My long career as a journalist, author, editor, and critic has often involved dispensing advice. I pass some of these previously published nuggets along here, in the hope that someone might find them useful, or at least amusing.
General tips
— Every experience in life is a test, and therefore should be welcomed.
— In so many conflicts, the real battle is not with our enemies; it takes place within ourselves. (Welcomat, 1984)
— We all know that knowledge is power. But it doesn’t necessarily follow that power is knowledge. (Welcomat, October 28, 1987)
— Conventional wisdom is usually wrong. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Adults don’t really know what the hell they’re doing. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— In any given situation, there’s probably something going on that you’re not aware of. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Recognize the difference between brilliance (which is ephemeral) and wisdom (which endures). (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Money and property per se don’t buy happiness or solve problems; they merely provide greater opportunity to become happy or miserable, depending on your nature. (The Inheritor’s Handbook, 1999)
— Many financial problems actually stem from emotional roots. You probably need good therapists or family counselors as much as you need good lawyers and financial planners. (The Inheritor’s Handbook, 1999)
— Death rarely arrives at a convenient or predictable time. (The Inheritor’s Handbook, 1999)
Business
— The more effective the corporate leader, the less effective the family leader. (The Outsider, 2013)
— Don’t be intimidated by someone else’s reputation. Don’t be afraid to speak up. And don’t be afraid to ask for a raise. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Instead of discarding your identity, make the most of it. Theodore Roosevelt said it: Do what you can with what you have, where you are. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— There’s always something to be said for competition. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— When anyone quits a job over a principle, other considerations are usually involved as well.
— If you think you’re right, stick to your principles. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— If you love your work, you’re lucky, but you’re also unusual. Try to empathize with colleagues who lack your passion for the job. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Some professionals are trained, and some come by it naturally. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— When competing for a job, ask yourself: What do I have to offer that my competitor lacks? (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Great institutions aren’t monoliths. Not even the New York Times. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Don’t be misled by a dynamic façade. Remember the emperor’s new clothes. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Success invariably plants the seeds of downfall, and even the most obscure deed can generate huge unforeseen consequences. Today’s entrenched corporation is tomorrow’s failure. Remember Time Inc., AOL, Blackberry, John Wanamaker, and the Pennsylvania Railroad. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— However much money you’re making, you can live on 20% less. So, take that 20% and put it away. Learning to live on less will liberate you to seize other opportunities. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
Journalism and media
— Bismarck’s alleged aphorism— “Laws are like sausages. It’s better not to see them being made”— applies to the news as well. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Good editors keep their bags packed. They should treat every issue as if it is their first, as well as their last.
— Conversely, when an editor says, “I’m set for life,” that publication’s days are numbered.
— At any publication, when the writers begin expending more creativity on internal memos than on the publication itself, that publication is in trouble.
— People who complain about “media bias” are usually more biased than the media they complain about.
— Some writers write because they have something to say; others write in order to have written. What appeals to them is the life of a writer, not the writing itself. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— If you want to get the story rather than be the story, dress and behave discreetly. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Never criticize or ridicule people for things beyond their control— like someone’s name, age, nationality, race, family background, relatives, or physical appearance. If you violate this rule, you'll create sympathy for your target while reflecting poorly on yourself. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Outsiders are inherently more interesting than insiders; underdogs are more interesting than overdogs; minorities are more interesting than majorities; losers are more interesting than winners; the powerless are more interesting than the powerful. (Broad Street Review, July 13, 2006.)
— In a world of constant change, there’s something to be said for a broad liberal arts education— especially if you hope to write about that world. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Humor is often a more effective tool than anger or righteous indignation, and it’s often the only tool for winning an adversary over to your side. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— When in doubt about whether or not to write something personal, do it. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Don’t overlook the obvious. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— To a writer, some media offer money or prestige. Others offer a creative outlet or a good showcase. Each option has its benefits. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Editors are like friends— not everyone is suited to you. If you find an editor with whom you share good chemistry, cultivate that relationship, because editors usually last longer than publications— and wherever they move, they will turn to writers they know.
