“If you try to please everybody, somebody’s not going to like it.”

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.

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.

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.

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

Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers – they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.

Agreement can always be reached by increasing the generality of the conclusion; when this is done, the form is generally preserved but only the illusion of policy is created.

Many people around the President have sizeable egos before entering government, some with good reason. Their new positions will do little to moderate their egos.

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

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

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

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

With the press there is no ‘off the record.’

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

Learn to say ‘I don’t know.’ If used when appropriate, it will be often.

Prune – prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually.

Everyone’s saying you can’t do anything until you can do everything.

I’m feeling fearless in my skin, no matter what curveball life tries to throw at me.

It is not your fault for not seeing any wrongs in your doing, trying so hard to hold onto someone who isn’t scared of letting you go.

He tried everything to silence her except for kindness and remorse -only love softens a voice.

I’ve been trying to put the pieces of my puzzle back together but my hands are far too shaky to put my life in order.

There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying.

I’ve been scratching at the surface trying to escape the darkness that calls me from below.

There is nothing impossible to him who will try.

We’re so busy trying to move on and living our lives, that we sometimes forget to appreciate how far we’ve come, how well our wounds healed, and that somewhere along the journey, we’ve learned to let go.