--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was really just the tea boy to begin…" description: "\"I was really just the tea boy to begin with, or the equivalent thereof, but I quickly announced, innocently but very ambitiously, that I wanted to be, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/christiane-amanpour-13266_journalism_i-was-really-just-the-tea-boy-to-begin-w_2512872.jpg" --- # I was really just the tea boy to begin with, or the… ![“I was really just the tea boy to begin with, or the equivalent thereof, but I quickly announced, innocently but very ambitiously, that I wanted to be, I was going to be, a foreign correspondent.” quote by Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/christiane-amanpour-13266_journalism_i-was-really-just-the-tea-boy-to-begin-w_2512872.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/christiane-amanpour-13266_journalism_i-was-really-just-the-tea-boy-to-begin-w_2512872.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/christiane-amanpour-13266_journalism_i-was-really-just-the-tea-boy-to-begin-w_2512872.jpg) > “I was really just the tea boy to begin with, or the equivalent thereof, but I quickly announced, innocently but very ambitiously, that I wanted to be, I was going to be, a foreign correspondent.” [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A young journalist aspired to be a foreign correspondent, announcing ambitious goals early on. **In simple terms:** Early ambition to become a foreign correspondent. Key Takeaway Pursue bold career goals early. Themes career ambition journalism goal setting Mood inspirational determined Type career personal development When to use this quote - media internships - study abroad - networking Key Concepts foreign reporting ambition career planning Questions to Reflect On - What steps did you take to achieve this? - How did early ambition shape your path? A Different Perspective Ambition may clash with realistic pathways. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambitiously Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitiously-wanted-1172363/) [Announced Innocently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/announced-innocently-1172362/) [Foreign Correspondent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-correspondent-623849/) [Going Foreign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-foreign-1172361/) [Innocently Ambitiously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocently-ambitiously-1172360/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) ## Related quotes > [Going to a foreign country, winning championships, having a statue, getting a green card, the key to the city, a museum - that's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephon-marbury/going-to-a-foreign-country-winning-championships-having-a-statue/) [Stephon Marbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephon-marbury/) > [New York is not going to be a foreign place to me. They didn't revoke my visa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-factor/new-york-is-not-going-to-be-a-foreign-place-to-me-they-didn-t-revoke/) [Mallory Factor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-factor/) > [After Cannes every year, I end up going to some foreign country I've never been to before and introducing myself to a new religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-rodriguez/after-cannes-every-year-i-end-up-going-to-some-foreign-country-i-ve/) [Michelle Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-rodriguez/) > [There is a difference between the stuff that people put online themselves, like pictures and their trips and flights and meals they've eaten, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikko-hypponen/there-is-a-difference-between-the-stuff-that-people-put-online/) [Mikko Hypponen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikko-hypponen/) > [“an old Underwood office machine so big and black and ancient it looked as though it should come with a foreign correspondent attached.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/an-old-underwood-office-machine-so-big-and-black-and-ancient-it/) [Donald E. 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I don't have the luxury of calling myself a foreign correspondent and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-work-for-a-big-newspaper-and-i-guess-i-m-an-insider-i-don-t-have/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [I had been a foreign correspondent in Japan for the 'Wall Street Journal' when my editor there became Washington bureau chief - this was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chozick/i-had-been-a-foreign-correspondent-in-japan-for-the-wall-street/) [Amy Chozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chozick/) > [I was a foreign correspondent in Berlin in the mid-'90s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/i-was-a-foreign-correspondent-in-berlin-in-the-mid-90s/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [I figured if I could put together being funny about stuff and actual events, maybe I could do something that wasn't being done much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-figured-if-i-could-put-together-being-funny-about-stuff-and-actual/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [A foreign correspondent, after talking to me for a while, once said: "You don't seem smart enough to be so good at what you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/a-foreign-correspondent-after-talking-to-me-for-a-while-once-said-you/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I think I'm still chewing on my years as a foreign correspondent. I found myself covering catastrophes - war, uprising, famine, refugee crises -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/i-think-i-m-still-chewing-on-my-years-as-a-foreign-correspondent-i/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [You can learn all about the human condition from covering the crime beat in a big city - you don't need to go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/you-can-learn-all-about-the-human-condition-from-covering-the-crime/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“The foreign correspondent is frequently the only means of getting an important story told, or of