"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."

Work

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Insight & Reflection

Words carry weight, and Colin Powell's insight into work is no exception. It serves as a gentle reminder that amidst the chaos of modern life, timeless wisdom still holds the power to guide our decisions and clarify our values.

About Colin Powell

Colin Luther Powell was an American U.S. Army general, diplomat, and statesman who served as the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005, being the first Black American to hold the office, and was the highest-ranking Black American in the federal executive branch in American history until the election of Barack Obama as president in 2008. Initially politically independent, Powell joined the Republican Party in 1995, but left it in 2021 following the January 6 United States Capitol attack. He was the 15th national security advisor from 1987 to 1989, and the 12th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993.

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Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the ShortQuote Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by Colin Powell

"Wouldn't it be great if we could look forward to a whole world in which no child will be left behind?"

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

— Colin Powell
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"We got rid of a terrible dictator. We gave the Iraqi people an opportunity for a new life under a representative form of government."

— Colin Powell
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More about Work

"My view is pensioners don't have the one option that people of working age have. They can't really increase their income, because they are no longer able to work."

— Iain Duncan Smith
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"When I was young, I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures. So I did ten times more work."

— George Bernard Shaw
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"The way to be successful in the software world is to come up with breakthrough software, and so whether it's Microsoft Office or Windows, its pushing that forward. New ideas, surprising the marketplace, so good engineering and good business are one in the same."

— Bill Gates
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"No dancer can watch Fred Astaire and not know that we all should have been in another business."

— Mikhail Baryshnikov
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