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Do not be taken in by 'insiderisms.' Fledgling columnists, eager to impress readers with their grasp of journalistic jargon, are drawn to such arcane spellings as 'lede.' Where they lede, do not follow.
William Safire
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William Safire
Age: 79 †
Born: 1929
Born: December 17
Died: 2009
Died: September 27
Author
Columnist
Journalist
Writer
New York City
New York
William Lewis Safire
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Journalistic
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Jargon
Taken
Spelling
Eager
Impress
Fledgling
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Fledglings
Drawn
Arcane
Readers
Columnists
More quotes by William Safire
The first ladyship is the only federal office in which the holder can neither be fired nor impeached.
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A reader should be able to identify a column without its byline or funny little picture on top purely by look or feel, or its turgidity ratio.
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English is a stretch language one size fits all.
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Don't expect others to do your work for you.
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A dependent clause is like a dependent child: incapable of standing on its own but able to cause a lot of trouble.
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Writers who used to show off their erudition no longer sing in the bare ruined choir of the media.
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Better to be a jerk that knees than a knee that jerks.
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I'm willing to zap conservatives when they do things that are not libertarian.
William Safire
It is in the nature of tyranny to deride the will of the people as the voice of the mob, and to denounce the cry for freedom as the roar of anarchy.
William Safire
Never put the story in the lead. Let 'em have a hot shot of ambiguity right between the eyes.
William Safire
Of higher value than any one leader is the cause.
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If America cannot win a war in a week, it begins negotiating with itself.
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To be accused of 'channeling' is to be dismissed as a ventriloquist's live dummy, derogated at not having a mind of one's own.
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President Reagan is a rhetorical roundheels, as befits a politician seeking empathy with his audience.
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One challenge to the arts in America is the need to make the arts, especially the classic masterpieces, accessible and relevant to today's audience.
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I welcome new words, or old words used in new ways, provided the result is more precision, added color or greater expressiveness.
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The most fun in breaking a rule is in knowing what rule you're breaking.
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The new, old, and constantly changing language of politics is a lexicon of conflict and drama?ridicule and reproach?pleading and persuasion.
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No one flower can ever symbolize this nation. America is a bouquet.
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In dealing with Syria's dictator...only force counts. No cease-fire was attainable in Lebanon until the 16-inch guns of the battleship New Jersey started shelling Syria's proxies suddenly, sweet reason prevailed in Damascus.
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