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

Quote by Donald Rumsfeld

Topics: Donald Rumsfeld Quotes

Amidst all the clutter, beyond all the obstacles, aside from all the static, are the...

Amidst all the clutter, beyond all the obstacles, aside from all the static, are the...

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

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

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

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

See that the President, the Cabinet and staff are informed. If cut out of the...

See that the President, the Cabinet and staff are informed. If cut out of the...

With the press there is no off the record.

With the press there is no off the record.

Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.

Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.

Have a deputy and develop a successor. Don't be consumed by the job or you'll...

Have a deputy and develop a successor. Don't be consumed by the job or you'll...

Don't begin to think you're the President. You're not. The Constitution provides for only one.

Don't begin to think you're the President. You're not. The Constitution provides for only one.

Don't begin to think you're the President. You're not. The Constitution provides for only one.

Don't begin to think you're the President. You're not. The Constitution provides for only one.

Know that the immediate staff and others in the Administration will assume that your manner,...

Know that the immediate staff and others in the Administration will assume that your manner,...

The Secretary of Defense is not a super General or Admiral. His task is to...

The Secretary of Defense is not a super General or Admiral. His task is to...

Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all...

Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all...

Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war.

Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war.

Leave the President's family business to him. You will have plenty to do without trying...

Leave the President's family business to him. You will have plenty to do without trying...

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

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

Secretary Powell and I agree on every single issue that has ever been before this...

Secretary Powell and I agree on every single issue that has ever been before this...

Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered...

Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered...

Don't think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries...

Don't think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries...

A wise unselfishness is not a surrender of yourself to the wishes of anyone, but...

A wise unselfishness is not a surrender of yourself to the wishes of anyone, but...

Self-interest is but the survival of the animal in us. Humanity only begins for man...

Self-interest is but the survival of the animal in us. Humanity only begins for man...