--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All you have to do [to win a Pulitzer…" description: "\"All you have to do [to win a Pulitzer Prize] is spend your life running from one awful place to another, write about every horrible thing you see. The ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/david-baldacci-1558_appreciation_all-you-have-to-do-to-win-a-pulitzer-pri_3158264.jpg" --- # All you have to do \[to win a Pulitzer Prize\] is spend your… ![“All you have to do [to win a Pulitzer Prize] is spend your life running from one awful place to another, write about every horrible thing you see. The civilized world reads about it, then forgets it, but pats you on the head for doing it and gives you a reward as appreciation for changing nothing.” quote by David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/david-baldacci-1558_appreciation_all-you-have-to-do-to-win-a-pulitzer-pri_3158264.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/david-baldacci-1558_appreciation_all-you-have-to-do-to-win-a-pulitzer-pri_3158264.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/david-baldacci-1558_appreciation_all-you-have-to-do-to-win-a-pulitzer-pri_3158264.jpg) > “All you have to do \[to win a Pulitzer Prize\] is spend your life running from one awful place to another, write about every horrible thing you see. The civilized world reads about it, then forgets it, but pats you on the head for doing it and gives you a reward as appreciation for changing nothing.” [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Winning prestigious awards often involves exposing harsh realities, yet society may acknowledge the work without acting on its lessons. **In simple terms:** Awards recognize exposure of suffering, not action. Key Takeaway Seek impact beyond accolades. Themes journalism award culture social inertia Mood critical motivational Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - non‑profit advocacy - policy reform - public awareness campaigns Key Concepts ethics media influence Questions to Reflect On - How can creators ensure their work drives real change? - What responsibilities do audiences have? A Different Perspective Recognition can be superficial without systemic change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appreciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Reward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reward/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I would like to win the Pulitzer Prize. I would like to win the Nobel Prize. I would like to win a Tony award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-like-to-win-the-pulitzer-prize-i-would-like-to-win-the-nobel/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You become a great composer when you win a Pulitzer. But I think that now it's a completely meaningless award.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-corigliano/you-become-a-great-composer-when-you-win-a-pulitzer-but-i-think-that/) [John Corigliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-corigliano/) > [There is this aura that the three-act play is the important one: it's the one that you do to win the Pulitzer. Some part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/there-is-this-aura-that-the-three-act-play-is-the-important-one-it-s/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [My eyes widened at the ball of orange fluff squeezing out from under the counter, blinking and stretching. I looked again, not believing. “It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/my-eyes-widened-at-the-ball-of-orange-fluff-squeezing-out-from-under/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [I think that the Pulitzer Prize is definitely a blessing, but it's also a curse. Because I think that it is a blessing because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nilo-cruz/i-think-that-the-pulitzer-prize-is-definitely-a-blessing-but-it-s/) [Nilo Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nilo-cruz/) > [Every compulsion is put upon writers to become safe, polite, obedient, and sterile. In protest, I declined election to the National Institute of Arts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/every-compulsion-is-put-upon-writers-to-become-safe-polite-obedient/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [One thing about winning a Pulitzer, it means you know what the first three words of your obituary will be: Pulitzer Prize-winner. After winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-page/one-thing-about-winning-a-pulitzer-it-means-you-know-what-the-first/) [Clarence Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-page/) > [If I were a writer, the Pulitzer Prize would be important to me. This is my profession, so an Oscar is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/if-i-were-a-writer-the-pulitzer-prize-would-be-important-to-me-this/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [The paper nominated me 12 or 13 times for the Pulitzer Prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/the-paper-nominated-me-12-or-13-times-for-the-pulitzer-prize/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [“The resulting article—an almost hour-by-hour reconstruction of the massacre—was published across four full pages of The New York Times on September 26, 1982; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/the-resulting-article-an-almost-hour-by-hour-reconstruction-of-the/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [When I look at Perfidia, I think, "That's a Pulitzer Prize winner. That's a National Book Award winner." It's not going to get it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/when-i-look-at-perfidia-i-think-that-s-a-pulitzer-prize-winner-that-s/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [I was with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq, really in the middle of nowhere, about 80 miles south of Baghdad. And it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/i-was-with-the-101st-airborne-division-in-iraq-really-in-the-middle/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [The Pulitzer Prize is an idea; it's a vote of confidence. Like literature, it exists purely in the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/the-pulitzer-prize-is-an-idea-it-s-a-vote-of-confidence-like/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“Annie Dillard was a pioneer in her Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1974. Among other notable examples are