Learn to say ‘I don’t know.’ If used when appropriate, it will be often.
I believe what I said yesterday. I don’t know what I said, but I know what I think, and, well, I assume it’s what I said.
Well, um, you know, something’s neither good nor bad but thinking makes it so, I suppose, as Shakespeare said.
Needless to say, the President is correct. Whatever it was he said.
Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war.
I would not say that the future is necessarily less predictable than the past. I think the past was not predictable when it started.
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.
There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don`t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don`t know we don`t know.
Visit with your predecessors from previous Administrations. They know the ropes and can help you see around some corners. Try to make original mistakes, rather than needlessly repeating theirs.
Remember where you came from.
Don’t divide the world into “them” and “us.” Avoid infatuation with or resentment of the press, the Congress, rivals, or opponents. Accept them as facts. They have their jobs and you have yours.
Be yourself. Follow your instincts. Success depends, at least in part, on the ability to “carry it off.
Don’t blame the boss. He has enough problems.
Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.
Don’t be a bottleneck. If a matter is not a decision for the President or you, delegate it. Force responsibility down and out. Find problem areas, add structure and delegate. The pressure is to do the reverse. Resist it.
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