I suppose the implication of that is the president and the vice president and myself and Colin Powell just fell off a turnip truck to take these jobs.

Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers - they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.

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.

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

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.

We know where they are. They are in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad.

We know where they are [Iraq's weapons of mass destruction]. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.

We do know of certain knowledge that he [Osama Bin Laden] is either in Afghanistan, or in some other country, or dead.

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

If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.

Look for what's missing. Many advisors can tell a President how to improve what's proposed or what's gone amiss. Few are able to see what isn't there.

When everything else is shattering, you feel like the one true constant.

I was emotionally erect.

God is a divine.

You can't force creatives into a box. If you try, they'll no longer be creative. And no one will want your box.

History doesn't pass the dishes again.

In order to achieve to achieve positive results, one must work for them, not hope for them

Will I get along with [Vladimir Putin]? I have no idea.

With your reorientation as awareness, difficulty calls upon your resources - not first the resources that you're familiar with, but the resources of your own being.

There are good men everywhere. I only wish they had louder voices.

If you grew up in my generation, you're going to be influenced by Run DMC, the Beastie Boys and also listen to Metallica - it wasn't segregated anymore.