Robert Zoellick Quotes

As a civil servant in charge of the government's Strategy Unit, I brought in many people from outside government, including academia and science, to work in the unit, dissecting and solving complex problems from GM crops to alcohol, nuclear proliferation to schools reform.

What I learned is that policymakers have to force consideration of actions that may not have occurred to them at the time.

I'm kind of the crisis communications person at 'SNL.' If there are fires to put out, they try and find me.

The worlds I paint leave a lot to engage the imagination by hinting at what lies beyond the four edges of the painting. I think getting beyond the four edges of an opportunity or challenge is one of the basic skills you need in business.

Because if you're prepared and you know what it takes, it's not a risk. You just have to figure out how to get there. There is always a way to get there.

The great decision was the Explorer program. The thing we did not do well is that we allowed and somewhat encouraged too much exposure to the program.

Think as you work, for in the final analysis, your worth to your company comes not only in solving problems, but also in anticipating them.

We must use time creatively.

I'm kind of a builder of institutions. I think I've got some ability to look at what's out here, look at a playing field, and identify gaps and niches.

When you raise issues with the President, try to come away with both that decision and also a precedent. Pose issues so as to evoke broader policy guidance. This can help to answer a range of similar issues likely to arise later.

My view is different. Public relations are a key component of any operation in this day of instant communications and rightly inquisitive citizens.

When you're talking about capital and financial things, which I certainly pay a lot of attention to, I base those decisions on one question that I typically ask myself, which is 'Does it help us to build a better company?'

In order to have your short term policies accepted, you have to have your long term policies understood.

One of the challenges of a good policy is trying to figure out what your priorities are.

Being mayor takes a certain amount of creativity.

It is axiomatic in politics that the earlier one addresses a problem, the more the alternatives and the easier the solutions.

It is not enough that a President should be patriotic and high-minded in his intentions and wise in his purposes; he must also be efficient in carrying them out.

When the President is a moralist, he needs a process that will make up for the natural shortcomings of such a style—an inattention to second-step thinking, an allergy to detail, a tendency not to see the point of having dissenters, a habit of allowing certainty to override considerations of risk. It is the National Security Advisor’s responsibility to fill a President’s strategic gaps, not to exacerbate them.

Business can never be carried on without optimism, and the New World is essentially optimistic. But at the same time optimism does not absolve us from weighing carefully all possible difficulties.

Governing is about making tough decisions, but it's also about figuring out a better way to do things.

Father was bold, and Mother was cautious. They never shouted at each other but argued constantly about strategy, and they taught me very early that before taking big risks, one must carefully figure the odds.

I don't think policy makers surprise unnecessarily. You don't pick surprise as a part of your policy. Markets value a certain amount of predictability. But there are certain areas where surprise is a tool.

Look several months ahead, see where the obstacles lie, and figure out ways to overcome them.

There's a lot of work you have to do before you ever fire the starting gun on a health reform bill - doing the scut work with members of Congress, talking to your allies - to figure out the best plan.

When you got competition, it makes people think outside the box.