Hagel Quotes & Sayings

Foreign policy is all about a universe of bad decisions, imperfect decisions; every situation is different. The dynamics, the atmospherics, the people, the pressures, the geopolitical realities shift. — Chuck Hagel

We live in a world where there are dangerous people, there are bad people. — Chuck Hagel

Alliances and international organizations should be understood as opportunities for leadership and a means to expand our influence, not as constraints on our power. — Chuck Hagel

I'm a supporter of Israel, always have been. — Chuck Hagel

When you're dealing in situations that are uncontrollable and combustible, you try to stabilize the situation as quickly as you can and then work toward and work out toward democratic reform. — Chuck Hagel

Our foreign policy needs to support our energy, economic, defense and domestic policies. It all falls within the arch of national interest. There will be windows of opportunity, but they will open and close quickly. — Chuck Hagel

You can't just drop the 82nd Airborne into Baghdad and it will all be over. — Chuck Hagel

Passion and true passion is actually very unpredictable. It heads in unexpected directions because it's constantly seeking out new challenges. But what's really interesting is that passion ultimately is necessary for sustained extreme performance improvement. — John Hagel III

Because knowledge changes so rapidly, knowledge flow is more important than knowledge stock. — John Hagel

Well, Mr Obama inherited probably the biggest inventory of problems, certainly foreign policy problems, than any American president ever has. I think the entire inventory of problems that he inherited is probably as big overall as any president, certainly since Franklin Roosevelt and maybe, in some cases, worse. — Chuck Hagel

The United States can't impose democracies. We can't impose our will. The Russians found that out in Afghanistan. — Chuck Hagel

The United Nations has a critical role to play in promoting stability, security, democracy, human rights, and economic development. The UN is as relevant today as at any time in its history, but it needs reform. — Chuck Hagel

We can't ... take that piece of reality in this business and set that aside and say, well, that doesn't count. And the Republicans on my side understand that the majority is in fact up for grabs next year. So there's not a decision made up here that doesn't have that factor coursing through that current. — Chuck Hagel

No one individual vote, no one individual quote or no one individual statement defines me, my beliefs, or my record. — Chuck Hagel

There has to be a reason and objective (to air strikes). What does it do to move the effort down the road for a political conversation? — Chuck Hagel

And this - this board was - was impanelled in 1951. And it's gone through ups and downs in how the secretaries have used it. But I have put a premium on that advisory board. — Chuck Hagel

When I came to the Senate in 1997, the world was being redefined by forces no single country controlled or understood. The implosion of the Soviet Union and a historic diffusion of economic and geopolitical power created new influences and established new global power centers - and new threats. — Chuck Hagel

I don't think it's a matter of going back and having a review of our process. Our process is about as thorough as there can be. Is it imperfect? Yes. Is there risk? Yes, but we start with the fact that we have an American that's being held hostage and that American's life is in danger and that's where we start. And then we proceed from there. — Chuck Hagel

If you wanted a safe job, go sell shoes. This is a tough business. — Chuck Hagel

The Bush administration must understand that each American has a right to question our policies in Iraq and elsewhere, and should not be demonized or condemned for disagreeing with them. Suggesting that to challenge and criticize policy is undermining and hurting our troops is not democratic, nor what this country has stood for over 200 years. — Chuck Hagel

(The) chain of command has failed over the years, obviously, for a lot of reasons. — Chuck Hagel

Well, no American wants to in any way hurt our capabilities to national defense, but that doesn't mean an unlimited amount of money, and a blank check for anything they want at any time, for any purpose. Not at all. — Chuck Hagel

Institutions are imperfect. Governments surely are. People are. — Chuck Hagel

Politics or ideology must not get in the way of sound planning. — Chuck Hagel

I am fully supportive of 'open service' and committed to LGBT military families. — Chuck Hagel

Too often in Washington we tend to see foreign policy as an abstraction, with little understanding of what we are committing our country to: the complications and consequences of endeavors. — Chuck Hagel

The challenge with SXSW and events like it is it's so big and overwhelming, it's easy to get lost in the crowd. — John Hagel III

I would not trade America's position in the world - our ledger, our debts and assets - for any country in the world. There isn't a country in the world even close to America. — Chuck Hagel

At one level, SXSW exemplifies serendipity, because whenever I come, I get these unexpected meetings with people I never knew existed, and you couldn't have planned it. But by making the choice to come to SXSW, I'm increasing the probability of those encounters. — John Hagel III

Palestinians caged up like animals. — Chuck Hagel

Business needs to move to adopt much more scalable pull platforms. When we talk about pull platforms, often people focus on one level of pull, which is what we call access. It's simply, if I have a need, I can make a request, get the resource or the information I need when needed. — John Hagel III

My overall worldview has never changed: that America has and must maintain the strongest military in the world, that we must lead the international community to confront threats and challenges together, and that we must use all tools of American power to protect our citizens and our interests. — Chuck Hagel

The twenty first century will require a re-affirmation and re-definition of our alliances and international organisations. — Chuck Hagel

I took an oath of office to the Constitution, I didn't take an oath of office to my party or my president. — Chuck Hagel