— Your editor isn’t necessarily your friend. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Integrity, like good editors and publishers, is a precious commodity and shouldn’t be taken for granted. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— For a writer, there’s no such thing as a bad career move. Every failure or disappointment becomes grist for a writer’s mill, or at least a useful learning experience. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— A good journalist makes the extra effort for every story, no matter how minor. Even if the story doesn’t pan out, that extra effort may yield other stories that hadn’t occurred to you. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— If you want to capture surface impressions of colorful public figures, by all means stick close to them. But if you want to delve beneath the surface, keep your distance. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022)
— Most people want to be heard, but few want to listen. So, if you’re the exception who’s willing to listen, people will tell you their deepest, darkest secrets, even if they know you’re a journalist. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022).
— There’s nothing quite as essential to an independent journalist as a supportive spouse with a separate income. (The Education of a Journalist, 2022).
Government and politics
— In politics, the right things often happen for the wrong reasons. (Philadelphia Inquirer, February 6, 1993.)
— Making war—complicated as it may be— is in fact the easiest task a government can perform. It pales beside the challenge of making peace or housing the homeless or eliminating bigotry or ignorance or drugs. (Welcomat, January 23, 1991)
— Conservatives and liberals need each other, if only to test their respective beliefs. A healthy society needs a healthy left and right, just as a healthy body needs a right and left leg to walk. (Contrarian’s Notebook #44, November 20, 2023)
— Politicians are like prizefighters: In the ring, they try to bash each other’s brains out. But after the final bell, they regard each other with respect, admiration, and sometimes even affection. (With thanks to former Philadelphia Mayor Bill Green)
Arts and culture
— If the opening scene of a movie is a car driving along a highway, you can safely assume the director lacks imagination.
— Artists are more stable and less flaky than most people think. Artists pursue their visions without conventional rewards (financial or otherwise) or objective criteria for judging the merit of their work, often at the expense of vital family and social relationships. How many corporate types could survive a life of such extraordinary day-to-day stress?
— Artists are flaky about commercial matters but hardheaded about artistic matters. Business executives are hard-headed about commercial matters but flaky about artistic matters. That is why, when business types join the boards of arts organizations, they often “check their brains at the door.”
The sexes
— The essential difference between men and women: Men need to have sex in order to feel good; women need to feel good in order to have sex. (Broad Street Review, July 13, 2006.)
— The frontier may have been no place for a woman, but without women it ultimately proved no place for a man, either. (Death of a Gunfighter, 2008)
— The mere presence of a woman often exerts a moderating influence on male behavior. (Death of a Gunfighter, 2008)
— Men have no idea what women are like when there are no men around. Women have no idea what men are like when there are no women around.
Philosophy
— Yesterday’s liberal ideas are today’s conservative ideas. What seems liberal today will seem conservative tomorrow.
— Change may be difficult, but it’s also inevitable. (Philadelphia Inquirer, January 29, 1993)
— In any issue, the critical question is: Compared to what? Smoking may be bad for people, but if you take away their cigarettes they may turn to even more harmful stimulants, like drugs and booze. Guns may be dangerous, but the absence of guns may put the physically weak at the mercy of the physically strong. The mass media (as well as the Internet) may be irresponsible, but the absence of mass media produced pogroms, witch trials, the Spanish Inquisition, etc.
— Most self-styled advocates of “moral clarity” never took a course in religion or philosophy. (Contrarian’s Notebook, 2024)
— It is remarkable that thousands of unrelated experiences involving unrelated people stretching back over thousands of years can be forged into the personality of a single individual. Yet that is the case for every one of us. (Finding Our Fathers, 1977)
— Great men and women all die eventually. Great corporations die eventually. Great institutions die eventually. Great nations die eventually. Among human entities, ultimately only families survive. (Family Business magazine.)
Enjoy Dan Rottenberg’s new memoir, The Education of a Journalist: My Seventy Years on the Frontiers of Free Speech. You can also visit his website at www.danrottenberg.com
This could be/should be a version of a modern edition called Poor Dan's Almanack. I hadn't realized how wise you are.