Bob Woodward Quotes | GloryQuotes

Bob Woodward Quotes About Book

There may yet be another Watergate book. I have thought a book about the aftermath of Watergate and its impact could be done, perhaps by me or someone else.

I recently did the David Letterman Show about my book. He was very serious and made no jokes and it caught me off guard a little bit. He was much more serious than some of the joke shows that journalists get on.

I have written things that Republicans and Democrats and all kinds of figures have either hated or felt very uncomfortable about. Because in doing these long projects and books, you get close to the bone. And they're not calling me up and asking me for dinner.

More Quotes by Bob Woodward

I gave my word that this source would not be identified unless he changed his mind. He has not.

Clinton feels a profound alienation from the Washington culture here, and I happen to agree with him.

I believe there's too little patience and context to many of the investigations I read or see on television.

Deep Throat's information, and in my view, courage, allowed the newspaper to use what he knew and suspected.

Because of Watergate in part, I am kind of a magnet for calls and information and suggestions.

It would seem that the Watergate story from beginning to end could be used as a primer on the American political system.

I give lectures for money, but all the money goes to charity. So, I make no money from it.

Deep Throat did serve the public interest by providing the guidance and information to us.

A reporter's ability to keep the bond of confidentiality often enables him to learn the hidden or secret aspects of government.

The legislator learns that when you talk a lot, you get in trouble. You have to listen a lot to make deals.

Using these unnamed sources, if done properly, carefully and fairly, provides more accountability in government.

Nixon's attempts to order subversion of various departments was bound to come out in some form.

Even now there is no evidence that anyone involved in the Nixon operation was going to threaten us.

Watergate is an immensely complicated scandal with a cast of characters as varied as a Tolstoy novel.

There is a garbage culture out there, where we pour garbage on people. Then the pollsters run around and take a poll and say, do you smell anything?

The cloud of doubt that surrounds political figures tends to remain and never dissipate or be clarified.

Deep Throat was a very unfortunate name given to the source by the managing editor of The Washington Post.

I think journalism gets measured by the quality of information it presents, not the drama or the pyrotechnics associated with us.

Any suggestion that I'm writing about political operatives because I'm interested in political operatives misses the entire point.

We're not going to have another Watergate in our lifetime. I'm sure.

I deal with first-hand sources. And give the people, even John Sununu, the opportunity to respond to what I've been told by first-hand sources.

Lawyers didn't seriously get involved in the Watergate stories until quite late, when we realized we were on to something.

I don't think voters give a hoot about the character of their political advisors, except to the extent that character reflects on the candidates.

If you interviewed 1,000 politicians and asked about whether the media's too soft or too hard, about 999 would say too hard.

The central dilemma in journalism is that you don't know what you don't know.

Some newspapers have a hands-off policy on favored politicians. But it's generally very small newspapers or local TV stations.

People like to pigeonhole and say, Well, I'm a Washington insider, and you know, that's quite silly. What does that even mean?

Way before Watergate, senior administration officials hid behind anonymity.

Suppose Watergate had not been uncovered? I'd still be on the City Desk.

I have found people don't want to be told. That they can figure it out.

When you see how the President makes political or policy decisions, you see who he is. The essence of the Presidency is decision-making.

Newspapers that are truly independent, like The Washington Post, can still aggressively investigate anyone or anything with no holds barred.

Certain political figures think when you call them and ask them for a comment; that you are somehow doing something that you shouldn't be doing.

I don't think it's useful for somebody to argue with reviews.

The failure of the system to deal quickly was attributable to Nixon's lying, stonewalling and refusal to come clean. So it took 26 months for the final truth to be known.

I believe Watergate shows that the system did work. Particularly the Judiciary and the Congress, and ultimately an independent prosecutor working in the Executive Branch.

If information is true, if it can be verified, and if it's really important, the newspaper needs to be willing to take the risk associated with using unidentified sources.

Many people have their reputations as reporters and analysts because they are on television, batting around conventional wisdom. A lot of these people have never reported a story.

Watergate provides a model case study of the interaction and powers of each of the branches of government. It also is a morality play with a sad and dramatic ending.

There are people who take rumors and embellish them in a way that can be devastating. And this pollution has to be eradicated by people in our business as best we can.

After Nixon resigned in 1974, he engaged in a very aggressive war with history, attempting to wipe out the Watergate stain and memory. Happily, history won, largely because of Nixon's tapes.

There's hostility to lying, and there should be.

Nixon's grand mistake was his failure to understand that Americans are forgiving, and if he had admitted error early and apologized to the country, he would have escaped.

Not a season passes without new disclosures showing Nixon's numerous attempts at criminal use of his presidential powers and in fact the scorn he held for the rule of law.

I don't think there will ever be a permanent truce, but I believe the media needs to be more careful and be willing to count to 10 before rushing on the air or into print.

I recently read some of the transcripts of Nixon's Watergate tapes, and they spent hours trying to figure out who was leaking and providing information to Carl and myself.

I'm not going to name some of my colleagues who are very well-known for their television presentation, but they wouldn't know new information or how to report a story if it came up and bit them.

I suspect there have been a number of conspiracies that never were described or leaked out. But I suspect none of the magnitude and sweep of Watergate.

Browse 65 quotes attributed to Bob Woodward, listed in the source data as a American Journalist, organized around themes such as Book, Art, Relationship. Use the topic links to explore similar quotes, or browse the full author collection in one place.