Robert Gallucci Quotes
It would not be wise for us to say we know what we don't know.
Robert Gallucci, U. S. State Department, Testimony, House of Representatives, June 30, 1993
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
This proverb was one that was selected by Leo Tolstoy in his 1908 Calendar of Wisdom. It is one of the most rare statements that politicians ever utter.
It is amazing that so few politicians and political appointees when asked questions by constituents, subordinates, or the press can bring themselves to say “I don’t know” when they are ignorant about the issue or have not yet made up their minds. It is as if ignorance was a weakness. When the politicians have to face so many complex issues, the reality is that they do not know about most of them, yet they are loathe to admit ignorance in particular situations.
Robert L. Gallucci is an American academic and diplomat, who formerly worked as president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. He previously served as dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, from 1996 to June 2009. Prior to his appointment in 1996, for over two decades he had served in various governmental and international agencies, including the Department of State and the United Nations.
