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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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" 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. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" 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. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Leave the President's family business to him. You will have plenty to do without trying to manage the First Family. They are likely to do fine without your help. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" 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

" Visit with your predecessors from previous Administrations. They know the ropes and can help you see around some corners. Try to make original mistakes, rather than needlessly repeating theirs. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" There are a lot of people who lie and get away with it, and that's just a fact. "

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

" If it were a fact, it wouldn't be called intelligence. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Don't be a bottleneck. If a matter is not a decision for the President or you, delegate it. Force responsibility down and out. Find problem areas, add structure and delegate. The pressure is to do the reverse. Resist it. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" 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. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" The way to do well is to do well. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Politics is human beings; it's addition rather than subtraction. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" 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. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" 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

" Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Treat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned; it was - by a taxpayer. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" 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. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" I don't do quagmires. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up. "

Donald Rumsfeld

" Be yourself. Follow your instincts. Success depends, at least in part, on the ability to 'carry it off.' "

Donald Rumsfeld