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" If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much. "
Donald Rumsfeld
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" You will launch many projects, but have time to finish only a few. So think, plan, develop, launch and tap good people to be responsible. Give them authority and hold them accountable. Trying to do too much yourself creates a bottleneck. "
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" If in doubt, don't. If still in doubt, do what's right. "
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" If you develop rules, never have more than ten. "
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" 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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" Remember where you came from. "
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" With the press there is no 'off the record.' "
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" You're thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don't. I think that's old Europe. "
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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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" The price of being close to the President is delivering bad news. You fail him if you don't tell him the truth. Others won't do it. "
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" In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To lead a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They can be critical to his persuasiveness and thus to his leadership. "
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" It is easier to get into something than to get out of it. "
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" 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. "
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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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" Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small. "
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" Test ideas in the marketplace. You learn from hearing a range of perspectives. Consultation helps engender the support decisions need to be successfully implemented. "
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" I don't do quagmires. "
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" Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position. "
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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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" In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone. "
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" The Federal Government should be the last resort, not the first. Ask if a potential program is truly a federal responsibility or whether it can better be handled privately, by voluntary organizations, or by local or state governments. "
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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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" See that the President, the Cabinet and staff are informed. If cut out of the information flow, their decisions may be poor, not made, or not confidently or persuasively implemented. "
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" The way to do well is to do well. "
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" First rule of politics: you can't win unless you're on the ballot. Second rule: If you run, you may lose. And, if you tie, you do not win. "
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" It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task. "
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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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" Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership. "
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" There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know. "
Donald Rumsfeld
" Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers - they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up. "
Donald Rumsfeld