Quotes from Colin Powell

I think the Iranians are clearly determined to have a nuclear program. And we have to assume that with a nuclear program they have the capability and the will to create a nuclear weapon.

Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it.

Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

Experts often possess more data than judgment.

Some of the generals are saying, 'We're making progress. We are clearing an area.' But you really don't defeat the Taliban by clearing an area. They move.

Many interviewers when they come to talk to me, think they're being progressive by not mentioning in their stories any longer that I'm black. I tell them, 'Don't stop now. If I shot somebody you'd mention it.'

Respect for leaders by followers can't be mandated; it must be earned. It has to be given to leaders by their followers.

Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.

The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.

Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.

Trust is the essence of Leadership.

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

Good leaders must know how to reward those who succeed and know when to retrain, move, or fire ineffective staff.

The commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proved otherwise.

It is the job of leaders to eliminate uncertainty.

You don't know what you can get away with until you try.

Leadership is all about people … and getting the most out of people.

One important element of leadership is taking care of the troops.

Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no. That's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be president?

We are not trapped in what the science of management says we can do. We are capable of doing what the art of leadership says is possible.

I don't want to spend the rest of my life giving speeches.

All values are important, everyone who has ever touched my life in some way was a mentor for good or bad. Life is a blend, and a person is a blend of all the influences that have touched their lives.

Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team's mission.

Don't be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard.