to another. The developed quadrant controller has been applied to control the linear displacement of a highly dynamic actuator load.