David…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/annie-dillard-was-a-pioneer-in-her-pilgrim-at-tinker-creek-which-won/) [Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/) > [The Pulitzer Prize was established when Joseph Pulitzer died in 1911, leaving a bequest to create the eponymous award. An immigrant from Hungary, Pulitzer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/the-pulitzer-prize-was-established-when-joseph-pulitzer-died-in-1911/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) ## More by David Baldacci > [Why waste time trying to discover the truth, when you can so easily create it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/why-waste-time-trying-to-discover-the-truth-when-you-can-so-easily/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [It's the hardest thing in the world to put yourself in someone else's place, try to really feel what they feel, figure out why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/it-s-the-hardest-thing-in-the-world-to-put-yourself-in-someone-else-s/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [“That’s what’s called a ‘valley fill.’ What they fill it with the coal companies call ‘overburden.’ That’s basically everything they tore off the land:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/that-s-what-s-called-a-valley-fill-what-they-fill-it-with-the-coal/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [But if I worried too much about publishers' expectations, I'd probably paralyze myself and not be able to write anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/but-if-i-worried-too-much-about-publishers-expectations-i-d-probably/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [That's what civilization sometimes did to threats, real or perceived. They walled them off. Us against them. Survival of the fittest. You die so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/that-s-what-civilization-sometimes-did-to-threats-real-or-perceived/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [“You could have been a great scientist or something. Or a writer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/you-could-have-been-a-great-scientist-or-something-or-a-writer/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [“That’s good to hear, Billy. Kids have enough shit to deal with without somebody who is supposed to love them beating the crap out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/that-s-good-to-hear-billy-kids-have-enough-shit-to-deal-with-without/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [Most people associate reading with laying on the beach. They don't see that it's crucial for a democracy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/most-people-associate-reading-with-laying-on-the-beach-they-don-t-see/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [I'm ever curious about the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/i-m-ever-curious-about-the-world/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [“There was a time when Stone would have rated a platoon of crackerjack killers coming for him by land, sea and air. Those days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/there-was-a-time-when-stone-would-have-rated-a-platoon-of-crackerjack/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [I'm driven to go out and find new things to write about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/i-m-driven-to-go-out-and-find-new-things-to-write-about/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [It's hard, Cotton. To let yourself love something you know you may never have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/it-s-hard-cotton-to-let-yourself-love-something-you-know-you-may/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [I'm a wicked ping-pong player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/i-m-a-wicked-ping-pong-player/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [“He could compartmentalize at an astonishing level. It came from not giving a shit. And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/he-could-compartmentalize-at-an-astonishing-level-it-came-from-not/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [“two unconscious, bleeding men and then over at the girl behind the bar. She was staring at him openmouthed, the glass-rag and beer mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/two-unconscious-bleeding-men-and-then-over-at-the-girl-behind-the-bar/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) [Explore all 214 David Baldacci quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) ## More Appreciation quotes > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Stop chasing the things you want and embrace all that you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-chasing-the-things-you-want-and-embrace-all-that-you-already-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/appreciation-is-the-purest-vibration-that-exists-on-the-planet-today/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“My thank-yous always come out rather labored. I often don't give them at all. People do what they're supposed to do and then wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-thank-yous-always-come-out-rather-labored-i-often-don-t-give-them/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Like gratitude, authentic appreciation in the workplace is a realisation that can be nurtured and accessed with daily mindful practice. By and large, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dines/like-gratitude-authentic-appreciation-in-the-workplace-is-a/) [Christopher Dines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dines/) > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Recognize and appreciate little things, and enjoy what Life has to offer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-nikko-caharian-iii/recognize-and-appreciate-little-things-and-enjoy-what-life-has-to/) Cesar Nikko Caharian III > [Men, when it comes to women, value diamonds and put no stock into copper. Diamonds are rare. You can find copper anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/men-when-it-comes-to-women-value-diamonds-and-put-no-stock-into/) Enhance Dreams > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) [Browse all 2,528 Appreciation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All you have to do [to win a Pulitzer Prize] is spend your life running from one awful place to another, write about every horrible thing you see. 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