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Historical Figures Quotes |
Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.
Donald Rumsfeld
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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.
Donald Rumsfeld
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Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page
of The Washington Post.
Donald Rumsfeld
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Don't think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles
De Gaulle said, the cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men.
Donald Rumsfeld
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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.
Donald Rumsfeld
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I don't do quagmires.
Donald Rumsfeld
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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.
Donald Rumsfeld
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It is easier to get into something than to get out of it.
Donald Rumsfeld
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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
.
Donald Rumsfeld
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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.
Donald Rumsfeld
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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.
Donald Rumsfeld
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There are a lot of people who lie and get away with it, and that's
just a fact
.
Donald Rumsfeld
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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.
Donald Rumsfeld
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Treat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned; it was - by a
taxpayer.
Donald Rumsfeld
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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.
Donald Rumsfeld
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You're thinking of Eurpoe as Germany and France. I don't. I think
that's old Europe.
Donald Rumsfeld
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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.
Donald Rumsfeld
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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.
Donald Rumsfeld
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Politics is human beings; it's addition rather than subtraction
.
Donald Rumsfeld
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In politics, every day is filled with numerous opportunities for
serious error. Enjoy it.
Donald Rumsfeld
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If you develop rules, never have more than ten.
Donald Rumsfeld
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If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions,
their decisions will be random.
Donald Rumsfeld
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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.
Donald Rumsfeld
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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.
Donald Rumsfeld
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Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated
to it.
Thomas Paine
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These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and
the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country;
but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
Thomas Paine
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Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men,
undergo the fatigue of supporting it.
Thomas Paine
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To establish any mode to abolish war, however advantageous it might
be to Nations, would be to take from such Government the most lucrative of its branches.
Thomas Paine
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