Cost Quote by Dick Cheney
“One of the problems we have as a government is our inability to keep secrets. And it costs us, in terms of our relationship with other governments, in terms of the willingness of other intelligence services to work with us, in terms of revealing sources and methods. And all of those elements enter into some of these leaks.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Press conference, 2005, United States Department of State
Government secrecy failures erode trust and cooperation with allies, leading to leaks and compromised intelligence operations.
In simple terms: Keeping secrets is essential for diplomatic trust.
Key Takeaway
Protect classified information diligently.
Themes
trust
secrecy
government
intelligence
leaks
Mood
cautious
serious
Type
political
advisory
When to use this quote
- Foreign negotiations
- intelligence sharing
- policy formulation
- crisis response
Key Concepts
National security
diplomacy
information management
Questions to Reflect On
- How can governments improve secrecy without sacrificing accountability?
- What safeguards prevent leaks while maintaining openness?
A Different Perspective
Balancing transparency with secrecy is challenging in democratic societies.
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