Donald Rumsfeld

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

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.

Preserve the President’s options. He may need them.

Don’t say “the White House wants.” Buildings can’t want.

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

The Secretary of Defense is not a super General or Admiral. His task is to exercise civilian control over the Department for the Commander-in-Chief and the country.

We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated.

The commentators of 1963 speak, in discussing Africa, of the Monrovia States, the Brazzaville Group, the Casablanca Powers, of these and many more. Let us put an end to these terms. What we require is a single African organisation through which Africa’s single voice may be heard, within which Africa’s problems may be studied and resolved.

When there’s a person, there’s a problem. When there’s no person, there’s no problem.

I would not give half a guinea to live under one form of government other than another. It is of no moment to the happiness of an individual.

I like beer

An ‘extremely credible source’ has called my office and told me that Barack Obama’s birth certificate is a fraud

Jefferson, to his credit, at least recognized that the slavery in which he participated was ‘the most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other.’

We can win an awful lot of people into the political spectrum, by offering something that is … radical.

Trump himself seems to be having the time of his life. He’s constantly in the limelight, his loyal base worships his every move, he’s free to defy convention, to insult anyone he chooses, to disrupt the international economic and political order at will…

[Marx’s] picture was, as I understand it, that when working people liberate themselves, and can make their own decisions, they will determine what kind of society it will be. He is not going to dictate it to them. I think that’s a pretty wise stand frankly.

You could make a strong argument that all US military aid to Israel is in violation of US law. Take a look at the Leahy Amendment, which is US law. It says you can’t give any military aid to military units or organizations that are involved in systematic human rights’ abuses…

I believe the measure of a man isn’t just the road he’s traveled; it’s the choices he’s made along the way.

I love soccer.

In accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the issues of foreign policy and defense are fully in the hands of the president.

I do not feel that we should set up people as ‘models’; rather actions, thoughts, principles.