Colin Powell quote: "The day the soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership."

Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
COLIN POWELL

My own experience is use the tools that are out there. Use the digital world. But never lose sight o...
COLIN POWELL

I was born in Harlem, raised in the South Bronx, went to public school, got out of public college, w...
COLIN POWELL

I want everybody to be scared to death of us. I don't say that in a bellicose way. I say that in a w...
COLIN POWELL

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

We need to understand that we as citizens and as a government in any community throughout this count...
COLIN POWELL

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

Don't let your ego get too close to your position, so that if your position gets shot down, your...
COLIN POWELL

It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
COLIN POWELL

Don't bother people for help without first trying to solve the problem yourself.
COLIN POWELL

Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard...
COLIN POWELL

Either move or be moved.
COLIN POWELL

Policies that emanate from ivory towers often have an adverse impact on the people out in the field ...
COLIN POWELL

90% of my time is spent on 10% of the world.
COLIN POWELL

Get mad, then get over it.
COLIN POWELL

Experts often possess more data than judgment.
COLIN POWELL

But you have to understand, American democracy is not like the system you have. We're not an ocean l...
COLIN POWELL

Free speech is intended to protect the controversial and even outrageous word; and not just comforti...
COLIN POWELL

Every success is built on the ability to do better than good enough
COLIN POWELL

Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
COLIN POWELL

Organization doesn't really accomplish anything. Plans don't accomplish anything, either. Theories o...
COLIN POWELL

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failu...
COLIN POWELL

Giving back involves a certain amount of giving up.
COLIN POWELL

We all hoped in 2001 that we could put in place an Afghan government under President Karzai that wou...
COLIN POWELL

Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approac...
COLIN POWELL

Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.
COLIN POWELL

A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.
COLIN POWELL

Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you hav...
COLIN POWELL

The only bipartisanship you ever see is when they finally sign a bill and everybody says, 'Gee, ...
COLIN POWELL

It's nice to say let's be bipartisan. But we're a partisan nation. We were raised as a p...
COLIN POWELL

I think whether you're having setbacks or not, the role of a leader is to always display a winni...
COLIN POWELL

When you decide to get involved in a military operation in a place like Syria, you've got to be ...
COLIN POWELL

But just as they did in Philadelphia when they were writing the constitution, sooner or later, you&#...
COLIN POWELL

In other words, don't expect to always be great. Disappointments, failures and setbacks are a no...
COLIN POWELL

If a leader doesn't convey passion and intensity then there will be no passion and intensity wit...
COLIN POWELL

There are lots of countries that are having these kinds of internal civil wars in other parts of the...
COLIN POWELL

Some of the generals are saying, 'We're making progress. We are clearing an area.' But y...
COLIN POWELL

You can't just have slogans, you can't just have catchy phrases. You have to have an agenda....
COLIN POWELL

Organization charts and fancy titles count for next to nothing.
COLIN POWELL

Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it...
COLIN POWELL

The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting above average effort.
COLIN POWELL

The chief condition on which, life, health and vigor depend on, is action. It is by action that an o...
COLIN POWELL

Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, t...
COLIN POWELL

You should see what our Founding Fathers used to say to each other and in the early part of our nati...
COLIN POWELL

I always like to take my time and examine the two candidates, see not only the two candidates but th...
COLIN POWELL

I don't think we handled the aftermath of the fall of Baghdad as well as we might have. But that...
COLIN POWELL

Politics is not bean bags. It's serious, tough stuff.
COLIN POWELL

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

Bad news isn't wine. It doesn't improve with age.
COLIN POWELL

I respect the fact that many denominations have different points of view with respect to gay marriag...
COLIN POWELL

It isn't enough just to scream at the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations. We need our political s...
COLIN POWELL

Foe means enemy. Now, will we have differences of opinion with the Russians? Yes. Will they get mad ...
COLIN POWELL

We got rid of a terrible dictator. We gave the Iraqi people an opportunity for a new life under a re...
COLIN POWELL

The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They hav...
COLIN POWELL

If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excel...
COLIN POWELL

Many interviewers when they come to talk to me, think they're being progressive by not mentioning in...
COLIN POWELL

