Gay Talese

“Putting on a beautifully designed suit elevates my spirit, extols my sense of self, and helps define me as a man to whom details matter.”

“A writer's occupational hazard is that he develops a secret smirk, the memory of a mischief.”

“Most journalism is ephemeral. It's in the newspaper today, on the floor of the bird cage tomorrow.”

“I'm not a big fan of journalism schools, except those that are organized around a liberal arts education. Have an intellectual curiosity, not just a media-driven curiosity.”

“I learned to write by writing.”

“Good reporting is hanging out.”

“I think the best interviewers are the ones who listen.”

“You cannot be a good writer without being a good listener.”

“I am a person of the printed word.”

“The first thing a writer has to do is find a subject that he or she is really interested in, a subject that they can live with for a long time.”

“I'm a non-fiction writer who uses the devices of fiction.”

“I think you have to be a little bit of a voyeur to be a writer.”

“The story of my life is the story of the lives of other people.”

“I don't think a writer should be a hermit. I think they should be out in the world.”

“New York is a city of conversations.”