Quote

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.

Donald Rumsfeld

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

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
Last
Chief
President
Received
Come
Chiefs
Many
Receive
Predecessor
People
Week
Predecessors
Doubt
Invitations
Asks
Inviting
Lasts
Staff

More quotes by Donald Rumsfeld

Image
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.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
Keep your sense of humor. As General Joe Stillwell said, 'The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind'.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
When I served as US Ambassador to NATO in the 1970s, the center of gravity in Europe was France and Germany.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
Have a deputy and develop a successor. Don't be consumed by the job or you'll risk losing your balance. Keep your mooring lines to the outside world - family, friends, neighbors, people out of government, and people who may not agree with you.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
One of your tasks is to separate the 'personal' from the 'substantive.' The two can become confused, especially if someone rubs the President wrong.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
If there are people who yearn for the days when Saddam Hussein was in power, then I am not among them.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
Our task, your task... is to try to connect the dots before something happens. People say, 'Well, where's the smoking gun?' Well, we don't want to see a smoking gun from a weapon of mass destruction.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
If a person is determined to fight to the death, then they may very well have that opportunity.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
When you raise issues with the President, try to come away with both that decision and also a precedent. Pose issues so as to evoke broader policy guidance. This can help to answer a range of similar issues likely to arise later.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
You can have a broad popular democracy movement and have it end being taken over by the most vicious people and the result is you don't end up with free political systems or free economic systems, you end up with a handful of radicals controlling the country.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
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.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
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.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
The natural state of man is to want to be free. To have opportunities. To have choices.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
Do you have any regrets? Of course I do.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
[on Osama bin Laden] He is either alive and well or alive and not too well or not alive.
Donald Rumsfeld
Image
And there is, I am certain, among the Iraqi people a respect for the care and the precision that went into the bombing campaign.
Donald Rumsfeld