Colin Powell quotes

Colin Powell, a distinguished American statesman, served as the 65th U.S. Secretary of State. Born in Harlem, New York City, in 1937, Powell rose through the ranks in the U.S. Army, becoming the first African American to hold the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His distinguished military career included combat service in the Vietnam War and key leadership roles. Powell's expertise in diplomacy and international affairs led to his appointment as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush. A respected figure globally, Powell played a vital role in shaping U.S. foreign policy and promoting democracy worldwide. Today, he is recognized for his integrity, leadership, and inspirational journey, making him a significant figure in American history.

No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.

- Colin Powell

I was born in Harlem, raised in the South Bronx, went to public school, got out of public college, went into the Army, and then I just stuck with it.

- Colin Powell

It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.

- Colin Powell

Don't bother people for help without first trying to solve the problem yourself.

- Colin Powell

The purposes of the United States should not be doubted. The Security Council resolutions will be enforced - the just demands of peace and security will be met - or action will be unavoidable. And a regime that has lost its legitimacy will also lose its power.

- Colin Powell

Don't let your ego get too close to your position, so that if your position gets shot down, your ego doesn't go with it.

- Colin Powell

It's a disgrace that we have millions of people who are uninsured, but at the same time too - in the eyes of the American people, in my judgment, it looked as if that somehow become more important than the main attack which was to fix the economy and get the Americans working again.

- Colin Powell

I consider myself a moderate Republican. I have very, very moderate social views, and I'm pretty strong on, on defense matters.

- Colin Powell

We all hoped in 2001 that we could put in place an Afghan government under President Karzai that would be able to control the country, make sure al-Qaeda didn't come back, and make sure the Taliban wasn't resurging. It didn't work out.

- Colin Powell

Experts often possess more data than judgment.

- Colin Powell

You don't know what you can get away with until you try.

- Colin Powell

I don't think we handled the aftermath of the fall of Baghdad as well as we might have. But that's now history.

- Colin Powell

Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.

- Colin Powell

Too often we act - ask our schools to be truant officers, our teachers to be truant officers, because we're giving them children who have, you know, they're not ready to learn. And if they're not ready to learn by the third grade, they know they're behind.

- Colin Powell

The only bipartisanship you ever see is when they finally sign a bill and everybody says, 'Gee, isn't that wonderful?'

- Colin Powell

Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.

- Colin Powell

If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.

- Colin Powell

Have fun in your command. Don't always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you've earned it, spend time with your families.

- Colin Powell

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.

- Colin Powell

It's nice to say let's be bipartisan. But we're a partisan nation. We were raised as a partisan nation.

- Colin Powell

Politics is not bean bags. It's serious, tough stuff.

- Colin Powell

Organization charts and fancy titles count for next to nothing.

- Colin Powell

I don't want to spend the rest of my life giving speeches.

- Colin Powell

Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team's mission.

- Colin Powell

Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.

- Colin Powell

Many interviewers when they come to talk to me, think they're being progressive by not mentioning in their stories any longer that I'm black. I tell them, 'Don't stop now. If I shot somebody you'd mention it.'

- Colin Powell

Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard.

- Colin Powell

Giving back involves a certain amount of giving up.

- Colin Powell

Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.

- Colin Powell

The chief condition on which, life, health and vigor depend on, is action. It is by action that an organism develops its faculties, increases its energy, and attains the fulfillment of its destiny.

- Colin Powell