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

They find all kinds of excuses, a thousand excuses -- 'There are spies on this team. We don't want t...
COLIN POWELL

you can't find actual germs on them.
COLIN POWELL

We must not walk away, ... We must not find ourselves here this coming November with the pressure re...
COLIN POWELL

Last month President Bush announced a pledge of $200 million to jump-start the global fund -- a bold...
COLIN POWELL

They were anticipating a different kind of immediate aftermath of the fall of Baghdad, it turned out...
COLIN POWELL

When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I'll l...
COLIN POWELL

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

I think the Iranians are clearly determined to have a nuclear program. And we have to assume that wi...
COLIN POWELL

does not seek dominion.
COLIN POWELL

Where human rights and freedoms flourish, terrorists and tyrants do not thrive and conflict and chao...
COLIN POWELL

advance America's foreign policy interests overseas - the backbone of our foreign affairs.
COLIN POWELL

We'll certainly know tomorrow when NATO meets, but every indication I have now is that NATO is comin...
COLIN POWELL

Everybody knows what [Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein should be doing, and if he isn't doing it and ...
COLIN POWELL

I don't know that there is much the United States can do except work with the international comm...
COLIN POWELL

It's always sad when you see a fellow citizen who is alleged to have committed these crimes out in f...
COLIN POWELL

We have had a mixed relationship with Syria over the years,
COLIN POWELL

We also made it clear that if they begin reprocessing (nuclear material), it changes the entire poli...
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received reports that he may be in contact with various individuals.
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most candid and direct conversations about what we do that annoys the other.
COLIN POWELL

The trucks and train cars are easily moved and are designed to evade detection by inspectors, ... In...
COLIN POWELL

[Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday he had read a summary of the New Yorker article and str...
COLIN POWELL

We also had a good discussion on the role of the secretary-general and his representative in the pol...
COLIN POWELL

I made the case to Gen. Franks and Secretary Rumsfeld before the president that I was not sure we ha...
COLIN POWELL

How many other slips are there out there? It's not a slip, ... They knew they were there. Somebody k...
COLIN POWELL

Though I continued to say it was an urgent problem, I don't think it was ever treated that way,
COLIN POWELL

We will stand strong with our allies against those nations that pursue weapons of mass destruction,
COLIN POWELL

Germany is one of our closest friends. And differences and difficulties will arise in any relationsh...
COLIN POWELL

[The pictures] stunned every American, ... They showed acts that are despicable. The president has s...
COLIN POWELL

I don't think it's racism, I think it's economic. But poverty disproportionately affects African-Ame...
COLIN POWELL

I think we have do everything we can to show that we are functioning, that we can get through this p...
COLIN POWELL

It's a tragic situation, ... The president is committed to doing everything he can to see that we ca...
COLIN POWELL

In my conversations this afternoon with Arafat we discussed this in considerable detail, ... And he ...
COLIN POWELL

Don't be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment. Elites can ...
COLIN POWELL

The diplomatic track is alive and well, and I expect to see some developments along that track in th...
COLIN POWELL

They're sanctioned up to the eyeballs and they don't have that much aid now, ... But I think we have...
COLIN POWELL

Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach be...
COLIN POWELL

They will not succeed, for we stand united in the global war against terrorism -- war that compels t...
COLIN POWELL

Today I can declare my hope and declare it from the bottom of my heart that we will eventually see t...
COLIN POWELL

The purposes of the United States should not be doubted. The Security Council resolutions will be en...
COLIN POWELL

Have fun in your command. Don't always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you've earned it: Sp...
COLIN POWELL

Keep looking below surface appearances. Don't shrink from doing so just because you might not like w...
COLIN POWELL

Have a vision. Be demanding.
COLIN POWELL

I don't know where it's going to lead, ... But I think a new element of fragility and vulnerability ...
COLIN POWELL

The suggestion he was kidnapped is wrong, and absurd,
COLIN POWELL

Look for intelligence and judgment and, most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around cor...
COLIN POWELL

won't be standing by idly. We'll be watching, we'll be following it all, we'll be engaging... And we...
COLIN POWELL

