Quote

Never put the story in the lead. Let 'em have a hot shot of ambiguity right between the eyes.

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
Eyes
Story
Eye
Ambiguity
Stories
Ems
Right
Hot
Never
Shot
Shots
Lead

More quotes by William Safire

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When articulation is impossible, gesticulation comes to the rescue.
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Sometimes I know the meaning of a word but am tired of it and feel the need for an unfamiliar, especially precise or poetic term, perhaps one with a nuance that flatters my readership's exquisite sensitivity.
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The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.
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If you re-read your work, you can find on re-reading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by re-reading and editing.
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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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The first ladyship is the only federal office in which the holder can neither be fired nor impeached.
William Safire
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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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Why use a modifier to set straight a not-quite-right noun when the right noun is available?
William Safire
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The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right.
William Safire
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When duty calls, that is when character counts.
William Safire
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Never assume the obvious is true.
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Some handsome and ambitious men believe they are above all morality, and a woman's virtue becomes a mere challenge to them.
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The wonderful thing about being a New York Times columnist is that it's like a Supreme Court appointment - they're stuck with you for a long time.
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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.
William Safire
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... it's Bush's baby, even if he shares its popularization with Gorbachev. Forget the Hitler 'new order' root F.D.R. used the phrase earlier.
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Gridlock is great. My motto is, 'Don't just do something. Stand there.'
William Safire
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Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation, and is thus a source of civilized delight.
William Safire
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Better to be a jerk that knees than a knee that jerks.
William Safire