Jimmy Breslin Quotes

A collection of quotes by Jimmy Breslin.

Jimmy Breslin was an American journalist, author, and columnist, known for his gritty, street-level reporting and distinctive writing style. He was born on October 17, 1928, in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, and grew up in a working-class Irish-American family.

Breslin began his career in the 1940s as a news copy boy and worked his way up to become one of the most respected and influential journalists of his time. He covered a wide range of subjects, including politics, crime, and human-interest stories, often giving a voice to the underprivileged and marginalized communities.

Throughout his career, Breslin wrote for various newspapers, including the New York Daily News, Newsday, and the New York Journal American. He gained widespread recognition for his coverage of President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963, where he famously focused on the perspective of the gravedigger at the president's funeral, offering a uniquely personal and empathetic account.

Breslin's distinctive writing style, characterized by his sharp wit, observational humor, and deep understanding of human nature, earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1986. He also authored numerous books, both fiction and non-fiction, which further showcased his talent for storytelling.

Jimmy Breslin passed away on March 19, 2017, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the field of journalism and a reputation for being a true voice of the people. His unique approach to reporting and his ability to humanize seemingly ordinary individuals left an indelible mark on the world of media.

The office of president is a bastardized thing, half royalty

The office of president is a bastardized thing, half royalty and half democracy, that nobody knows whether to genuflect or spit.

Jimmy Breslin


When you stop drinking, you have to deal with this marvelous

When you stop drinking, you have to deal with this marvelous personality that started you drinking in the first place.

Jimmy Breslin

Drinking

Nothingever happened on this globe, for good, at which some

Nothingever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the onset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have a malady in the less attractive forms.

Charles Dickens

Dad

Nothingever happened on this globe, for good, at which some

Nothingever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the onset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have a malady in the less attractive forms.

Charles Dickens

Dad

Designed by architects with honorable intentions but hands o

Designed by architects with honorable intentions but hands of palsy.

Jimmy Breslin

Architecture

The only reason this country is different from any place els

The only reason this country is different from any place else is that once in a great while, this huge, snobbish, generally untalented news reporting business stops covering stories of interest only to itself and actually serves the public.

Jimmy Breslin

Media

Football is a game designed to keep coal miners off the stre

Football is a game designed to keep coal miners off the streets.

Jimmy Breslin

Football

The office of president is a bastardized thing, half royalty

The office of president is a bastardized thing, half royalty and half democracy that nobody knows whether to genuflect or spit.

Jimmy Breslin

Politics