"We must express the view, based on our empirical observations, that a substantial number of journalists are ignorant, lazy, opinionated, and intellectually dishonest. The profession is heavily cluttered with aged hacks toiling through a miasma of mounting decrepitude and often alcoholism, and even more so with arrogant and abrasive youngsters who substitute 'commitment' for insight. The product of their impassioned intervention in public affairs is more often confusion than lucidity."
About Conrad Black
Conrad Black — Life and Legacy
Conrad Black is a prominent Canadian author and former media executive recognized for his incisive commentary on politics and history. His work, particularly in journalism, reflects a deep engagement with the themes of power and freedom, often challenging conventional narratives. Black's perspective is shaped by his experiences in the media landscape, where he has both wielded influence and faced significant controversies. One of his notable quotes, 'The press is a great power,' encapsulates his belief in the media's role as a cornerstone of democracy. This statement not only underscores the media's capacity to shape public discourse but also reflects his understanding of the responsibilities that come with such power. Black's writings often explore the intricate balance between authority and liberty, arguing that true freedom is essential for a functioning democracy. His insights remain relevant today, as they provoke thought on the relationship between media, politics, and individual rights. By emphasizing the need for accountability and historical awareness, Black's quotes continue to resonate with those navigating the complexities of modern governance.
Quote collection
Conrad Black quotes (page 1 of 3)
44 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"[Canada's social welfare system is] an overgenerous reinsurance policy for an underachieving people."
"All emphasis in American prisons is on punishment, retribution, and disparagement, and almost none is on rehabilitation."
"Given the genocidal belligerence of Iranian threats against Israel, it is hard to take issue with Israel's right to preemptive self-defense."
"There can be no return to prosperity while the government (of Ontario) believes that taking money from the people who have earned it and giving it away to the people who haven't, in exchange for their votes and regardless of merit, is the essence of fairness."
"The argument of socialists, that people really want to share, beyond a reasonable level of charity, is rubbish, though it is espoused by a lot of rich, pious hypocrites who want to share only enough to avoid widespread starvation, mob violence, and government seizure of more of their incomes."
"Greed has been severely underestimated and denigrated - unfairly so, in my opinion."
"A quest for knowledge is not a war with faith; spirituality is not usually an infelicitous amalgam of superstition and philistinism; and moral relativism, taken outside midfield, leads inexorably both to heresy and to secular wickedness, which are often identical."
"Terrorists cannot threaten the survival of a great nation."
"Economics is half psychology and half Grade Three arithmetic, and the U.S. does not now have either half right."
"There is not one shred of evidence that the Internet has had any downward influence on North American or European newspaper circulation."
"I do not at all have the mind of a bully... in my mind bullies are intolerant of contrary opinion, domineering and rather cowardly. I would hope that none of those terms could be fairly used in describing me."
"The American legal industry is a medieval guild in which the prosecutors, bar, and bench join hands to ensure that legal invoices are paid, no matter how excessive."
"The U.S. prosecution service is eating at the soul of the American republic. It is an absolute danger to everyone."
"I have long thought that his [Rupert Murdoch's] social philosophy was contained in his cartoon show, The Simpsons: all politicians and public officials are crooks, and the masses are a vast lumpen proletariat of deluded and exploitable blowhards."
"I made 50 million bucks yesterday. That's a flameout I could get used to."
"The facts of Watergate have been wildly exaggerated."
"The balance between faith and reason is for the determination of each individual, and of the people as a whole, not of unauthorized government officials uttering impious humbug as they arbitrarily try to define that balance."
"The bedraggled warhorse of American blowhardism."
"The greenhouse effect of carbon-dioxide emissions does produce gentle warming if it is not counteracted by unpredictable natural phenomena, but it cannot be measured directly against the volume of such emissions."