--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As an old reporter, we have a few…" description: "\"As an old reporter, we have a few secrets, and the first thing is we try the phone book.\" — Andy Rooney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/andy-rooney-1253_book_as-an-old-reporter-we-have-a-few-secrets_131419.png" --- # As an old reporter, we have a few secrets, and the first… ![“As an old reporter, we have a few secrets, and the first thing is we try the phone book.” quote by Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/andy-rooney-1253_book_as-an-old-reporter-we-have-a-few-secrets_131419.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/andy-rooney-1253_book_as-an-old-reporter-we-have-a-few-secrets_131419.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/andy-rooney-1253_book_as-an-old-reporter-we-have-a-few-secrets_131419.png) > “As an old reporter, we have a few secrets, and the first thing is we try the phone book.” [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous observation that journalists rely on phone books for leads, underscoring simplicity in investigative work. **In simple terms:** Reporters often start with a phone book for leads. Key Takeaway Use basic tools before complex methods. Themes journalism investigation humor simplicity process Mood witty lighthearted Type observational humorous When to use this quote - news gathering - research - storytelling - resourcefulness Key Concepts anecdotal media critique Questions to Reflect On - What simple resources can you overlook? - How does technology change investigative habits? A Different Perspective Modern tools may replace old methods. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Old Reporter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-reporter-1505843/) [Phone Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phone-book-250337/) [Phones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phones/) [Reporter Secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporter-secrets-1505842/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets/) [Secrets Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets-thing-1505844/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [Oh, Grey, no one really likes keeping secrets. The only thing that makes a secret fun is knowing that you weren't supposed to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/oh-grey-no-one-really-likes-keeping-secrets-the-only-thing-that-makes/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [I think if Roman Polanski had asked me to do the phone book, I would have said, 'Yes.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/i-think-if-roman-polanski-had-asked-me-to-do-the-phone-book-i-would/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [I have a whole phone book of fallibility about myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-have-a-whole-phone-book-of-fallibility-about-myself/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [“He smiled. "Yeah. Reckon you could read the phone book and make it dirty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/he-smiled-yeah-reckon-you-could-read-the-phone-book-and-make-it-dirty/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [We didn’t have Facebook in my day, we had a phone book but you wouldn’t waste an afternoon on it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-white/we-didn-t-have-facebook-in-my-day-we-had-a-phone-book-but-you-wouldn/) [Betty White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-white/) > [You could sing us the phone book and we would still love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/you-could-sing-us-the-phone-book-and-we-would-still-love-you/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [“But not so odd a name, after all, if you’ve ever read through the phone directory, with its Hyman Diddlebockers and Sasparilla Greenleafs. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/but-not-so-odd-a-name-after-all-if-you-ve-ever-read-through-the-phone/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Paris and Nicky Hilton? Those girls will show up to the opening of a phone book. It's like a big joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-perry/paris-and-nicky-hilton-those-girls-will-show-up-to-the-opening-of-a/) [Rachel Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-perry/) > [“The most enjoyable book in the world is the phone book, because think of all the sex that went into creating the content.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-most-enjoyable-book-in-the-world-is-the-phone-book-because-think/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [We had 1 book, the phone book, I've read it, it wasn't a great read, lots of characters, and on the end loads of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-k-amos/we-had-1-book-the-phone-book-i-ve-read-it-it-wasn-t-a-great-read-lots/) [Stephen K. Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-k-amos/) > [I went through every phone book in Africa, and I didn't find one god damned Pryor!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-pryor/i-went-through-every-phone-book-in-africa-and-i-didn-t-find-one-god/) [Richard Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-pryor/) > [“3. "Ella,um,it's Alex. I hope this is the right number.I had to get it from a really old phone book. I would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/3-ella-um-it-s-alex-i-hope-this-is-the-right-number-i-had-to-get-it/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [“I read through the phone book once, never mind when, and it satisfied a deep need in me to realize how many people aren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-read-through-the-phone-book-once-never-mind-when-and-it-satisfied-a/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [You could sing the phone book!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-jackson/you-could-sing-the-phone-book/) [Randy Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-jackson/) > [You're not a human till you're in my phone book. There. My hat is now in the political ring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/you-re-not-a-human-till-you-re-in-my-phone-book-there-my-hat-is-now/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) ## More by Andy Rooney > [I like Valentine's Day. The trouble is the florists and the candy-makers and the card people are all advertising so much, you don't dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-like-valentine-s-day-the-trouble-is-the-florists-and-the-candy/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Almost all of us have an elevator or two in our lives somewhere. We wait for them, we ride on them. We're annoyed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/almost-all-of-us-have-an-elevator-or-two-in-our-lives-somewhere-we/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Last night we had three small zucchini for dinner that were grown within fifty feet of our back door. I estimate they cost somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/last-night-we-had-three-small-zucchini-for-dinner-that-were-grown/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Sooner or later the world will have to return to the good old days when we fought wars and killed people the old-fashioned way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/sooner-or-later-the-world-will-have-to-return-to-the-good-old-days/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I've learned that no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-ve-learned-that-no-matter-how-serious-your-life-requires-you-to-be/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Unfortunately, propaganda works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/unfortunately-propaganda-works/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [You're almost always better off keeping your mouth shut, but don't let that stop you from popping off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/you-re-almost-always-better-off-keeping-your-mouth-shut-but-don-t-let/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [The fastest thing computers do is go obsolete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/the-fastest-thing-computers-do-is-go-obsolete/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Every one starts out being an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/every-one-starts-out-being-an-atheist/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [If you don't enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/if-you-don-t-enjoy-getting-up-and-working-and-finishing-your-work-and/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I've learned... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-ve-learned-that-it-s-those-small-daily-happenings-that-make-life-so/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [... all of us talk faster than we listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/all-of-us-talk-faster-than-we-listen/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [You can't be a good writer without being a good thinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/you-can-t-be-a-good-writer-without-being-a-good-thinker/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [A great many people do not have the right to their own opinion because they don't know what they are talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/a-great-many-people-do-not-have-the-right-to-their-own-opinion/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Soap, like people, shouldn't smell like anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/soap-like-people-shouldn-t-smell-like-anything/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) [Explore all 264 Andy Rooney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. 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