Chris Van Hollen Quotes

Failing organizations are usually over-managed and under-led.

I have probably purchased fifty 'hot tips' in my career, maybe even more. When I put them all together, I know I am a net loser.

We cannot make good news out of bad practice.

If our most highly qualified General Staff officers had been told to work out the most nonsensical high level organization for war which they could think of, they could not have produced anything more stupid that that which we have at present.

An institute run with such knavish imbecility that if it were not the work of God it would not last a fortnight.

The Boomers have modeled a set of bad habits, and one grand gesture is not going to unwind all those bad habits.

I have to think that I think it's always been a horse race between this administration's temporary political acumen and their completely, utterly, totally bankrupt policies. And they're coming home to roost. It was always a question of time. These guys aren't conservative. These guys are radicals.

Cardinals are never off-base. They are often ill-advised.

I think you're a product of your influences, your environment. You see guys with so much talent, but they got the wrong people around them telling them the wrong things. They wind up going down the wrong path.

Innovation is a big risk. It can also be a big reward - but a big punishment if you fail.

Gox is the worst-run business in the history of the world.

In 'Condition Zero,' failure has greater consequences and success offers greater rewards.

Because if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again, that we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States, and that we'll fall back into the pre-9/11 mind set if you will, that in fact these terrorist attacks are just criminal acts, and that we're not really at war. I think that would be a terrible mistake for us.

Confidence without clarity is always a disaster.

Their [the U.S.’s] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as ‘their home — their fortress.’ And good for them, I say. Well done!

I considered the prevention of war as the test of our security policy; in addition to being able to rapidly and forcefully end any war forced upon us.

If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success?

One of the principal qualities that you need as national security adviser is trust, the trust of the president. And that depends on truth and it depends on honesty.

Marco Rubio calling [Donald] Trump's ban all Muslims proposal, quote, "offensive and outlandish," it's the same Rubio who was one upping Trump's promise to shut down mosques. Mr. Rubio was saying he would shut down not just mosques but any place where Muslims might be radicalized - cafes, diners, any place.

Everything that the administration has done has been counterproductive.

To beat terrorism, there's only one candidate who can do it and it's Hillary Clinton.

I think the company's [HP's] success will be my legacy. The company's failure will be my failure, with all the predictable consequences of that.

National security is vital for economic and social progress.

If they listen to the military people, we probably wouldn't be having an ISIS right now.

Speaking of failure, when we do our question and answer period, you look at what's happened with our Navy in terms of the number of ships and our armed forces generally, how they're so depleted, how they're at almost record-setting lows and in some cases absolute record-setting lows. It is very, very unfortunate and very, very dangerous for our country.