We do have a saying in America: if you're in a hole, stop digging ..... erm, I'm not sure I should have said that.

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.

I think we ought to live happily ever after.

Reality ground my expectations into microscopic particles.

We cannot choose who offends us, but we can choose how to respond when we are offended.

Some people have certain beliefs, and I have my own belief, and we can agree to disagree on certain things.

Live happily, not hating even those who are hostile. Live peacefully even amongst those that hate.

Fear of commitment lies behind the fear of writing.

Evil is a far more cunning and persevering propagandist than good, for it has no inward strength, and is driven to seek countenance and sympathy.

Sunshine on the water looks so lovely

Not what we have, but what we use, not what we see, but what we choose, these are the things that mar or bless the sum of human happiness.

Today secular philosophers call that kind of divine invocation God of the gaps-which comes in handy, because there has never been a shortage of gaps in people's knowledge.