Donald Rumsfeld Quotes & Sayings

Don't say 'the White House wants.' Buildings can't want. — Donald Rumsfeld

Oh, Lord. I didn't mean to say anything quotable. — Donald Rumsfeld

Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small. — Donald Rumsfeld

Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive. — Donald Rumsfeld

No terror state poses a greater or more immediate threat to the security of our people and the stability of the world than the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. — Donald Rumsfeld

If you are working from your inbox, you are working on other people's priorities. — Donald Rumsfeld

What is the value of having millions of people in Iraq not having a repressive regime? What is the value of having the Iraqi regime not shooting at UK and US aircraft almost every day? What is the value of the Iraqis having a free press? What is the value of the foreign minister of Iraq going to Paris, calling for an end of the Gadhafi regime and citing Iraq as a model, as an example, that in fact a freer political system can exist in that part of the world? — Donald Rumsfeld

It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task. — Donald Rumsfeld

Keep your sense of humor. As General Joe Stillwell said, 'The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind'. — Donald Rumsfeld

Don't think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men. — Donald Rumsfeld

Now, settle down, settle down. Hell, I'm an old man, it's early in the morning and I'm gathering my thoughts here. — Donald Rumsfeld

Test ideas in the marketplace. You learn from hearing a range of perspectives. Consultation helps engender the support decisions need to be successfully implemented. — Donald Rumsfeld

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. — Donald Rumsfeld

We don't seek empires.We're not imperialistic. — Donald Rumsfeld

I didn't advocate invasion ... I wasn't asked. — Donald Rumsfeld

You can have a broad popular democracy movement and have it end being taken over by the most vicious people and the result is you don't end up with free political systems or free economic systems, you end up with a handful of radicals controlling the country. — Donald Rumsfeld

The United States isn't going to do anything That it's not capable of doing. And if we do something, We'll be capable of doing it. — Donald Rumsfeld

Listening to both sides does not necessarily bring about a correct judgment. — Donald Rumsfeld

The purpose of terrorism is to terrorize. It's to change the behavior of the people that are being terrorized. — Donald Rumsfeld

Don't divide the world into 'them' and 'us.' Avoid infatuation with or resentment of the press, the Congress, rivals, or opponents. Accept them as facts. They have their jobs and you have yours. — Donald Rumsfeld

Have a deputy and develop a successor. Don't be consumed by the job or you'll risk losing your balance. Keep your mooring lines to the outside world - family, friends, neighbors, people out of government, and people who may not agree with you. — Donald Rumsfeld

We have an orientation that tends to make us think that everything is our responsibility and that we should be doing this. It is the Iraqis' country, 28 million of them. They are perfectly capable of running that country. — Donald Rumsfeld

I stand for 8-10 hours a day. Why is standing limited to four hours? — Donald Rumsfeld

When business accepts help from the government, it can be like going to bed with a hippopotamus. It's nice and warm for the moment, but then your bedmate rolls over and crushes you. — Donald Rumsfeld

Public servants are paid to serve the American people. Do it well. — Donald Rumsfeld

The dead-enders are still with us, those remnants of the defeated regimes who'll go on fighting long after their cause is lost. — Donald Rumsfeld

Visit with your predecessors from previous Administrations. They know the ropes and can help you see around some corners. Try to make original mistakes, rather than needlessly repeating theirs. — Donald Rumsfeld

Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary. — Donald Rumsfeld

Then there are three or four countries that have said they won't do anything. I believe Libya, Cuba and Germany are ones that have indicated they won't help in any respect. — Donald Rumsfeld

From where you sit, the White House may look as untidy as the inside of a stomach. As is said of the legislative process, sausage-making and policy-making shouldn't be seen close-up. Don't let that panic you. Things may be going better than they look from the inside. — Donald Rumsfeld

Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position. — Donald Rumsfeld

If a prospective Presidential approach can't be explained clearly enough to be understood well, it probably hasn't been thought through well enough. If not well understood by the American people, it probably won't 'sail' anyway. Send it back for further thought. — Donald Rumsfeld

