Donald Rumsfeld Zitate auf Englisch

Zitat des Tages von Donald Rumsfeld:

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.

Presidential leadership needn't always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.

Donald Rumsfeld

Preserve the President's options. He may need them.

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

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

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

Donald Rumsfeld

Remember where you came from.

Donald Rumsfeld

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.

Donald Rumsfeld

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

Donald Rumsfeld

If in doubt, don't. If still in doubt, do what's right.

Donald Rumsfeld

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

Donald Rumsfeld

I don't do quagmires.

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

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

I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today will last five days, five weeks or five months, but it won't last any longer than that.

Donald Rumsfeld

With the press there is no 'off the record.'

Donald Rumsfeld

The way to do well is to do well.

Donald Rumsfeld

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

Donald Rumsfeld

Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.

Donald Rumsfeld

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

Donald Rumsfeld

Your performance depends on your people. Select the best, train them and back them. When errors occur, give sharper guidance. If errors persist or if the fit feels wrong, help them move on. The country cannot afford amateur hour in the White House.

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

If in doubt, move decisions up to the President.

Donald Rumsfeld

If you try to please everybody, somebody's not going to like it.

Donald Rumsfeld

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

Donald Rumsfeld

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

You're thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don't. I think that's old Europe.

Donald Rumsfeld

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.

Donald Rumsfeld

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

Donald Rumsfeld

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

Public servants are paid to serve the American people. Do it well.

Donald Rumsfeld

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

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

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

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

Donald Rumsfeld

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

Donald Rumsfeld