H. R. McMaster Quotes

Well, you know, any defense force worth its salt has to be able to deal with uncertainty, has to be able to deal with events that we may not have planned for.

One cannot plan for the unexpected.

The future is going to require really smart people. What we think are crises today probably will be no big deal, and we have no idea what will really be crises in the future.

If there's one thing that's certain in business, it's uncertainty.

It doesn't always happen according to the way you have planned things out but I feel if you have covered most of the aspects, it does help out there in the middle.

I never had a plan. I have to say, I'm very shocked when people start a company and say, 'In five years I want to launch a perfume, or in 10 years I want to have this.' How can you know?

Expect the best, Prepare for the worst.

Security... it's simply the recognition that changes will take place and the knowledge that you're willing to deal with whatever happens.

We can't continue to always base our strategy on the fact that the other guy is going to mess up all the time.

Strategy is, at some level, the ability to predict what's going to happen, but it's also about understanding the context in which it is being formulated. And then you have to be open-minded to the fact that you're not going to get it right at the very beginning.

I learned one of the very important lessons in life in the 9/11 attacks. It's good to have a plan for your future; it's even better to write your plan in pencil.

I do believe it is important to be future-ready with a portfolio to be able to deal with however the market evolves. This is better than just forecasting accurately but in having the weapons ready to deal with the uncertainties.

I have found in my experience of war, that plans are useless, but planning is invaluable.

To truly prepare for the unexpected, you've got to position yourself to keep a couple of options open so when the door of opportunity opens, you're close enough to squeeze through.

When you don't know what to expect, prepare for the unexpected.

But I don't bet the farm on any of those possibilities, either. I'm also preparing, intelligently, to walk away from this, and walk away from it happy to have had the experience.

We certainly will prepare consciously and professionally, but still you cannot predict the future.

Nine-tenths of tactics are certain, and taught in books: but the irrational tenth is like the kingfisher flashing across the pool, and that is the test of generals.

You can never plan the future by the past.

One should expect that the expected can be prevented, but the unexpected should have been expected.

We know not of the future and cannot plan for it much.

You don't save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow it may rain.

Always have a backup plan.

My expectations are not in any future event. I would rather just be prepared for whatever might take place.

We cannot assume that past successes will insure future successes.