Donald Rumsfeld

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

Don’t necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.

The price of being close to the President is delivering bad news. You fail him if you don’t tell him the truth. Others won’t do it.

Learn to say “I don’t know.” If used when appropriate, it will be often.

Don’t think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men.

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.

We are reformers in the spring and summer, but in autumn we stand by the old. Reformers in the morning, and conservers at night.

It is a wise tune that knows its own father, and I like my music to be the legitimate offspring of respectable parents.

Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.

People only see what they are prepared to see.

The religion that is afraid of science dishonors God and commits suicide.

It’s easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you’re a winner, when you’re number one. What you got to have is faith and discipline when you’re not a winner.

Strange, that some of us, with quick alternate vision, see beyond our infatuations, and even while we rave on the heights, behold the wide plain where our persistent self pauses and awaits us.

The advice that is wanted is commonly not welcome and that which is not wanted, evidently an effrontery.

We ascribe beauty to that which is simple; which has no superfluous parts; which exactly answers its end; which stands related to all things; which is the mean of many extremes.

Rest in reason; move in passion.

Love truth, but pardon error.

Hurricanes are named after people, baby, and I hope you know that falling in love with me will be so much more treacherous than boarding up the windows and waiting for me to pass.

Men of age object too much, consult too long, adventure too little, repent too soon, and seldom drive business home to the full period, but content themselves with a mediocrity of success.

It is said that the world is in a state of bankruptcy, that the world owes the world more than the world can pay.

A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.