Quotes by 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.”

“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; th...”

“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.”

“If in doubt, don't. If still in doubt, do what's right.”

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

“Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.”

“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 thu...”

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

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

“If it were a fact, it wouldn't be called intelligence.”

“It's a difficult thing today to be informed about our government even without all the secrecy.”

“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.”

“It is easier to get into something than to get out of it.”

“Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.”

“This war [in Vietnam] has been marked by so many lies and evasions... that it is not right to have the war end with one last lie.”

“Pearl Harbor Post-Mortem:In some future hearing, I am going to say that I do not want to be sitting before this panel in a modern day version of a Pearl Harbor post-mortem as to who didn't do what,...”

“I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today would last five days, or five weeks, or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that.”

“And it is not knowable if force will be used, but if it is to be used, it is not knowable how long that conflict would last. It could last, you know, six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.”

“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.”

“Now, you're thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don't. I think that's old Europe. If you look at the entire NATO Europe today, the center of gravity is shifting to the east. And there are a...”