---
title: "4 Columns Quotes By William Safire"
description: "4 Columns quotes by William Safire. Plus more from William Safire and more Columns sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/william-safire-5116_able_a-reader-should-be-able-to-identify-a-co_746370.png"
---

> [A reader should be able to identify a column without its byline or funny little picture on top purely by look or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/a-reader-should-be-able-to-identify-a-column-without-its-byline-or/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/william-safire-5116_able_a-reader-should-be-able-to-identify-a-co_746370.png)

> [The most successful column is one that causes the reader to throw down the paper in a peak of fit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-most-successful-column-is-one-that-causes-the-reader-to-throw/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/william-safire-5116_books_the-most-successful-column-is-one-that-c_830985.png)

> [Never look for the story in the 'lede.' Reporters are required to put what's happened up top, but the practiced pundit places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/never-look-for-the-story-in-the-lede-reporters-are-required-to-put/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/975/william-safire-5116_books_never-look-for-the-story-in-the-lede-rep_994072.png)

> [Cast aside any column about two subjects. It means the pundit chickened out on the hard decision about what to write about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/cast-aside-any-column-about-two-subjects-it-means-the-pundit/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/william-safire-5116_casts_cast-aside-any-column-about-two-subjects_2271303.png)

## Other authors on Columns

## More by William Safire

> [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/last-but-not-least-avoid-cliches-like-the-plague/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [Decide on some imperfect Somebody and you will win, because the truest truism in politics is: You can't beat Somebody with Nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/decide-on-some-imperfect-somebody-and-you-will-win-because-the-truest/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation, and is thus a source of civilized delight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/knowing-how-things-work-is-the-basis-for-appreciation-and-is-thus-a/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [What a joy it is to see really professional media manipulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/what-a-joy-it-is-to-see-really-professional-media-manipulation/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [What do you call a co-worker these days? Neither teammate nor confederate will do, and partner is too legalistic. The answer brought from academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/what-do-you-call-a-co-worker-these-days-neither-teammate-nor/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [This is what it's all about. From what I could see, you could get a bunch of people together, whip up the press and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/this-is-what-it-s-all-about-from-what-i-could-see-you-could-get-a/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [When I need to know the meaning of a word, I look it up in a dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/when-i-need-to-know-the-meaning-of-a-word-i-look-it-up-in-a-dictionary/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [A man who lies, thinking it is the truth, is an honest man, and a man who tells the truth, believing it to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/a-man-who-lies-thinking-it-is-the-truth-is-an-honest-man-and-a-man/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [The Latin motto over Poindexter's new Pentagon office reads Scientia Est Potentia - "knowledge is power." Exactly: the government's infinite knowledge about you is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-latin-motto-over-poindexter-s-new-pentagon-office-reads-scientia/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [English is a stretch language; one size fits all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/english-is-a-stretch-language-one-size-fits-all/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [Today, war of necessity is used by critics of military action to describe unavoidable response to an attack like that on Pearl Harbor that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/today-war-of-necessity-is-used-by-critics-of-military-action-to/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [To communicate, put your words in order; give them a purpose; use them to persuade, to instruct, to discover, to seduce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/to-communicate-put-your-words-in-order-give-them-a-purpose-use-them/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [“Chandler’s “She was blonde enough to make a bishop kick a hole through a stained-glass window”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/chandler-s-she-was-blonde-enough-to-make-a-bishop-kick-a-hole-through/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [You don't overturn a previous court's decisions lightly and I think most Americans are somewhere in the middle on abortion and there's not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/you-don-t-overturn-a-previous-court-s-decisions-lightly-and-i-think/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

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