But he did enter airspace without permission and landed without permission, and for that we are very...
COLIN POWELL

A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.
COLIN POWELL

We have gone forth from our shores repeatedly over the last hundred years and we've done this as rec...
COLIN POWELL

market dynamism has replaced dogmatism.
COLIN POWELL

A strategic partner China is not, ... But neither is China our inevitable and implacable foe.
COLIN POWELL

See, we answered your question here, but we're not answering all these other questions that, perhaps...
COLIN POWELL

If it ain't broke, don't fix it' is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It's a...
COLIN POWELL

The Chinese have said they're (the crew) being protected, I don't know from what,
COLIN POWELL

President Reagan fueled the spirit of America. His smile, his optimism, his total belief in the ulti...
COLIN POWELL

I was taught to think about mission and people. Mission. What are you trying to accomplish? Don't do...
COLIN POWELL

because of the human dimensions of this catastrophe.
COLIN POWELL

We talked about sanctions, and we talked about how one gets through the process of eventually liftin...
COLIN POWELL

This is very regrettable
COLIN POWELL

It is a problem that must be dealt with,
COLIN POWELL

We haven't yet publicly identified the organization we believe was responsible, but when you look at...
COLIN POWELL

You made reference to the president ...
COLIN POWELL

has made repeated covert attempts to acquire high-specification aluminum tubes from 11 different cou...
COLIN POWELL

That's what happened, notwithstanding any cell phone reports to the contrary,
COLIN POWELL

We are still supporting access to WTO, but I can say that if we have to go for a vote on normal trad...
COLIN POWELL

If somebody tried to move the team in now, we would find ways to thwart that.
COLIN POWELL

a serious impediment to the conduct of America's foreign policy.
COLIN POWELL

One thing you should not be doing is passing any resolutions that could inflame the situation.
COLIN POWELL

[He said he had] extensive discussions ... strong views, and I have conveyed them to the North Korea...
COLIN POWELL

The United States presents a value system to the world that is based on democracy, based on economic...
COLIN POWELL

very sober, chilling message.
COLIN POWELL

We don't intend to attack North Korea, we don't have any hostile intent notwithstanding their claims...
COLIN POWELL

[While] we are all anxious to see restraint ... We understand it's important to get the terror down ...
COLIN POWELL

We have a humanitarian catastrophe and a security crisis, ... It was a moving experience.
COLIN POWELL

but the one thing I can assure you of is that it will be held in trust for the Iraqi people, to bene...
COLIN POWELL

We have a way out of this crisis. It's called the Mitchell plan,
COLIN POWELL

I will always treasure the four years that I have spent with President Bush and with the wonderful m...
COLIN POWELL

I think the president has made his position clear: He wants the incursion stopped. He has noted some...
COLIN POWELL

is very anxious to meet with me so we can talk about next steps, how we move forward from this curre...
COLIN POWELL

We don't want to see weapons in the Korean Peninsula.
COLIN POWELL

My folks have come up with models that span 80 years, ... We will explore ideas with our friends in ...
COLIN POWELL

But I think we have to be very careful in this instance because if in the exercise of that right of ...
COLIN POWELL

only a struggle to defend values ... which we share with the West and the vast majority of Arabs.
COLIN POWELL

Our commitment is firm, is unmistakable. We want to see a Palestinian state created, ... We've got t...
COLIN POWELL

The intent of the Iraqi regime to keep from turning over all of its weapons of mass destruction, see...
COLIN POWELL

(Bin Laden) speaks to the people of Iraq and talks about their struggle and how he is in partnership...
COLIN POWELL

to act fully as secretary of state until the day that I do leave. I expect that will be a number of ...
COLIN POWELL

is to comply...with the agreements that were made at the end of the Gulf War.
COLIN POWELL

If the international community does not take immediate action, countless deaths and terrible tragedy...
COLIN POWELL

With the assumption of that greater burden, the burden on our troops should go down, and we should s...
COLIN POWELL

