Donald Rumsfeld Quotes
-
Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered key aspects of the issue.
-
Prune - prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually.
-
Oh, Lord. I didn't mean to say anything quotable.
-
Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.
-
Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes.
-
If you develop rules, never have more than ten.
-
If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes.
-
Preserve the President's options. He may need them.
-
Leave the President's family business to him. You will have plenty to do without trying to manage the First Family. They are likely to do fine without your help.
-
If in doubt, don't. If still in doubt, do what's right.
-
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.
-
I'm not into this detail stuff. I'm more concepty.
-
It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task.
-
Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post.
-
It is pretty clear that the coalition can win in Afghanistan and Iraq in one way or another, but it will be a long, hard slog. 16
-
And it is not knowable if force will be used, but if it is to be used, it is not knowable how long that conflict would last. It could last, you know, six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.
-
I stand for 8-10 hours a day. Why is standing limited to four hours?
-
I didn't advocate invasion…I wasn't asked.
-
It is easier to get into something than to get out of it.
-
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.
-
First rule of politics: you can't win unless you're on the ballot. Second rule: If you run, you may lose. And, if you tie, you do not win.
-
Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position.
-
If in doubt, move decisions up to the President.
-
Then there are three or four countries that have said they won't do anything. I believe Libya, Cuba and Germany are ones that have indicated they won't help in any respect.