--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hardly unaware of his image, Bradlee even…" description: "\"“Hardly unaware of his image, Bradlee even cultivated it. He delighted in displaying his street savvy, telling a reporter to get his ass moving and tal..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/carl-bernstein-10988_journalism_hardly-unaware-of-his-image-bradlee-even_3075887.jpg" --- # Hardly unaware of his image, Bradlee even cultivated it… ![“Hardly unaware of his image, Bradlee even cultivated it. He delighted in displaying his street savvy, telling a reporter to get his ass moving and talk to some real cops, not lieutenants and captains behind a desk; then rising to greet some visiting dignitary from Le Monde or L'Express in formal…” quote by Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/carl-bernstein-10988_journalism_hardly-unaware-of-his-image-bradlee-even_3075887.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/carl-bernstein-10988_journalism_hardly-unaware-of-his-image-bradlee-even_3075887.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/carl-bernstein-10988_journalism_hardly-unaware-of-his-image-bradlee-even_3075887.jpg) > ““Hardly unaware of his image, Bradlee even cultivated it. He delighted in displaying his street savvy, telling a reporter to get his ass moving and talk to some real cops, not lieutenants and captains behind a desk; then rising to greet some visiting dignitary from Le Monde or L'Express in formal, flawless French, complete with a peck on each cheek. -- Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward”” [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bradlee managed his public persona, mixing street credibility with polished diplomacy to navigate both gritty journalism and elite circles. **In simple terms:** Bradlee balanced rough image with refined behavior to succeed. Key Takeaway Cultivate adaptable image for varied audiences. Themes image management adaptability public relations Mood strategic confident Type observational analytical When to use this quote - journalism - political reporting - networking - media interviews Key Concepts personal branding social navigation Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain authenticity while adapting to different social settings? - When does image cultivation become manipulation? A Different Perspective Balancing authenticity with polish can seem disingenuous. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bob Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob-woodward-914083/) [Bradlee Cultivated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bradlee-cultivated-5224076/) [Image Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/image-bradlee-5224077/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Real Cops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-cops-2092988/) [Reporter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporter/) ## Related quotes > [“Deep Throat stamped his foot. 'A conspiracy like this...a conspiracy investigation...the rope has to tighten slowly around everyone's neck. You build convincingly from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/deep-throat-stamped-his-foot-a-conspiracy-like-this-a-conspiracy/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“Until the August 1 story about the Dahlberg check, the working relationship between Bernstein and Woodward was more competitive than anything else. Each had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/until-the-august-1-story-about-the-dahlberg-check-the-working/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“Back at the office, Woodward went to the rear of the newsroom to call Deep Throat. Bernstein wished he had a source like that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/back-at-the-office-woodward-went-to-the-rear-of-the-newsroom-to-call/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“Bernstein looked like one of those counterculture journalists that Woodward despised. Bernstein thought that Woodward's rapid rise at the Post had less to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/bernstein-looked-like-one-of-those-counterculture-journalists-that/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“The managing editor shared Bernstein's fondness for doping things out on the basis of sketchy information. At the same time, he was cautious about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/the-managing-editor-shared-bernstein-s-fondness-for-doping-things-out/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“But you're absolutely sure we're right?' The question carried an intensity absent from the previous conversation. 'I remember talking with Henry Kissinger,' she continued,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/but-you-re-absolutely-sure-we-re-right-the-question-carried-an/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“Woodward, a registered Republican, did not vote. He couldn't decide whether he was more uneasy with the disorganization and naïve idealism of McGovern's campaign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/woodward-a-registered-republican-did-not-vote-he-couldn-t-decide/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“It was 9:30 P.M., just an hour from deadline for the second edition. Woodward began typing: A $25,000 cashier's check, apparently earmarked for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/it-was-9-30-p-m-just-an-hour-from-deadline-for-the-second-edition/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [You guys even real cops? You look like kids in Halloween. -Domingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/21-jump-street/you-guys-even-real-cops-you-look-like-kids-in-halloween-domingo/) [21 Jump Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/21-jump-street/) > [Blue uniforms are real. Cops are a social fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/blue-uniforms-are-real-cops-are-a-social-fiction/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [You talk to the real cops and they say ninety percent of it is paperwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/you-talk-to-the-real-cops-and-they-say-ninety-percent-of-it-is/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [One thing I would say is real cops have real gallows senses of humor and make incredibly funny and inappropriate jokes in the presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-goor/one-thing-i-would-say-is-real-cops-have-real-gallows-senses-of-humor/) [Daniel J. Goor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-goor/) > [I know real cops. When they're paired up together, they get so close, you know? There's no excuse for it, but these guys do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-johnson/i-know-real-cops-when-they-re-paired-up-together-they-get-so-close/) [Kenny Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-johnson/) > [I wanted 'Southland' to feel immediate, like a ride-along, and to make it the closest thing possible to a cop reality show. We've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-chulack/i-wanted-southland-to-feel-immediate-like-a-ride-along-and-to-make-it/) [Christopher Chulack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-chulack/) > [“Hundreds more staff could join the ship in an emergency. (One young Navy ROTC officer, Bob Woodward, who went on to be a prizewinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/hundreds-more-staff-could-join-the-ship-in-an-emergency-one-young/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) ## More by Carl Bernstein > [I think all good reporting is the same thing - the best attainable version of the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/i-think-all-good-reporting-is-the-same-thing-the-best-attainable/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [ The reality is that the media are probably the most powerful of all our institutions today and they, or rather we \[journalists\], too often… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/the-reality-is-that-the-media-are-probably-the-most-powerful-of-all/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [If you are a great news organization, you can't have the best obtainable version of the truth if your vision and your scale is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/if-you-are-a-great-news-organization-you-can-t-have-the-best/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“The people of the United States are entitled to assume that their President is telling the truth. The pattern of misrepresentation and half-truths that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/the-people-of-the-united-states-are-entitled-to-assume-that-their/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“The August 1 story had carried their joint byline; the day afterward, Woodward asked Sussman if Bernstein's name could appear with his on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/the-august-1-story-had-carried-their-joint-byline-the-day-afterward/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [The failures of the press have contributed immensely to the emergence of a talk-show nation, in which public discourse is reduced to ranting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/the-failures-of-the-press-have-contributed-immensely-to-the-emergence/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [The most important ethical issues and the most difficult ones are the human ones because a reporter has enormous power to hurt people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/the-most-important-ethical-issues-and-the-most-difficult-ones-are-the/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [There had always been black people in and out of our house, and from the outset I had been taught that for them life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/there-had-always-been-black-people-in-and-out-of-our-house-and-from/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“The managing editor shared Bernstein's fondness for doping things out on the basis of sketchy information. At the same time, he was cautious about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/the-managing-editor-shared-bernstein-s-fondness-for-doping-things-out/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [Donald Trump is american neo-fascist. The word "neo" meaning "new", has a lot to do with it, a new kind of fascist in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/donald-trump-is-american-neo-fascist-the-word-neo-meaning-new-has-a/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [For the first time, the weird and the stupid and the coarse are becoming our cultural norms, even our cultural ideal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/for-the-first-time-the-weird-and-the-stupid-and-the-coarse-are/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [The Congress is a dysfunctional institution; it's broken. One of our three branches of government is broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/the-congress-is-a-dysfunctional-institution-it-s-broken-one-of-our/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“They walked across 15th Street to the Madison Hotel's Montpelier Room, an opulent French restaurant. Bradlee asked for a corner table, and began the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/they-walked-across-15th-street-to-the-madison-hotel-s-montpelier-room/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“Rosenfeld runs the metropolitan staff, the Post's largest, like a football coach. He prods his players, letting them know that he has promised the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/rosenfeld-runs-the-metropolitan-staff-the-post-s-largest-like-a/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [“The story was solid. Howard Simons ordered the front page remade for the second edition. Bernstein was more shaken by all this than by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/the-story-was-solid-howard-simons-ordered-the-front-page-remade-for/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) [Explore all 62 Carl Bernstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) ## More Journalism quotes > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [One lesson to learn is that the press and the broadcasters are not neutral. And it seems we have to learn it each time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/one-lesson-to-learn-is-that-the-press-and-the-broadcasters-are-not/) [Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/) > [If you want to change something by Tuesday, theater is no good. Journalism is what does that. But, if you want to just alter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-you-want-to-change-something-by-tuesday-theater-is-no-good/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Newspapers have an extraordinary amount of local content, including real estate listings and restaurant reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/newspapers-have-an-extraordinary-amount-of-local-content-including/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Drill in exact translation is an excellent way of disposing the mind against that looseness and exaggeration with which the sensationalists have corrupted our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/drill-in-exact-translation-is-an-excellent-way-of-disposing-the-mind/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [People think they're getting objective information, but they're not. They're getting news wrapped up in opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/people-think-they-re-getting-objective-information-but-they-re-not/) [Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/) [Browse all 8,189 Journalism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Hardly unaware of his image, Bradlee even cultivated it. He delighted in displaying his street savvy, telling a reporter to get his ass moving and talk to some real cops, not lieutenants and captains behind a desk; then rising to greet some visiting dignitary from Le Monde or L'Express in formal, flawless French, complete with a peck on each cheek. -- Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Bernstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/hardly-unaware-of-his-image-bradlee-even-cultivated-it-he-delighted/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Journalism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/hardly-unaware-of-his-image-bradlee-even-cultivated-it-he-delighted/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/carl-bernstein-10988_journalism_hardly-unaware-of-his-image-bradlee-even_3075887.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/carl-bernstein-10988_journalism_hardly-unaware-of-his-image-bradlee-even_3075887.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/carl-bernstein-10988_journalism_hardly-unaware-of-his-image-bradlee-even_3075887.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hardly unaware of his image, Bradlee even cultivated it. He delighted in displaying his street savvy…” — Carl Bernstein", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Carl Bernstein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Hardly unaware of his image, Bradlee...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/hardly-unaware-of-his-image-bradlee-even-cultivated-it-he-delighted/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/hardly-unaware-of-his-image-bradlee-even-cultivated-it-he-delighted/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```