Colin Powell Quotes

“Remain calm, be kind.”

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

“The person who will decide whether or not there will be war or peace is Saddam Hussein, and all he has to do is give up these terrible weapons that he has used to kill fellow Arabs, fellow Muslims in that part of the world, and to step away from his past behaviour which invaded neighbouring countries.”

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

“I served 40 years in government, and I'm not looking forward to a position or an assignment. Of course, I have always said if a president asks you to do something, you have to consider it. But I am in no way interested in returning to government. But I, of course, would sit and talk to any president who wishes to talk to me.”

“I will look for a candidate, Republican or Democrat, who seems to be on the way or understands how to resolve the economic difficulties we're having, how to do something about unemployment, how to make sure that we free up our businesses and we don't over-regulate ourselves.”

“Always show more kindness than seems necessary, because the person receiving it needs it more than you will ever know.”

“The bottom line in all of it is that, in life, it's all about people.”

“You have to comply, you have to obey - or you'd better resign and leave. But that is also the mark of a great leader - somebody who, in the presence of inner conflict, will do the right thing.”

“There's no doubt in my mind, though, that the Iraqi people would be better off with a different leader who did not waste their oil on weapons, as opposed to education, as opposed to healthcare, as opposed to food, as opposed to roads, as opposed to clean water. It is really sinful, a crime, what Saddam Hussein has done with the wealth of the Iraqi people over the last 30 years.”

“Free speech is intended to protect the controversial and even outrageous word; and not just comforting platitudes too mundane to need protection.”

“We view Egypt as a good friend of America. We are in constant touch with them. We provide them economic and military assistance as part of our relationship.”

“He (Saddam Hussein) has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbours.”

“But you have to understand, American democracy is not like the system you have. We're not an ocean liner that sails across the ocean from point A to point B at 30 knots. That's not American democracy. American democracy is kind of like a life raft that bobs around the ocean all the time. Your feet are always wet. Winds are always blowing. You're cold. You're wet. You're uncomfortable -- but you never sink.”

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

“Our strategy in going after this army is very simple. First we are going to cut it off, and then we are going to kill it.”

“Let's not forget that Congress bears a lot of responsibility for many of the problems we have now”

“It is good if your enemy underestimates you. The dumber they think you are the more surprised they are when you kill them.”

“In my 35 years in the army I was in school for 6 years. I think corporations should take a look at whether they are investing enough in the development of their human capital.”

“Maybe we don't put our young people in situations often enough where they're allowed to fail. When you fail you gain experience, and with enough experience, you don't fail as often.”

“How often have we seen politicians take a principle position only to give it up three days later? That is what makes democracy so fascinating.”

“The United States is not stingy. We are the greatest contributor to international relief efforts in the world.”

“It isn’t enough just to scream at the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations. We need our political system to start reflecting this anger back into, 'How do we fix it? How do we get the economy going again?'”

“First you train the followers to accomplish the mission. Second, you resource them: Make sure that they have the tools to do the job. Third, you reward them: You give them medals or bonuses.”

“I think our initiative with respect to education and economic development can work in Saudi Arabia and it is up to the Saudis to decide how they wish to transform their society in order to make it prepared for the challenges of the 21st century.”