Donald Rumsfeld Quotes - Page 3

The United States, as all you know, did not come to Iraq for oil, not to occupy. We came here only to help.

When you're skiing, if you're not falling you're not trying.

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.

Have a deputy and develop a successor. Don't be consumed by the job or you'll risk losing your balance. Keep your mooring lines to the outside world - family, friends, neighbors, people out of government, and people who may not agree with you.

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.

The dead-enders are still with us, those remnants of the defeated regimes who'll go on fighting long after their cause is lost.

We [the USA] do have a big nation's problem. We have the problem of a nation that's got two oceans, oceans on either side. People come from all across the globe and want to live here and they want to work here and they want to invest here. And that's a good thing. And they make up this country. But as a people, we [americans] are not highly skilled in languages. We're not highly skilled in knowledge of other cultures. And that's a problem.

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.

Oh, Lord. I didn't mean to say anything quotable.

Most US presidents since World War II have led military actions without a declaration of war by Congress, though most, if not all, have properly consulted and sought support from Congress. That is the wise thing to do.

We know where they are. They are in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad.

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.

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

It is very difficult to spend "federal (the taxpayers') dollars" so that the intended result is achieved.

Remember where you came from.

Don't say 'the White House wants.' Buildings can't want.

Strive to make proposed solutions as self-executing as possible. As the degree of discretion increases, so too does bureaucracy, delay, and expense.

Enjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life.

If I look at the really important questions in [Middle East] region, I see Iran, where there is a strong desire for a freer society and where people are repressed by a small group of ayatollahs. I see Syria, where we can see a similar desire of the people to be free. These two countries fund Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations and are hurting our efforts in Afghanistan and have been extremely harmful in Iraq. Then I also see large, important countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The worst thing you can do is allow a coalition to determine what your mission is.

Certainty without power can be interesting, even amusing. Certainty with power can be dangerous.

I tend over the years to have developed a certain hesitancy about believing that headlines tell the whole story.

The country cannot afford amateur hour in the White House.

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.

Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war.