Guess quote

Donald Rumsfeld [1932-0] American

Rank: 101
Politician, Former U.S. Congressman

Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush.

Leadership, Politics, War, Best, Brainy, Death, Good, Intelligence, Learning, Time, Truth

Quote	Tags	Rank
There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know.		101
Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes.		102
It is easier to get into something than to get out of it.		103
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.	Truth	104
If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.		105
Your performance depends on your people. Select the best, train them and back them. When errors occur, give sharper guidance. If errors persist or if the fit feels wrong, help them move on. The country cannot afford amateur hour in the White House.	Best	106
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.	Good, Time	107
Think ahead. Don't let day-to-day operations drive out planning.		108
When you raise issues with the President, try to come away with both that decision and also a precedent. Pose issues so as to evoke broader policy guidance. This can help to answer a range of similar issues likely to arise later.		109
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.		110
Our task, your task... is to try to connect the dots before something happens. People say, 'Well, where's the smoking gun?' Well, we don't want to see a smoking gun from a weapon of mass destruction.		111
It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task.		112
Visit with your predecessors from previous Administrations. They know the ropes and can help you see around some corners. Try to make original mistakes, rather than needlessly repeating theirs.		113
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.		114
Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems.		115
Don't think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men.		116
Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war.	Death, War	117
Simply because you do not have evidence that something exists does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist.		118
Enjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life.		119
Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.	Leadership	120
Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers - they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.		121
In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone.		122
Be yourself. Follow your instincts. Success depends, at least in part, on the ability to 'carry it off.'		123
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.		124
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.		125
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.		126
Treat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned; it was - by a taxpayer.		201
Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.		202
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.	Learning	203
If you try to please everybody, somebody's not going to like it.		204
There are a lot of people who lie and get away with it, and that's just a fact.		205
If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes.		206
Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.		207
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.		208
Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive.		209
Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.		210
See that the President, the Cabinet and staff are informed. If cut out of the information flow, their decisions may be poor, not made, or not confidently or persuasively implemented.		211
Test ideas in the marketplace. You learn from hearing a range of perspectives. Consultation helps engender the support decisions need to be successfully implemented.		212
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.	Politics	213
Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.		214
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.		215
Prune - prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually.		216
The way to do well is to do well.		217
I don't do quagmires.		218
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.	Leadership	219
In politics, every day is filled with numerous opportunities for serious error. Enjoy it.	Politics	220
With the press there is no 'off the record.'		221
If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random.		222
Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post.		223
Learn to say 'I don't know.' If used when appropriate, it will be often.		224
Preserve the President's options. He may need them.		225
Make decisions about the President's personal security. He can overrule you, but don't ask him to be the one to counsel caution.		226
Many people around the President have sizeable egos before entering government, some with good reason. Their new positions will do little to moderate their egos.		301
The Federal Government should be the last resort, not the first. Ask if a potential program is truly a federal responsibility or whether it can better be handled privately, by voluntary organizations, or by local or state governments.		302
Remember where you came from.		303
Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered key aspects of the issue.		304
Presidential leadership needn't always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.	Leadership	305
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.		306
When asked for your views, by the press or others, remember that what they really want to know is the President's views.		307
One of your tasks is to separate the 'personal' from the 'substantive.' The two can become confused, especially if someone rubs the President wrong.		308
Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary.		309
Public servants are paid to serve the American people. Do it well.		310
Congress, the press, and the bureaucracy too often focus on how much money or effort is spent, rather than whether the money or effort actually achieves the announced goal.		311
Politics is human beings; it's addition rather than subtraction.		312
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.		313
If you develop rules, never have more than ten.		314
You're thinking of Eurpoe as Germany and France. I don't. I think that's old Europe.		315
If in doubt, move decisions up to the President.		316
Don't say 'the White House wants.' Buildings can't want.		317
Amidst all the clutter, beyond all the obstacles, aside from all the static, are the goals set. Put your head down, do the best job possible, let the flak pass, and work towards those goals.		318
Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position.		319
If a prospective Presidential approach can't be explained clearly enough to be understood well, it probably hasn't been thought through well enough. If not well understood by the American people, it probably won't 'sail' anyway. Send it back for further thought.		320
If in doubt, don't. If still in doubt, do what's right.	Brainy	321
When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.		322
Imagine, a September 11 with weapons of mass destruction. It's not 3,000. It's tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children.		323
If it were a fact, it wouldn't be called intelligence.	Intelligence, War	324

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