“You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.”

I regret that the presentation I made at the UN turned out to be wrong. It was wrong on the stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, but pretty much right on intentions and capabilities.

Always be looking for the opportunities, and always be optimistic about what you can do with that opportunity.

The essence of leadership is building bonds of trust in your organization.

Maybe we don’t put our young people in situations often enough where they’re allowed to fail. When you fail you gain experience, and with enough experience, you don’t fail as often.

Every organization should tolerate rebels who tell the emperor he has no clothes.

But just as they did in Philadelphia when they were writing the constitution, sooner or later, you’ve got to compromise. You’ve got to start making the compromises that arrive at a consensus and move the country forward.

The freedom to do your best means nothing unless you are willing to do your best.

You know you’re a good leader when people follow you out of curiosity.

Never neglect details. When everyone’s mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.

The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will follow.

First you train the followers to accomplish the mission. Second, you resource them: Make sure that they have the tools to do the job. Third, you reward them: You give them medals or bonuses.

Look for intelligence and judgment and, most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego and the drive to get things done.

A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.

It is good if your enemy underestimates you. The dumber they think you are the more surprised they are when you kill them.

Preferring members of any one group for no reason other than race or ethnic origin is discrimination for its own sake. This the Constitution forbids.

The chief condition on which, life, health and vigor depend on, is action. It is by action that an organism develops its faculties, increases its energy, and attains the fulfillment of its destiny.

I choose to make the rest of my life the best of my life.

One thing we can do is make the choice to view the world in a healthy way. We can choose to see the world as safe with only moments of danger rather than seeing the world as dangerous with only moments of safety.

My greatest talent is in my ability to choose good friends. It’s about as important as things get.

I thank my old self who chose to be brave, how he believed there would be so much in front of me, and by all that, he was ready to face growth.

Everything that is happening at this moment is a result of the choices you’ve made in the past.

Each moment is a moment of choice ~ a time to leave the old, the limited, the restrained, and the contracted for the new, the unbound, and the liberating potential that expands before you.

Racism is stupid. It’s an insult to God, arrogantly implying that God goofed-up when he chose to make us all different.

I choose to free the limiting beliefs that hold me back from believing in myself.