--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think we ought to have a new rule: You…" description: "\"I think we ought to have a new rule: You can ask two questions, and then we can pick the one we want to answer.\" — Donald Rumsfeld" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/donald-rumsfeld-1507_answer_i-think-we-ought-to-have-a-new-rule-you_801506.png" --- # I think we ought to have a new rule: You can ask two… ![“I think we ought to have a new rule: You can ask two questions, and then we can pick the one we want to answer.” quote by Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/donald-rumsfeld-1507_answer_i-think-we-ought-to-have-a-new-rule-you_801506.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/donald-rumsfeld-1507_answer_i-think-we-ought-to-have-a-new-rule-you_801506.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/639/donald-rumsfeld-1507_answer_i-think-we-ought-to-have-a-new-rule-you_801506.png) > “I think we ought to have a new rule: You can ask two questions, and then we can pick the one we want to answer.” [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A decision rule allowing two questions before selecting one to answer encourages focused inquiry and efficient problem solving. **In simple terms:** Ask two questions, then choose one to answer. Key Takeaway Use limited questions to clarify priorities. Themes decision making efficiency clarity strategy Mood analytical pragmatic strategic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - board meetings - policy debates - team brainstorming Key Concepts question framing prioritization problem solving Questions to Reflect On - Which question reveals the core issue? - How to ensure the chosen question is most relevant? A Different Perspective Limiting to two questions may oversimplify complex issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer/) [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [New Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-rule-604196/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Pick Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pick-want-881479/) [Picks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picks/) [Questions Pick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions-pick-2998108/) [Rule Ask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-ask-3321492/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-answer-267731/) ## Related quotes > [One of the great things about having good players in your band is that you just ask them questions. 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They're some kind of gay onion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-tulips-aren-t-flowers-they-re-some-kind-of-gay-onion/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) ## More by Donald Rumsfeld > [Five days or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/five-days-or-five-months-but-it-certainly-isn-t-going-to-last-longer/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-don-t-believe-anyone-that-i-know-in-the-administration-ever-said/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [I don't think we'll discover anything, myself. 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It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/enjoy-your-time-in-public-service-it-may-well-be-one-of-the-most/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [There will be good moments, and there will be less good moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/there-will-be-good-moments-and-there-will-be-less-good-moments/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [From where you sit, the White House may look as untidy as the inside of a stomach. As is said of the legislative process,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/from-where-you-sit-the-white-house-may-look-as-untidy-as-the-inside/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [You will launch many projects, but have time to finish only a few. 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Because I’d rather live with the answer than die with the question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ellis/and-if-you-can-t-say-yes-answer-anyway-because-i-d-rather-live-with/) [Jon Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ellis/) > [“There is a cure and answer to everything, we just haven't found them yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-halimi/there-is-a-cure-and-answer-to-everything-we-just-haven-t-found-them/) [Eve Halimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-halimi/) > [Whenever I'm asked about Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, I always answer: 'Neymar is the best,' not just because of his goals but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-carlos/whenever-i-m-asked-about-cristiano-ronaldo-or-lionel-messi-i-always/) [Roberto Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-carlos/) > [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/) [Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/) > [“Those are good questions. I recognize good questions, because I can come up with them myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-brust/those-are-good-questions-i-recognize-good-questions-because-i-can/) [Steven Brust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-brust/) > [My answer is bring 'em on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/my-answer-is-bring-em-on/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I'll answer anything... I'm brutally honest, actually, which gets me in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-ll-answer-anything-i-m-brutally-honest-actually-which-gets-me-in/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [“...I guess I can put two and two together." 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