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

Donald Rumsfeld

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.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Deep Philosophy
Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Dangerous Error Lack Margin
If you develop rules, never have more than ten.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Advice Rule
Every day is filled with numerous opportunities for serious error. Enjoy it.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Enjoyment Error Opportunity Serious
Preserve the President’s options. He may need them.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Need Option Preserve President
Treat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned; it was – by a taxpayer.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Earn Money Tax
If you try to please everybody, somebody’s not going to like it.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Please Try
Remember where you came from.
DONALD RUMSFELD

History One Liner Past Remember
Learn to say ‘I don’t know.’ If used when appropriate, it will be often.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Appropriate Learn Often
Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Death Encouragement Tendency War
The way to do well is to do well.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Inspirational One Liner
Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Customer Distance Management Organization
If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Decision Guidance Lack Random
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.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Goals Head Obstacle Work
Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Argument Convenience Inevitable Integrity
If it were a fact, it wouldn’t be called intelligence.
DONALD RUMSFELD

Fact Intelligence

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

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

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