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I think we ought to have a new rule: You can ask two questions, and then we can pick the one we want to answer.
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
Answer
Ought
Answers
Asks
Two
Pick
Think
Picks
Thinking
Rule
Questions
More quotes by Donald Rumsfeld
Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post.
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Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.
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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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If you try to please everybody, somebody's not going to like it.
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Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.
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Now, settle down, settle down. Hell, I'm an old man, it's early in the morning and I'm gathering my thoughts here.
Donald Rumsfeld
Remember where you came from.
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Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered key aspects of the issue.
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We don't seek empires.We're not imperialistic.
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Congress, the press, and the bureaucracy too often focus on how much money or effort is spent, rather than whether the money or effort actually achieves the announced goal.
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Preserve the President's options. He may need them.
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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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Well, so be it. Nothing's perfect in life, so you have an election that's not quite perfect. Is it better than not having an election? You bet.
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When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.
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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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They may have had time to destroy them, and I don't know the answer.
Donald Rumsfeld
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.
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Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.
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Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes.
Donald Rumsfeld
Do you have any regrets? Of course I do.
Donald Rumsfeld