Strive to make proposed solutions as self-executing as possible. As the degree of discretion increases, so too does bureaucracy, delay, and expense.

When I served as US Ambassador to NATO in the 1970s, the center of gravity in Europe was France and Germany.

Oh, Lord. I didn't mean to say anything quotable.

Don't 'over-control' like a novice pilot. Stay loose enough from the flow that you can observe it, modify, and improve it.

If you are working from your inbox, you are working on other people’s priorities.

The coalition did not act in Iraq because we had discovered dramatic new evidence of Iraq's pursuit. We acted because we saw the evidence in a dramatic new light - through the prism of our experience on 9/11.

Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary.