At the end of the Cold War, the prevailing view in Washington was that the U.S. was strong, and Russia was weak and did not count in a unipolar world. We disregarded Russia's opposition to NATO expansion, the Iraq War, and the U.S.-led military intervention in Serbia for the independence of Kosovo.

Bill Bradley

Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it. No destructive lies. No ridiculous fears. No debilitating anger.

Bill Bradley

forgiveness motivational friendship

When you're not practicing, someone somewhere is. And when the two of you meet, assuming roughly equal ability, the other person will win.

Bill Bradley

hard-work inspirational sports

Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.

Bill Bradley

perseverance encouragement positive

Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better.

Bill Bradley

vision leadership people

The point of the game is not how well the individual does, but whether the team wins. That's the beautiful heart of the game, the blending of personalities, the mutual sacrifices for the group success.

Bill Bradley

teamwork softball beautiful

A lot of people want to change the world, but only a few people want to change themselves. When it comes to the issue of race in America, we have to do both.

Bill Bradley

issues race america

Every time I have some moment on a seashore, or in the mountains, or sometimes in a quiet forest, I think this is why the environment has to be preserved.

Bill Bradley

motivational inspirational thinking

We realized that no one of us could be as good as all of us playing unselfishly.

Bill Bradley

best-team team teamwork

Becoming number one is easier than remaining number one.

Bill Bradley

basketball baseball sports

I might lose because I wasn't tall enough; I might lose because I wasn't fast enough. But I wasn't going to lose because I wasn't ready.

Bill Bradley

track enough might

Leaders should be collaborative, modest, and generous

Bill Bradley

collaboration leader teamwork

I think the political process has degenerated into name-calling and extremism, and I think that that's unfortunate.

Bill Bradley

political names thinking

Leadership is not something that is done to people, like fixing your teeth. Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better.

Bill Bradley

teeth done people

We need to get beyond the politics of the moment, the deficit of the hour, the military count of the day, the numbers that rarely shape events. Our long-term interests must be in people and in the values of democracy and individual liberty.

Bill Bradley

military numbers long

We have to repair that trust ... I think anytime a public official lies, he undermines his own authority and squanders the public trust.

Bill Bradley

deceit lying thinking

Behind all the years of practice and all the hours of glory waits that inexorable terror of living without the game.

Bill Bradley

athlete success sports

Some people say we can never achieve our special destiny, but I say, in a world of new possibilities guided by goodness, we can and we will.

Bill Bradley

destiny special people

Sports is a metaphor for overcoming obstacles and achieving against great odds. Athletes, in times of difficulty, can be important role models.

Bill Bradley

success motivational sports

Imagination allows us to escape the predictable. It enables us to reply to the common wisdom that we cannot soar by saying, 'Just watch!'

Bill Bradley

intuition creativity imagination

For a long time, I operated under the Chinese proverb that there are four kinds of leaders: those who you laugh at, those who you hate, those who you love and those who you don't even know that they're leaders.

Bill Bradley

hate love long