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Columnist Quotes

Wit and reflection from the newspaper trade

These quotes capture the odd permanence of a newspaper column, comparing it to a lifetime appointment, alongside a memorably silly detail about a Pulitzer winner and a child's race-car bed. Readers who enjoy media commentary may also like our Book page.

The great 'New York Times' columnist Dave Anderson famously slept one year in a child's race-car bed. There he was, Pulitzer Prize and all, snoring as his feet dangled over the rear tires of Lightning McQueen.

Quotes by Willie Geist

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.

Quotes by William Safire

My father was one of 11. He was an attorney. My mother worked for the Syracuse newspaper as a columnist before she became a stay-at-home mother.

Quotes by Siobhan Fallon Hogan

All coffee shops now have WiFi. Why bring a book when you could be wittily attacking some idiot columnist on Twitter, or responding to your date requests, or posting a picture of your foot? All of that is more gripping...

Quotes by Russell Smith

Best Quotes

A politician wouldn't dream of being allowed to call a columnist the things a columnist is allowed to call a politician.

Quotes by Max Lerner

I think that any reporter or columnist will be a little more careful when doing interviews with me.

Quotes by Mark Cuban

I have become an adjective. There is something called a Rovian-style of campaigning and it's meant as an insult. One columnist said it consists mainly of throwing mud until it sticks. One prominent blogger described the elements of a textbook...

Quotes by Karl Rove

I always thought of myself as more of a columnist, but maybe a columnist who does reporting.

Quotes by John Gruber

I used to be a columnist for 'Golf Monthly' and have contributed articles for national newspapers based on the humour that is in abundance in the game, which is more than can be said of tennis.

Quotes by Jasper Carrott

Book Quotes

Sally Jenkins of the 'Washington Post' is the best sports columnist in the country. Second best is Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.com, and third is Dan Wetzel on Yahoo!

Quotes by Dan Jenkins

It's kind of hard to spend long hours trying to help people and then find out that the favorite game of the columnist is to sit back and second guess you and try to find something that you did wrong.

Quotes by Bill Scott

One of the differences between what happens when an author and a gossip columnist sit down to write a book is that the former tends to make every effort at disguising and protecting their sources, while the latter doesn't particularly...

Quotes by Ben Domenech

All of the qualities that you need to be a good opinion columnist tend to be qualities that aren't valued in women.

Quotes by Anna Quindlen

If a columnist writes that something happened on a certain date, or that the government spent a certain amount of money on something, or that a specific number of people have died in the war in Iraq, to pick a...

Quotes by Andrew Rosenthal

Business Quotes

When I started writing a business column 15 years ago, I knew I'd found the perfect job for myself. As a columnist I could pick my own topic, do my own analysis, say what I wanted to say and attribute...

Quotes by Allan Sloan

Don't commit to being a columnist unless you're willing to do it right. Report your behind off, so you have something original and useful to say. Say it in a way that will interest someone other than you, your family...

Quotes by Allan Sloan

I wanted to be a columnist so badly that I took a huge pay cut to leave Forbes, which wouldn't give me a column, and join Newsday, which wanted my column for its Sunday business section.

Quotes by Allan Sloan

I guess if you want me to stop writing horrible, mean takedowns of everyone, give me a really, really cushy columnist gig.

Quotes by Alex Pareene

Frequently Asked Questions

What's covered in this Columnist quotes collection?
These quotes look at the life and reputation of newspaper columnists, from a Pulitzer winner's odd sleeping habits to the near-permanent status a regular column can grant a writer.
Why do people search for quotes about columnists?
Readers interested in journalism, writing careers, or media commentary often look here for wit and insight into what it's actually like to hold that kind of platform.
Is there a funny quote in this collection?
Yes, one quote describes a celebrated New York Times columnist famously sleeping for a year in a child's race-car bed, feet dangling over the tires, despite his Pulitzer Prize.
Does any quote compare columnists to other public figures?
One quote compares the security of a New York Times column to a Supreme Court appointment, noting both tend to stick around for a long time. Another contrasts what a columnist is allowed to say about a politician versus the reverse.
Where can I find more quotes about writing and books?
Our Book page covers writing life more broadly, beyond just newspaper columns.

There's also a sharper edge here, on how much license a columnist gets that a politician never would. For more career reflections, browse our Business collection.