When asked for your views, by the press or others, remember that what they really want to know is the President's views. — Donald Rumsfeld

Members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate are not there by accident. Each managed to get there for some reason. Learn what it was and you will know something important about them, about our country and about the American people. — Donald Rumsfeld

I recognize the need to provide the press - and, through you, the American people - with information to the fullest extent possible. In our democracy, the work of the Pentagon press corps is important, defending our freedom and way of life is what this conflict is about, and that certainly includes freedom of the press. — Donald Rumsfeld

If you develop rules, never have more than ten. — Donald Rumsfeld

With the press there is no 'off the record.' — Donald Rumsfeld

No. That's someone else's business. Quagmire is - I don't do quagmires. — Donald Rumsfeld

In unanimity there may well be either cowardice or uncritical thinking. — Donald Rumsfeld

Certainty without power can be interesting, even amusing. Certainty with power can be dangerous. — Donald Rumsfeld

We do have a saying in America: if you're in a hole, stop digging ... erm, I'm not sure I should have said that. — Donald Rumsfeld

Be yourself. Follow your instincts. Success depends, at least in part, on the ability to 'carry it off.' — Donald Rumsfeld

When you're skiing, if you're not falling you're not trying. — Donald Rumsfeld

If it were a fact, it wouldn't be called intelligence. — Donald Rumsfeld

Is it likely that an aircraft carrier or a cruise missile is going to find a person? — Donald Rumsfeld

I think it's very useful for you folks (reporters) to try your damndest to be precise. And don't repeat things that are inaccurate if you can possibly avoid it. And when you see things that are inaccurate, knock them down
because there's a bucket of it floating around. — Donald Rumsfeld

There will be good moments, and there will be less good moments. — Donald Rumsfeld

You will launch many projects, but have time to finish only a few. So think, plan, develop, launch and tap good people to be responsible. Give them authority and hold them accountable. Trying to do too much yourself creates a bottleneck. — Donald Rumsfeld

Most of the 50 or so invitations you receive each week come from people inviting the President's Chief of Staff, not you. If you doubt that, ask your predecessor how many he received last week. — Donald Rumsfeld

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. — Donald Rumsfeld

Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns- the ones we don't know we don't know. — Donald Rumsfeld

The coalition did not act in Iraq because we had discovered dramatic new evidence of Iraq's pursuit. We acted because we saw the evidence in a dramatic new light - through the prism of our experience on 9/11. — Donald Rumsfeld

You might be a cunning linguist, but I am a master debater. — Donald Rumsfeld

Oh my goodness gracious, what you can buy off the Internet in terms of overhead photography. A trained ape can know an awful lot of what is going on in this world, just by punching on his mouse, for a relatively modest cost. — Donald Rumsfeld

Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers - they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up. — Donald Rumsfeld

See that the President, the Cabinet and staff are informed. If cut out of the information flow, their decisions may be poor, not made, or not confidently or persuasively implemented. — Donald Rumsfeld

A terrorist can attack at any time at any place using a range of techniques. It is physically impossible to defend at every time in every location against every conceivable technique of terrorism. Therefore, if your goal is to stop it, you cannot stop it by defense. You can only stop it by taking the battle to the terrorists, where they are and going after them. — Donald Rumsfeld

If I know the answer I'll tell you the answer, and if I don't, I'll just respond, cleverly. — Donald Rumsfeld

After the German abstention at the UN, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle commented that Germany doesn't always have to stand on the side of its traditional allies. Berlin can look for new partners all over the world. — Donald Rumsfeld

It's a difficult thing today to be informed about our government even without all the secrecy. — Donald Rumsfeld

You're thinking of Eurpoe as Germany and France. I don't. I think that's old Europe. — Donald Rumsfeld

Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post. — Donald Rumsfeld

Whatever new threats and challenges may emerge, our nation will be able to face them squarely, deal with them, and yet allow our people to continue to live free and unafraid. The decisions you make, the courage and creativity you bring to your responsibilities, will determine America's future. Liberty and our way of life are fragile gifts - their care is in your hands. We thank you for stepping forward to shoulder that immense responsibility. Your country is grateful, and proud of each of you. — Donald Rumsfeld

I don't know anybody that I can think of who has contended that the Iraqis had nuclear weapons. — Donald Rumsfeld

It is very difficult to spend "federal (the taxpayers') dollars" so that the intended result is achieved. — Donald Rumsfeld

In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To lead a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They can be critical to his persuasiveness and thus to his leadership. — Donald Rumsfeld

If you can't solve a problem, make it bigger. — Donald Rumsfeld

Preserve the President's options. He may need them. — Donald Rumsfeld

Pieces of intelligence, scraps of intelligence ... you run down leads and you run down leads, and you hope that sometimes it works. — Donald Rumsfeld

Every country should be tired of going to war. War is a terrible thing. If I had been in Congress, as much as I would be inclined naturally to be supportive of a president, any president, I would have voted no, had the issue come to a vote. — Donald Rumsfeld

If a person is determined to fight to the death, then they may very well have that opportunity. — Donald Rumsfeld

Plan backwards as well as forward. Set objectives and trace back to see how to achieve them. You may find that no path can get you there. Plan forward to see where your steps will take you, which may not be clear or intuitive. — Donald Rumsfeld

Inspectors do not have the duty or the ability to uncover terrible weapons hidden in a vast country. The responsibility of inspectors is simply to confirm evidence of voluntary and total disarmament. Saddam Hussein has the responsibility to provide that evidence, as directed, and in full — Donald Rumsfeld

The absence of evidence is not necessarily the evidence of absence — Donald Rumsfeld

It is the photographs that gives one the vivid realization of what actually took place. (On photographs from Abu Ghraib prison.) — Donald Rumsfeld

Watch the growth of middle level management. Don't automatically fill vacant jobs. Leave some positions unfilled for 6-8 months to see what happens. You will find you won't need to fill some of them. — Donald Rumsfeld

There are a lot of people who lie and get away with it, and that's just a fact. — Donald Rumsfeld

At 78 years old, I am not surprised at much anymore. Germany has taken divergent positions before, so has France, so has England, so has the US. — Donald Rumsfeld

I am not going to give you a number for it because it's not my business to do intelligent work. — Donald Rumsfeld

Congress, the press, and the bureaucracy too often focus on how much money or effort is spent, rather than whether the money or effort actually achieves the announced goal. — Donald Rumsfeld

Look for what's missing. Many advisors can tell a President how to improve what's proposed or what's gone amiss. Few are able to see what isn't there. — Donald Rumsfeld

Sausage making and policy-making shouldn't be seen close-up. — Donald Rumsfeld

A terrorist can attack any time, any place using any technique and you can't defend everywhere against every technique at every moment. — Donald Rumsfeld

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

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. — Donald Rumsfeld

Do I Have any Regrets? Of Course I Do. — Donald Rumsfeld

We're not running out of [fixed] targets. Afghanistan is. — Donald Rumsfeld

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

After he saw what happened to Saddam Hussein, he ( Gaddafi ) did not want to be Saddam Hussein. He gave up his nuclear program. — Donald Rumsfeld

In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone. — Donald Rumsfeld

If in doubt, don't. If still in doubt, do what's right. — Donald Rumsfeld

Never hire anyone
you can't fire. — Donald Rumsfeld

Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers. — Donald Rumsfeld

We know where they are. They are in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad. — Donald Rumsfeld

As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time. Since the Iraq conflict began, the Army has been pressing ahead to produce the armor necessary at a rate that they believe
it's a greatly expanded rate from what existed previously, but a rate that they believe is the rate that is all that can be accomplished at this moment. — Donald Rumsfeld

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

When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control. — Donald Rumsfeld

The way to do well is to do well. — Donald Rumsfeld

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. — Donald Rumsfeld

Never assume the other fellow will not do something you wouldn't do. — Donald Rumsfeld