Quote

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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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
World
Cemetery
Infallible
Charles
Indispensable
Full
Men
Think
Gaulle
Thinking
Cemeteries

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We do have a saying in America: if you're in a hole, stop digging ..... erm, I'm not sure I should have said that.
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There will be good moments, and there will be less good moments.
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In unanimity there may well be either cowardice or uncritical thinking.
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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.
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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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A few. . . critics are the only people I ever heard use the phrase 'imminent threat.' I didn't, the president didn't.
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Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.
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Make decisions about the President's personal security. He can overrule you, but don't ask him to be the one to counsel caution.
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Treat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned it was - by a taxpayer.
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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.
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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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When business accepts help from the government, it can be like going to bed with a hippopotamus. It's nice and warm for the moment, but then your bedmate rolls over and crushes you.
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Being Vice President is difficult. Don't make it tougher.
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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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If you try to please everybody, somebody's not going to like it.
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If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes.
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The Cold War was a war, and we won it.
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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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One of your tasks is to separate the 'personal' from the 'substantive.' The two can become confused, especially if someone rubs the President wrong.
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When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.
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