Words matter. These are the best Donald Rumsfeld Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
You’re thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don’t. I think that’s old Europe.
Simply because you do not have evidence that something exists does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn’t exist.
I can’t tell you if the use of force in Iraq today will last five days, five weeks or five months, but it won’t last any longer than that.
If in doubt, don’t. If still in doubt, do what’s right.
Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.
Plan backwards as well as forward. Set objectives and trace back to see how to achieve them. You may find that no path can get you there. Plan forward to see where your steps will take you, which may not be clear or intuitive.
Preserve the President’s options. He may need them.
Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war.
Oh my goodness gracious, what you can buy off the Internet in terms of overhead photography. A trained ape can know an awful lot of what is going on in this world, just by punching on his mouse, for a relatively modest cost.
The price of being close to the President is delivering bad news. You fail him if you don’t tell him the truth. Others won’t do it.
Members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate are not there by accident. Each managed to get there for some reason. Learn what it was and you will know something important about them, about our country and about the American people.
Look for what’s missing. Many advisors can tell a President how to improve what’s proposed or what’s gone amiss. Few are able to see what isn’t there.
If you try to please everybody, somebody’s not going to like it.
If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes.
Learn to say ‘I don’t know.’ If used when appropriate, it will be often.
Don’t think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men.
Don’t divide the world into ‘them’ and ‘us.’ Avoid infatuation with or resentment of the press, the Congress, rivals, or opponents. Accept them as facts. They have their jobs and you have yours.
Don’t be a bottleneck. If a matter is not a decision for the President or you, delegate it. Force responsibility down and out. Find problem areas, add structure and delegate. The pressure is to do the reverse. Resist it.
In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone.
Don’t do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post.
Think ahead. Don’t let day-to-day operations drive out planning.
Remember where you came from.
Be yourself. Follow your instincts. Success depends, at least in part, on the ability to ‘carry it off.’
If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random.
Secretary Powell and I agree on every single issue that has ever been before this administration except for those instances where Colin’s still learning.
Test ideas in the marketplace. You learn from hearing a range of perspectives. Consultation helps engender the support decisions need to be successfully implemented.
You will launch many projects, but have time to finish only a few. So think, plan, develop, launch and tap good people to be responsible. Give them authority and hold them accountable. Trying to do too much yourself creates a bottleneck.
Don’t blame the boss. He has enough problems.
Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary.
One of your tasks is to separate the ‘personal’ from the ‘substantive.’ The two can become confused, especially if someone rubs the President wrong.
Treat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned; it was – by a taxpayer.
The Secretary of Defense is not a super General or Admiral. His task is to exercise civilian control over the Department for the Commander-in-Chief and the country.
Let your family, staff, and friends know that you’re still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position.
In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To lead a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They can be critical to his persuasiveness and thus to his leadership.
Don’t necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.
Prune – prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually.
In politics, every day is filled with numerous opportunities for serious error. Enjoy it.
If it were a fact, it wouldn’t be called intelligence.
When asked for your views, by the press or others, remember that what they really want to know is the President’s views.
If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
