Learn to say ‘I don’t know.’ If used when appropriate, it will be often.
DONALD RUMSFELDDon’t blame the boss. He has enough problems.
More Donald Rumsfeld Quotes
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You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.
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There are no “knowns.” There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don’t know.
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With the press there is no ‘off the record.’
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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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Think ahead. Don’t let day-to-day operations drive out planning.
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If you try to please everybody, somebody’s not going to like it.
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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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If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random.
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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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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.
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Politics is human beings; it’s addition rather than subtraction.
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Preserve the President’s options. He may need them.
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Every day is filled with numerous opportunities for serious error. Enjoy it.
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There are a lot of people who lie and get away with it, and that’s just a fact.
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If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
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Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.
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The way to do well is to do well.
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There are known knowns, things we know that we know; and there are known unknowns, things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns, things we do not know we don’t know.
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Remember where you came from.
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Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive.
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It is easier to get into something than to get out of it.
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Enjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life.
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Simply because you do not have evidence that something exists does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn’t exist.
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What you measure improves.” A corollary rule in the military is that “You get what you inspect, not what you expect.
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Those who made the decisions with imperfect knowledge will be judged in hindsight by those with considerably more information at their disposal and time for reflection.
DONALD RUMSFELD