Strategic Initiative Quotes

I am interested in the Panama Canal because I started it. If I had followed traditional, conservative methods I would have presented a dignified state paper to Congress and the debates on it would have been going on yet; but I took the Canal Zone and let Congress debate; and while the debate goes on the Canal does also.

The final outcome of a war is often determined by the degree of initiative shown on each side.

Passivity is fatal to us. Our goal is to make the enemy passive.

You cannot win a battle in any arena merely by defending yourself.

The 'One Belt, One Road' initiative has been dismissed by some as not working. But America could be becoming weaker by ignoring what is going on right under our noses.

A startup is the largest endeavor over which you can have definite mastery. You can have agency not just over your own life, but over a small and important part of the world. It begins by rejecting the unjust tyranny of Chance. You are not a lottery ticket.

Wait," said Butler. "Just wait, Holly. Artemis has a plan." He squinted through the green dome. "What is your plan, Artemis?" All Artemis could do was smile and shrug.

One thing I always think about in making a market, and it again is something I have learned from Sam [Palmisano] as well, he always says, "Be first and be lonely."

A powerful new idea can kick around unused in a company for years, not because its merits are not recognized, but because nobody has assumed the responsibility for converting it from words into action.

We've got to be outstanding when we start and let other people chase against us.

He who shoots first laughs last.

Don't delay acting on a good idea. Chances are someone else has just thought of it, too. Success comes to the one who acts first.

The quicker humanity advances, the more important it is to be the one who deals the first blow.

You simply cannot ever refuse to be on the attack in a campaign.

You want to be on the offense and make the defense react. I feel like that.

I will take the lead in turning risks into opportunities.

If you don't drive your business, you will be driven out of business.

Present asymmetrical advantages to the enemy before he presents asymmetrical advantages to you.

The time has come when we must proceed with the business of carrying the war to the enemy, not permitting the greater portion of our armed forces and our valuable material to be immobilized within the continental United States.

There are advantages to being the chairman. One of my favorite perks was picking out an issue and doing what I called a "deep dive." It's spotting a challenge where you think you can make a difference - one that looks like it would be fun - and then throwing the weight of your position behind it. Some might justifiably call it "meddling." I've often done this just about everywhere in the company.

In software systems it is often the early bird that makes the worm.

America needs to step up and lead for once.