I don't think any president that I worked with has ever said 'pretty please.'

I have instincts.

One of my favorite little sayings is, 'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.'

If Iraq and Afghanistan have taught us anything in recent history, it is the unpredictability of war and that these things are easier to get into than to get out of, and, frankly, the facile way in which too many people talk about, 'Well, let's just go attack them.'

I remember sitting at the witness table listening to this litany of woe and thinking, What the hell am I doing here? I have walked right into the middle of a category-five shitstorm.

When it comes to predicting future conflicts, what kind of fights they will be, and what will be needed, we need a lot more humility.

I’m a big advocate of drones.

Your countrymen owe you their freedom and their security. They sleep safely at night and pursue their dreams during the day because you stand the watch and protect them... You are the best America has to offer. My admiration and affection for yo is with limit, and I will think about you and your families and pray for you every day for the rest of my life. God Bless you.

I had learned at Defense, a firm deadline was necessary to move the bureaucracy.

I always thought Obama was “presidential.” He treated the office of the presidency with respect. I rarely saw him in the Oval Office with a coat and tie, and he always conducted himself with dignity. He was a man of personal integrity, and in his personal behavior – at least to the extent I could observe it – he was an excellent role model... I thought Obama was first-rate in both intellect and temperament.” Page 300.