Quote

Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.

Donald Rumsfeld

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Donald Rumsfeld
Age: 88 †
Born: 1932
Born: July 9
Died: 2021
Died: June 29
Author
Businessperson
Diplomat
Former U.S. Secretary Of Defense
Military Officer
Politician
Chicago
Illinois
Donald Henry Rumsfeld
Margin
Small
Margins
Funny
Precision
Precise
Error
Errors
Lack
Dangerous

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Listening to both sides does not necessarily bring about a correct judgment.
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General Boykin has requested that an inspector general review this matter. And I have indicated that if that's his request, I think it's appropriate.
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Don't 'over-control' like a novice pilot. Stay loose enough from the flow that you can observe it, modify, and improve it.
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The United States isn't going to do anything that it's not capable of doing. And if we do something, we'll be capable of doing it.
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Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems.
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Control your own time. Don't let it be done for you. If you are working off the in-box that is fed you, you are probably working on the priority of others.
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Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.
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Oh, Lord. I didn't mean to say anything quotable.
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Being Vice President is difficult. Don't make it tougher.
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If you develop rules, never have more than ten.
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There's another way to phrase that and that is that the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. It is basically saying the same thing in a different way. Simply because you do not have evidence that something does exist does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist.
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Preserve the President's options. He may need them.
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The worst mistake is to have the best ladder and the wrong wall.
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I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.
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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.
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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.
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The reality is that [Barack] Obama has some 15 countries in the current Libya coalition. President Bush put together close to 50 countries for the Afghan coalition, some 40 countries for the Iraqi coalition, more than 90 countries for the Proliferation Security Initiative and over 90 countries in the Global War on Terror.
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Is it likely that an aircraft carrier or a cruise missile is going to find a person?
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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.
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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.
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