The greatest gifts my parents gave to me...were their unconditional love and a set of values.

Being in charge sometimes means making people mad. Some days you have to overrule even the best advice, because you think it is not right.

Sometimes what my analytical mind says to me is not what I'll do.

There is no question about the fact that we had very serious disagreements with my German, French, and Russian colleagues over the Iraq war. But I never stopped talking.

In the military, we are also taught to only use one third of the available decision-making time, so that our subordinates have time to go through their own decision processes when they learn what we want them to do.

But just as they did in Philadelphia when they were writing the constitution, sooner or later, you've got to compromise. You've got to start making the compromises that arrive at a consensus and move the country forward.

Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.