Rumsfeld Quotes & Sayings

Right now, I am in Fallujah. I am in Darfur. I am on Sixty-third and Park having dinner with Ellen Barkin and Ron Perelman ... Right now, I'm on Lafayette and Astor waiting to hit you up for change so I can get high. I'm taking a walk through the Rose Garden with George Bush. I'm helping Donald Rumsfeld get a good night's sleep ... I was in that cave with Osama, and on that plane with Mohamed Atta ... And what I want you to know is that your work has barely begun. And what I want you to trust is the efficacy of divine love if practiced consciously. And what I need you to believe is that if you hate who I love, you do not know me at all. And make no mistake, "Who I Love" is every last one. I am every last one. People ask of me: Where are you? Where are you? ... Verily I ask of you to ask yourself: Where are you? Where are you? — Stephen Adly Guirgis

If in doubt, move decisions up to the President. — Donald Rumsfeld

Walk around. If you are invisible, the mystique of the President's office may perpetuate inaccurate impressions about you or the President, to his detriment. After all, you may not be as bad as they're saying. — Donald Rumsfeld

Don't 'over-control' like a novice pilot. Stay loose enough from the flow that you can observe it, modify, and improve it. — Donald Rumsfeld

In politics, every day is filled with numerous opportunities for serious error. Enjoy it. — Donald Rumsfeld

President Bush cruelly manipulated the grief of the American people - and the sympathy of the rest of the world - to introduce a 'world order' dreamed up by a clutch of fantasists advising the Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld. — Robert Fisk

What's new is that the White House itself has now been corporatized. It's not politicians working for the corporate interests. They are the corporate interests. That's where Bush came from, and Cheney and Rumsfeld. — Jim Hightower

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

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. — Donald Rumsfeld

In 2003, at the time I made my "Old Europe" comment, the center of gravity in NATO and Europe had long since shifted to the East. With the former Warsaw Pact countries joining NATO, the alliance has a different mix today. Some people were sensitive about my comment because they thought it was a pejorative way of highlighting demographic realities. Apparently they felt it pointed a white light at a weakness in Europe - an aging population. Europe has come some distance since World War II in becoming Europe. — Donald Rumsfeld

I am going to leave the future of Europe to the Europeans. — 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

I think all of us have a sense if we imagine the kind of world we would face if the people who bombed the mess hall in Mosul, or the people who did the bombing in Spain, or the people who attacked the United States in New York, shot down the plane over Pennsylvania and attacked the Pentagon, the people who cut off peoples' heads on television to intimidate, to frighten indeed the word 'terrorized' is just that. Its purpose is to terrorize, to alter behavior, to make people be something other than that which they want to be. — Donald Rumsfeld

Don't accept the post or stay unless you have an understanding with the President that you're free to tell him what you think "with the bark off" and you have the courage to do it. — Donald Rumsfeld

There are things that we know, and there are things that we don't know. Then there are the things that we don't even know that we don't know. Those are the things that are the hardest. — 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

We are in the process of trying to liberate that country. And at the moment where the war ends and the coalition forces occupy the areas where those capabilities - chemical and biological weapons - are likely to be, to the extent they haven't been moved out of the country, it obviously is important to find them. — Donald Rumsfeld

General Boykin has requested that an inspector general review this matter. And I have indicated that if that's his request, I think it's appropriate. — Donald Rumsfeld

Leave the President's family business to him. You will have plenty to do without trying to manage the First Family. They are likely to do fine without your help. — Donald Rumsfeld

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

Everyone's saying you can't do anything until you can do everything, and in life I've never found that to be the case. To me, first you crawl, then you walk, then you run. And so let's get on with it. Let's stick something in the ground and not pretend that it's perfect. — Donald Rumsfeld

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

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

The world is run by those who show up. — Donald Rumsfeld

Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems. — Donald Rumsfeld

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

It is unknowable how long that conflict [the war in Iraq] will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months. — Donald Rumsfeld

When I served as US Ambassador to NATO in the 1970s, the center of gravity in Europe was France and Germany. — Donald Rumsfeld

This mass destructive weapons were sold to Iraqi government by the United States. And Mr. Rumsfeld has been one of the man responsible for this sale, for this bargain, for this market. — Jacques Verges

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

The United States, as all you know, did not come to Iraq for oil, not to occupy. We came here only to help. — Donald Rumsfeld

Donald Rumsfeld is the most ruthless man I have ever met? and I mean that as a compliment. — Henry A. Kissinger