drawing the world's attention to disasters in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/the-foreign-correspondent-is-frequently-the-only-means-of-getting-an/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [The endeavor of being a foreign correspondent means that you will never be their equal. And that has its pros and cons. Were you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjan-sundaram/the-endeavor-of-being-a-foreign-correspondent-means-that-you-will/) [Anjan Sundaram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjan-sundaram/) ## More by Christiane Amanpour > [And then theres always the crying and the weeping that we hear-children, women, even men. And these images and these sounds are always with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/and-then-theres-always-the-crying-and-the-weeping-that-we-hear/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [My view is that when lies become mixed up with the truth, it's a very dangerous world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/my-view-is-that-when-lies-become-mixed-up-with-the-truth-it-s-a-very/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [And I believe that good journalism, good television, can make our world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/and-i-believe-that-good-journalism-good-television-can-make-our-world/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [I strongly believe that journalism is one of the most noble professions, because without an informed world, and without an informed society, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/i-strongly-believe-that-journalism-is-one-of-the-most-noble/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [In Iran the whole reform and democracy movement has been based on the emerging free press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-iran-the-whole-reform-and-democracy-movement-has-been-based-on-the/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [But to be self-obsessed is simply not o.k. for the most important country in the world, the United States, which affects every other country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/but-to-be-self-obsessed-is-simply-not-o-k-for-the-most-important/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Because if we the storytellers don't do this, then the bad people will win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/because-if-we-the-storytellers-don-t-do-this-then-the-bad-people-will/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [In emerging democracies like Russia, in authoritarian states like Iran or even Yugoslavia, journalists play a vital role in civil society. In fact, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-emerging-democracies-like-russia-in-authoritarian-states-like-iran/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Our industry has invested so much money in technology that perhaps it's time to invest in talent, in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/our-industry-has-invested-so-much-money-in-technology-that-perhaps-it/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [What we do and say and show really matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/what-we-do-and-say-and-show-really-matters/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [But 17 years ago, I arrived at CNN with a suitcase, with my bicycle, and with about 100 dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/but-17-years-ago-i-arrived-at-cnn-with-a-suitcase-with-my-bicycle-and/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [If you have a child, I said, you have a responsibility at least to stay alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/if-you-have-a-child-i-said-you-have-a-responsibility-at-least-to-stay/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [I am no longer sure that when I go out there and do my job it'll even see the light of air, if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/i-am-no-longer-sure-that-when-i-go-out-there-and-do-my-job-it-ll-even/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [What you do, what you say, how you react to critical situations defines not just the moment, but it defines and shapes you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/what-you-do-what-you-say-how-you-react-to-critical-situations-defines/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) [Explore all 51 Christiane Amanpour quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) ## 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. 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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": "I was really just the tea boy to begin with, or the equivalent thereof, but I quickly announced, innocently but very ambitiously, that I wanted to be, I was going to be, a foreign correspondent.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christiane Amanpour" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/i-was-really-just-the-tea-boy-to-begin-with-or-the-equivalent-thereof/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Journalism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/i-was-really-just-the-tea-boy-to-begin-with-or-the-equivalent-thereof/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/christiane-amanpour-13266_journalism_i-was-really-just-the-tea-boy-to-begin-w_2512872.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/christiane-amanpour-13266_journalism_i-was-really-just-the-tea-boy-to-begin-w_2512872.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/christiane-amanpour-13266_journalism_i-was-really-just-the-tea-boy-to-begin-w_2512872.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was really just the tea boy to begin with, or the equivalent thereof, but I quickly announced, innocently…” — Christiane Amanpour", "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": "Christiane Amanpour", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was really just the tea...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/i-was-really-just-the-tea-boy-to-begin-with-or-the-equivalent-thereof/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/i-was-really-just-the-tea-boy-to-begin-with-or-the-equivalent-thereof/#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 } } ] } ```