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.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

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

Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered key aspects of the issue.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

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.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

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

Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

Don't think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

Enjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

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.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

If a prospective Presidential approach can't be explained clearly enough to be understood well, it probably hasn't been thought through well enough. If not well understood by the American people, it probably won't "sail" anyway. Send it back for further thought.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

If in doubt, don't. If still in doubt, do what's right.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

If you develop rules, never have more than ten.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

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.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

In politics, every day is filled with numerous opportunities for serious error. Enjoy it.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

Learn to say "I don't know." If used when appropriate, it will be often.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

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 Quote

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 Quote

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 Quote

Members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate are not there by accident. Each managed to get there for some reason. Learn what it was and you will know something important about them, about our country and about the American people.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

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 Quote

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 Quote

Politics is human beings; it's addition rather than subtraction.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

Preserve the President's options. He may need them.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

Prune - prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

Public servants are paid to serve the American people. Do it well.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

Remember where you came from.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

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 Quote

Test ideas in the marketplace. You learn from hearing a range of perspectives. Consultation helps engender the support decisions need to be successfully implemented.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

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 Quote

The way to do well is to do well.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

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

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 Quote

Think ahead. Don't let day-to-day operations drive out planning.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

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 Quote

When asked for your views, by the press or others, remember that what they really want to know is the President's views.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

With the press there is no "off the record."
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

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

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.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote

You're thinking of Eurpoe as Germany and France. I don't. I think that's old Europe.
- Donald Rumsfeld Quote