Most of the 50 or so invitations you receive each week come from people inviting the President's Chief of Staff, not you. If you doubt that, ask your predecessor how many he received last week.

Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers - they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.

The Secretary of Defense is not a super General or Admiral. His task is to exercise civilian control over the Department for the Commander-in-Chief and the country.

Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.

We know where they are. They are in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad.

We know where they are [Iraq's weapons of mass destruction]. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.

We do know of certain knowledge that he [Osama Bin Laden] is either in Afghanistan, or in some other country, or dead.

Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.

If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.

Look for what's missing. Many advisors can tell a President how to improve what's proposed or what's gone amiss. Few are able to see what isn't there.

Maybe the hardest thing in writing is simply to tell the truth about things as we see them.

I've never wanted to be loved. And God Knows no one's done it yet.

Pressure is a privilege ... it's what you do with it that matters.

Nothing of character is really permanent but virtue and personal worth.

The only difference from one $100 million budget film to another is which of the 12 box stars are getting $20 million to be in it.

I think there is certainly luck and fate involved in any career of any kind. In show business, maybe it's even more true.

Successful people willingly do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do.

I like to get a vibe first, then a melody and really beat up the melody for a while, then try and find a lyric that really suits him/her.

Whenever my body heals and the pain and all the swelling goes away is when I'll be ready.

When I'm driving the highway by myself is when I write best.