Think ahead. Don’t let day-to-day operations drive out planning.
DONALD RUMSFELDThink ahead. Don’t let day-to-day operations drive out planning.
DONALD RUMSFELDYour 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 RUMSFELDPresidential leadership needn’t always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.
DONALD RUMSFELDSimply because you do not have evidence that something exists does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn’t exist.
DONALD RUMSFELDTreat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned; it was – by a taxpayer.
DONALD RUMSFELDThere 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.
DONALD RUMSFELDThose 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 RUMSFELDDon’t blame the boss. He has enough problems.
DONALD RUMSFELDEvery day is filled with numerous opportunities for serious error. Enjoy it.
DONALD RUMSFELDEveryone’s saying you can’t do anything until you can do everything.
DONALD RUMSFELDLearn to say ‘I don’t know.’ If used when appropriate, it will be often.
DONALD RUMSFELDAgreement 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.
DONALD RUMSFELDArguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.
DONALD RUMSFELDKnow that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive.
DONALD RUMSFELDThere are a lot of people who lie and get away with it, and that’s just a fact.
DONALD RUMSFELDEnjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life.
DONALD RUMSFELD