Top 15 Donald Rumsfeld Quotes

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; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns- the ones we don't know we don't know.

You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.

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.

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 we know anything, it is that weakness is provocative.

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.

Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems.

When surprise occurs, such as when the economy enters an unexpected recession or a conflict begins seemingly out the blue, the natural reaction is to immediately ask who made the “obvious” mistake. It is much easier to believe that our leaders are incompetent than to accept the less pleasant reality that ours is a world where uncertainty and surprise are the norm, not the exception.

Agreement can always be reached by increasing the generality of the conclusion; when this is done, the form is generally preserved but only the illusion of policy is created.

The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money. — Margaret Thatcher T

What you measure improves.” A corollary rule in the military is that “You get what you inspect, not what you expect.

The harder I work, the luckier I am. — Stephen Leacock

People are policy! Without the best people in place, the best ideas don’t matter. — DR. ED FEULNER

The better part of one’s life consists of his friendships. — Abraham Lincoln

every day is filled with numerous opportunities for serious error. Enjoy it.