Ambition and hatred are enough to bring Iraq and al Qaeda together.

Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle and it's from failure that you gain life experience.

Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.

Have a sense of humor to break the tension in times of great toil.

Decision-making is lonely.

Each of us must work to become a hardheaded realist, or else we risk wasting our time and energy on pursuing impossible dreams. Yet constant naysayers pursue no less impossible dreams. Their fear and cynicism move nothing forward. They kill progress. How many cynics built empires, great cities, or powerful corporations?

Experts often possess more data than judgment.