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Donald Rumsfeld Quotes


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.

If in doubt, don't. If still in doubt, do what's right.

If in doubt, move decisions up to the President.

If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random.

If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.

If you develop rules, never have more than ten.

If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes.

If you try to please everybody, somebody's not going to like it.

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.

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.

In politics, every day is filled with numerous opportunities for serious error. Enjoy it.

In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone.

It is easier to get into something than to get out of it.

It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task.

Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive.

Learn to say "I don't know." If used when appropriate, it will be often.

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.

Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position.

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.

Make decisions about the President's personal security. He can overrule you, but don't ask him to be the one to counsel caution.