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Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary.

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
House
Pressures
Firsts
Continuously
First
Staff
Work
Contrary
Pressure
Lasts
Last
White
Trim

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Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.
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There are known knowns there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones we don't know we don't know.
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Success tends to go not to the person who is error-free, because he also tends to be risk-averse. Rather it goes to the person who recognizes that life is pretty much a percentage business. It isn't making mistakes that's critical it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task.
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Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post.
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Listening to both sides does not necessarily bring about a correct judgment.
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Oh, Lord. I didn't mean to say anything quotable.
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If in doubt, don't. If still in doubt, do what's right.
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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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When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.
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Most of the 50 or so invitations you receive each week come from people inviting the President's Chief of Staff, not you. If you doubt that, ask your predecessor how many he received last week.
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Then there are three or four countries that have said they won't do anything. I believe Libya, Cuba and Germany are ones that have indicated they won't help in any respect.
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Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems.
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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.
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The natural state of man is to want to be free. To have opportunities. To have choices.
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If there are people who yearn for the days when Saddam Hussein was in power, then I am not among them.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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We have an orientation that tends to make us think that everything is our responsibility and that we should be doing this. It is the Iraqis' country, 28 million of them. They are perfectly capable of running that country.
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