We are in constant discussion with our German friends about these nations that are pursuing these ki...
COLIN POWELL

Don't let your ego get too close to your position, so that if your position gets shot down, your ego...
COLIN POWELL

Command is lonely.
COLIN POWELL

This is the era in our hemisphere of democracy, not dictators. Constitutions, not coups.
COLIN POWELL

Iraq was a unique case,
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if your life is not better.
COLIN POWELL

We must keep moving forward.
COLIN POWELL

Every one of these bombings sets us back, ... terror cannot be allowed to prevail, to win.
COLIN POWELL

War is war and there will be casualties,
COLIN POWELL

(Hussein) means us no good. He means the region no good, ... We always consider him to be a potentia...
COLIN POWELL

There is a disenchantment with the institutions of elected government. In too many countries, people...
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there are no arms deal with Iran so far.
COLIN POWELL

Bad news isn't wine. It doesn't improve with age.
COLIN POWELL

The Kashmir issue is essential to the relationship and can be resolved if all parties engage with a ...
COLIN POWELL

The U.S. is taking action to meet environmental challenges, including global climate change, ... Sha...
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wonderful opportunities and daunting challenges.
COLIN POWELL

When we get reports back from Mr. Tenet and from Ambassador Burns and when we consult with a lot of ...
COLIN POWELL

Always focus on the front windshield and not the review mirror.
COLIN POWELL

No one has any evidence to the contrary, ... should not jump to such hasty conclusions.
COLIN POWELL

We knew there would be days when our anxieties would well up and we would be afraid to take the next...
COLIN POWELL

It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
COLIN POWELL

Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision
COLIN POWELL

First, we're going to cut it off, then we're going to kill it
COLIN POWELL

I try to be the same person I was yesterday.
COLIN POWELL

Think hard about it: I'm running out of demons. I'm running out of villains. I'm down to Castro and ...
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All the options you can imagine are before us.
COLIN POWELL

No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.
COLIN POWELL

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

If you get the dirty end of the stick, sharpen it and turn it into a useful tool
COLIN POWELL

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

We have had serious disagreement in recent months, ... I am not going to paper over it and pretend i...
COLIN POWELL

Remain calm. Be kind.
COLIN POWELL

If he feels it is that important an assertion to make, he ought to list some names,
COLIN POWELL

I am pleased to hear that decrees have now been issued that should have been issued years and years ...
COLIN POWELL

Don't bother people for help without first trying to solve the problem yourself.
COLIN POWELL

What you're seeing with Occupy Wall Street and the others are people who are unhappy and they...
COLIN POWELL

The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve.
Any time you tolerate...
COLIN POWELL

The plan that is out there -- A, B and C -- is the Mitchell report, ... It calls for a cessation of ...
COLIN POWELL

You are going to be the proud owner of 25 million people. You will own all their hopes, aspirations ...
COLIN POWELL

We will be with you in this current crisis and in the future,
COLIN POWELL

We want that. But we can't do it in a hurried manner before the Iraqis are prepared to discharge tho...
COLIN POWELL

Now, if the sources fell apart, then we need to find out how we've gotten ourselves in that position...
COLIN POWELL

We know that there are occasions that arise when terrorists are coming in, and we know a bomb is hea...
COLIN POWELL

there was reason for guarded optimism. And let us be clear about what brought it all to a halt -- te...
COLIN POWELL

There are no secrets to success: don’t waste time looking for them. Success is the result of perfe...
COLIN POWELL

I for one am not going to apologize that somehow we took Saddam Hussein out and we're putting in a d...
COLIN POWELL

It was the Congress that imposed 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' it was certainly my positi...
COLIN POWELL

seeing some convergence of views.
COLIN POWELL

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

The United States is not stingy. We are the greatest contributor to international relief efforts in ...
COLIN POWELL

the level of a mammoth new campaign.
COLIN POWELL

We wanted it to be a special program of the State Department. Randy worked for me.
COLIN POWELL

Have fun in your command. Don't always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you've earne...
COLIN POWELL

The day the soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.

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Colin Powell

The day the soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.

Colin Powell

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