42+ Jim Lehrer Quotes On Education, World And Journalism

Jim Lehrer is an American journalist and executive editor of the PBS NewsHour. He was a debate moderator for 12 U.S. presidential debates, and wrote numerous plays, novels, and non-fiction books. He was also a recipient of several awards, including the National Humanities Medal and the William Allen White Foundation Award for Journalistic Merit. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Jim Lehrer on leadership, life, education.

Top 10 Jim Lehrer Quotes

1. I'm in the civil discourse business. I think it takes all kinds. And more power to everybody.
2. I'm a gatekeeper, and the gatekeepers all used to be mostly old, white men.
3. If people want bells and whistles and all of that, there are bells and whistles available. If they don't want bells and whistles there are places to go where they are not available.
4. As I say, I'm a discourse advocate. What form it comes is less important to me than the fact that there is discourse.
5. There's always a germ of truth in just about everything.
6. We have increasingly fewer and fewer journalists who have any military experience and understand what life is like in the military and in combat.
7. The death rate among Marines in Iraq has been more than double that of the other services.
8. On a daily basis there are some huge ones that are, sure, from time to time, but it is helping the reader sort through all this sort of gray stuff out there.
9. Make no mistake: When I told Senator Mitchell that I injected Roger Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs, I told the truth.
10. Let me be clear: Despite Roger Clemens' statements to the contrary, I never injected Roger Clemens, or anyone else, with lidocaine or B-12.

Jim Lehrer Short Quotes

• The best nourishment for any soul is to create your own risks.
• Those who know me know I won't hesitate to turn around and point someone out.
• I have no reason to lie and every reason not to. If I do lie, I will be prosecuted.
• In my case, I was covering politics in Texas as a newspaper man in the 1960's.
• I came from a family of Marines into the family of Marines.
• I always wear blue shirts and I like wine or purple ties.
• My writing is extremely important, so I write every day. I just enjoy it. I get a kick out of it.
• Most of the stories I have covered in 45 years have been gray stories.
• In television there are only about 12 people who do what I do.
• No two people see things the same way.

Jim Lehrer Quotes About Journalism

My own view, there is a need for and a demonstrated need for more journalism now than there ever has been. — Jim Lehrer

Journalism is caring where the fire-engines are going. — Jim Lehrer

I'm in the reporting part of journalism. — Jim Lehrer

I'm not in the judgment part of journalism. — Jim Lehrer

I'm an expert on the NewsHour and it isn't how I practice journalism. I am not involved in the story. I serve only as a reporter or someone asking questions. I am not the story. — Jim Lehrer

Jim Lehrer Famous Quotes And Sayings

If we don't have an informed electorate we don't have a democracy. So I don't care how people get the information, as long as they get it. I'm just doing it my particular way and I feel lucky I can do it the way I want to do it. — Jim Lehrer

I told the truth about steroids and human growth hormone. I injected those drugs into the body of Roger Clemens at his direction. Unfortunately, Roger has denied this and has led a full-court attack on my credibility — Jim Lehrer

I was never promised any special treatment or consideration for fingering star players. I was never coerced to provide information against anyone. All that I was ever told to was to tell the truth to the best of my ability. And that is what I have done. — Jim Lehrer

People can say anything they want to. If they don't want to get the news from me, get it from somebody else. It's not something I'm going to worry about, I'm sorry. — Jim Lehrer

I have been accused of something I'm not guilty of. How do you prove a negative? No matter what we discuss here today, I'm never going to have my name restored. But I've got to try and set the record straight. — Jim Lehrer

A skill required to be president is to explain to the American people any given thing they do. — Jim Lehrer

A debate has one purpose, one purpose only, and that is to facilitate the exchange of ideas directly between two candidates, and that's it. — Jim Lehrer

I'm not in the being-annoyed business. — Jim Lehrer

Best I can do for them is to give them every piece of information I can find and let them make the judgments. That's just my basic view of my function as a journalist. — Jim Lehrer

I'm a journalist and that's what I do. — Jim Lehrer

If McNamee is lying, then he has acted inexcusably, and he has made Clemens an innocent victim. If Clemens isn't telling the truth, then he has acted shamefully and has smeared McNamee. I don't think there's anything in between. — Jim Lehrer

Most of the gaffes I've made have not been funny - they've been stupid. — Jim Lehrer

I have great faith in the intelligence of the American viewer and reader to put two and two together and come up with four. — Jim Lehrer

Well, to tell you truth, I have learned a long time ago that the trick when doing a debate, any kind of debate, is to just turn off the judgment switch in my head. — Jim Lehrer

If you go to the ball game, you don't need to read the game story. — Jim Lehrer

Take risks ... be willing to put your mind and your spirit, your time and your energy, your stomach and your emotions on the line. To search for a safe place, to search for an end to a rainbow, is to search for a place that you will hate once you find it. The soul must be nourished along with the bank account and the resume. The best nourishment for any soul is to create your own risks. — Jim Lehrer

I'm not saying Senator Mitchell's report is entirely wrong. I am saying Brian McNamee's statements about me are wrong. Let me be clear: I have never taken steroids or HGH. — Jim Lehrer

Life Lessons by Jim Lehrer

1. Jim Lehrer taught us the importance of objectivity and impartiality in journalism, emphasizing the need to report the facts without bias.
2. He also showed us the power of storytelling and the ability of a journalist to draw out the human elements of a story to make it more relatable and engaging.
3. Finally, Lehrer demonstrated the importance of being passionate about the topics you cover and the need to continuously strive for excellence in reporting.