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

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

Strive to make proposed solutions as self-executing as possible. As the degree of discretion increases, so too does bureaucracy, delay, and expense. — Donald Rumsfeld

Every president when he is elected has to live with the pluses and minuses his predecessor leaves, which includes benefits as well as burdens. — Donald Rumsfeld

Think ahead. Don't let day-to-day operations drive out planning. — Donald Rumsfeld

A large number of people to begin crawling through those tunnels and caves looking for the bad folks. — Donald Rumsfeld

I'm not a fan of Secretary Rumsfeld. I don't think he listens enough to his uniformed officers. — Trent Lott

Learn to say 'I don't know.' If used when appropriate, it will be often. — Donald Rumsfeld

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said this week there's a good chance we never get bin Laden. bin Laden! We couldn't even get O.J.! — Jay Leno

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

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

If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random. — 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

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

Republicans don't have to accept evolution, economics, climatology, or human sexuality, but I just watched a week of their national convention, and I need them to admit the historical existence of George W. Bush. If your party can run the nation for eight years and then have a national convention and not invite Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Karl Rove, or Tom DeLay, you're not a political movement, you're the witness protection program. — Bill Maher

I find George Bush and Dick Cheney frightening, Donald Rumsfeld and John Ashcroft frightening. — Barbra Streisand

America is not what's wrong with the world — Donald Rumsfeld

Most US presidents since World War II have led military actions without a declaration of war by Congress, though most, if not all, have properly consulted and sought support from Congress. That is the wise thing to do. — 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

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

After Princeton, the years seem like a blur, but the days seem more like rapid fire. - Donald Rumsfeld in Year of Magical Thinking — Joan Didion

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

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

Prune - prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually. — 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

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

Look at me! I'm sweet and lovable! — Donald Rumsfeld

The problem is the people who tend to be the best organized are the most radical and the most vicious. — 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

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

Control your own time. Don't let it be done for you. If you are working off the in-box that is fed you, you are probably working on the priority of others. — Donald Rumsfeld

A president has to provide leadership to gain support. — 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

Cheney, Rumsfeld - they were Shakespearean in their attitude of impunity. — Glen Duncan

The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfeld deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere. — Mohammed Saeed Al-Sahaf

The implication that there was something wrong with the war plan is amusing. — Donald Rumsfeld

Fuck it, I thought. As Don Rumsfeld once said, You go to war with the army you have, not the army you wish you had. — Avi Steinberg

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

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

Our task, your task ... is to try to connect the dots before something happens. People say, 'Well, where's the smoking gun?' Well, we don't want to see a smoking gun from a weapon of mass destruction. — Donald Rumsfeld

Don Rumsfeld is the finest secretary of defense the nation has ever had. — Dick Cheney

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

I'm glad you asked. It has nothing to do with oil, literally nothing to do with oil. — Donald Rumsfeld

Donald Rumsfeld also lost his gig last week. When asked what his future plans are, Rumsfeld said, 'What's a plan?' — Bill Maher

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

Don't be a bottleneck. If a matter is not a decision for the President or you, delegate it. Force responsibility down and out. Find problem areas, add structure and delegate. The pressure is to do the reverse. Resist it. — Donald Rumsfeld

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

I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons. — 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

These people [Bush Administration] are for the most part rip-off artists. Notice that they're all gas and oil men from Cheney, to the two Bushes; I think Rumsfeld also. — Gore Vidal

When there happens to be a weapon of mass destruction suspect site in an area that we occupy and if people have time, they'll look at it. — Donald Rumsfeld

Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered key aspects of the issue. — 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

George W. Bush's approval ratings have plummeted as Americans realize that it's not gay marriage that's destroying the country, but rather the president, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice and the rest of the gang in the White House. They're the ones who've taken us to war based on lies and have irreparably damaged the nation's integrity. — Michelangelo Signorile

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

Secretary Powell and I agree on every single issue that has ever been before this administration except for those instances where Colin's still learning. — Donald Rumsfeld

When Rumsfeld gets up on television and says we have definitive intelligence that al Qaeda is working with Iraq, how is an ordinary citizen supposed to react? They won't tell you the evidence, and when anyone asks, they say, 'Well, you know: It's secret.' — Noam Chomsky

The natural state of man is to want to be free. To have opportunities. To have choices. — Donald Rumsfeld

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

Treat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned; it was - by a taxpayer. — Donald Rumsfeld

Five days or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last longer. — Donald Rumsfeld