Colin Powell Quotes

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

“In 2008, I spoke out against calling the president a Muslim as if that was a curse. And then in 2012, once again, I was very disturbed about some of the intolerance I was seeing in the party, so I made a statement saying there's a level of intolerance in some parts of the Republican Party. And there was, and I think there still is.”

“You have achieved excellence as a leader when people will follow you anywhere if only out of curiosity.”

“Every human endeavor has leaders and followers, and your job as a leader is to inspire.”

“It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.”

“If everybody trusts one another, then the person who didn't prevail will faithfully execute the decision as if it was their idea.”

“Diplomacy is listening to what the other guy needs. Preserving your own position, but listening to the other guy. You have to develop relationships with other people so when the tough times come, you can work together.”

“The United States presents a value system to the world that is based on democracy, based on economic freedom, based on individual rights for men and women, .. I think that is what makes us such a draw for nations around the world. People come to the United States to be educated, to become Americans. We are a country of countries and we touch every country, and every country in world touches us.”

“As a leader you set the tone for your entire team. Communicate your vision.”

“Don't just count your days, make your days count.”

“Trump is a national disgrace and an international pariah.”

“If you are black, if you are Puerto Rican or Hispanic, be proud of that. But don't let it become a problem. Let it become somebody else's problem.”

“What we have to find is the right level of regulation of our financial system so that it has the incentive to invest in things, but at the same time, it is sufficiently regulated so it can't get in the kind of trouble that we have seen in the past and we have seen recently.”

“I want to see policies that encourage every American to vote, not make it more difficult to vote.”

“Just hit my 75th birthday, I'm feeling great!”

“The president's personal staff has a unique role.”

“I'm absolutely sure that there are weapons of mass destruction there and the evidence will be forthcoming. We're just getting it just now.”

“My own experience is that you get as much information as you can and then you pay attention to your intuition, to your informed instinct.”

“Let me just be candid: My party is full of racists. And the real reason a considerable portion of my party wants President Obama out of the White House has nothing to do with the content of his character, nothing to do with his competence as commander-in-chief and president, and everything to do with the color of his skin. And that's despicable.”

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

“Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude”

“No war on the face of the Earth is more destructive than the AIDS pandemic.”

“I have always held the view that decisive force should be used in addressing a military conflict. The reason is simple: Why wouldn't you, if you could?”

“The Court is perhaps one of the last citadels of jealously preserved individualism. For the most part, we function as nine, small independent law firms.”

“I regret that the presentation I made at the UN turned out to be wrong. It was wrong on the stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, but pretty much right on intentions and capabilities.”