There's an interesting trend that occurs in times of mounting pressure and high uncertainty, which is that it's a natural human tendency to seek out people that agree with us, that are similar to us because it's a source of comfort in a world that's so rapidly changing. — John Hagel III

No border that touches Israel is always secure. — Chuck Hagel

Nations, great nations have limitations. All nations have limitations. Even great powers have limitations. — Chuck Hagel

I'm not saying my idea is the one and only idea. We should have other ideas, but the president has not laid down a specific plan as to how he's going to get us to solvency. I do that. — Chuck Hagel

Rather than constantly questioning and challenging our beliefs and being willing to think differently about the opportunities that are out there, we withdraw into what we've done before. And in a world that's rapidly changing, that's a formula for vulnerability. — John Hagel III

Executives will talk about the importance of passion, but what they really mean is finding somebody who will work nights and weekends on their assigned task but predictably and reliably follow orders and just work harder. — John Hagel III

For most western executives, innovation is about breakthrough technology or innovation. If it's not breakthrough, it's not interesting, and it's all about technology and products. — John Hagel III

History has shown that a country most effectively speaks with one voice. When nationally elected officials work together, build consensus, and provide leadership, the American people will follow. — Chuck Hagel

Things aren't getting better; they're getting worse. The White House is completely disconnected from reality. It's like they're just making it up as they go along. The reality is that we're losing in Iraq. — Chuck Hagel

Our alliances should be understood as a means to expand our influence, not as a constraint on our power. The expansion of democracy and freedom in the world should be a shared interest and value with all nations. — Chuck Hagel

Well, let's go back to the original intent of Social Security. It is an insurance contract. — Chuck Hagel

At an individual level just as much as a corporate level, this notion of if you're not really passionate about the work you're doing in a world of mounting pressure, you're going to experience more and more stress. You're going to burn out. You're going to become marginalized. — John Hagel III

Peace comes through dealing with people. Peace doesn't come at the end of a bayonet or the end of a gun. — Chuck Hagel

I have never believed you go to war in Iraq, you go to war in Afghanistan, and believe that you can deal with those battlefields, those countries, in microcosms, or narrow channels. — Chuck Hagel

I'm a United States senator. I'm not an Israeli senator. — Chuck Hagel

We must prepare for everything. — Chuck Hagel

By nominating Chuck Hagel to be his Defense secretary, President Obama is putting forward an aloof contrarian who doesn't suffer fools - a striving politician who considers himself above politics. — Ron Fournier

If America is to succeed in responding to these 21st Century challenges, our political system cannot continue to bog down in the mire of partisan gamesmanship. — Chuck Hagel

Desperate men do desperate things when you take hope away. And that's where the Palestinians are today. — Chuck Hagel

Iraq was a war of choice, like Vietnam. — Chuck Hagel

It's a little strange when you have never been to war, and you eye-roll about a guy who's got shrapnel still in his body, as Chuck Hagel does. — Bill Maher

This current government in Iraq has never fulfilled the commitments it made to form a unity government with the Kurds, the Sunnis and the Shia. We have worked hard with them within the confines of our ability to do that but we can't dictate to them. — Chuck Hagel

The Israeli people must be free to live in peace and security. — Chuck Hagel

Foreign policy will require a strategic agility that, whenever possible, gets ahead of problems, strengthens U.S. security and alliances, and promotes American interests and credibility. — Chuck Hagel

And I want every one of you, every one of us, 100 senators to look in that camera, and you tell your people back home what you think. Don't hide anymore; none of us. That is the essence of our responsibility. And if we're not willing to do it, we're not worthy to be seated right here. We fail our country. If we don't debate this, if we don't debate this, we are not worthy of our country. We fail our country. — Chuck Hagel

Imposing democracy through force is a roll of the dice. — Chuck Hagel

It is easy to get into war, not so easy to get out. — Chuck Hagel

I believe, and always have, that America must engage - not retreat - in the world. — Chuck Hagel

In essence, what Innocentive does is it provides a platform where you can post a really challenging problem and offer a reward to anybody who can come and provide a solution. And it's been remarkably effective. People get very challenging problems and get solutions to those problems. — John Hagel III

Deserves some consideration, and I think that should have been done right from the beginning. — Chuck Hagel

In order to survive, all systems must evolve by providing greater and greater access to the currents that flow through them. This applies to all physical, biological and social systems that survive and thrive ... But let's take that one step forward ... the systems just described are ... constantly evolving. This suggests another design principle: ... design for evolution rather than creating a static design optimizing for the present. — John Hagel

People are not trying to get into China, they're trying to get out of China. The United States is the only great country where people are trying to get into to this country for obvious reasons. — Chuck Hagel

Bogging down large armies in historically complex, dangerous areas ends in disaster. — Chuck Hagel

Engagement is not appeasement. Engagement is not surrender. — Chuck Hagel

The recent wave of Taliban attacks has made clear that the international community must not waiver in its support for a stable, secure and prosperous Afghanistan. — Chuck Hagel

There are always consequences to actions that you take. There are consequences to inaction. And thinking through, asking the questions, "Well, then what happens? What comes next?" is critically important. — Chuck Hagel