--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I loved journalism until the day my…" description: "\"I loved journalism until the day my journalism teacher, a man I revered, came by my desk and said, 'Are you planning on going into journalism?' I said,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/ed-asner-14022_desks_i-loved-journalism-until-the-day-my-jour_1630428.jpg" --- # I loved journalism until the day my journalism teacher, a… ![“I loved journalism until the day my journalism teacher, a man I revered, came by my desk and said, 'Are you planning on going into journalism?' I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'I wouldn't.' I said, 'Well, why not?' He said, 'You can't make a living.'” quote by Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/ed-asner-14022_desks_i-loved-journalism-until-the-day-my-jour_1630428.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/ed-asner-14022_desks_i-loved-journalism-until-the-day-my-jour_1630428.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/ed-asner-14022_desks_i-loved-journalism-until-the-day-my-jour_1630428.jpg) > “I loved journalism until the day my journalism teacher, a man I revered, came by my desk and said, 'Are you planning on going into journalism?' I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'I wouldn't.' I said, 'Well, why not?' He said, 'You can't make a living.'” [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker recounts a mentor discouraging a journalism career, highlighting how authority figures can unintentionally stifle ambition. **In simple terms:** A mentor warned against journalism, causing doubt. Key Takeaway Question advice from authority; trust your own path. Themes career mentorship self‑doubt Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice career‑cautionary When to use this quote - career decisions - education - personal growth - industry expectations Key Concepts Professional guidance risk of discouragement Questions to Reflect On - Should you follow or reject mentor advice? - How to evaluate career risks? A Different Perspective Advice may reflect personal bias, not universal truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Day Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-journalism-477276/) [Desks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desks/) [Going Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-journalism-477273/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Journalism Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism-said-477275/) [Journalism Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism-teacher-477272/) [Loved Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-journalism-477274/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planning/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Why not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why-not/) [Yeah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yeah/) ## Related quotes > [“The fact is, parents and schools and cultures can and do shape people. 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I graduated with debt, but it was manageable, and I set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/i-came-of-age-when-jobs-were-plentiful-and-college-not-exorbitantly/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [I don't want to paint everybody with the same broad brush. But I do think that the majority of folks now in the briefing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-spicer/i-don-t-want-to-paint-everybody-with-the-same-broad-brush-but-i-do/) [Sean Spicer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-spicer/) > [There is a shortage of clerks. 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Going to journalism school, learning how to write, working your way up in a little paper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/journalism-today-is-obviously-in-a-major-transition-going-to/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [Ireland starts for me with the end of 'The Dead,' which my father read to me from his desk in his basement office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/ireland-starts-for-me-with-the-end-of-the-dead-which-my-father-read/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [In luggage claim at the Minneapolis airport, the guy came up to me and said, "Maybe you're wrong, maybe stories do matter." I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/in-luggage-claim-at-the-minneapolis-airport-the-guy-came-up-to-me-and/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [Reagan was sitting up at Cath's desk when Cath woke up. "Are you awake?" "Have you been watching me sleep?" "Yes, Bella. Are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/reagan-was-sitting-up-at-cath-s-desk-when-cath-woke-up-are-you-awake/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [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/) > [“He blinked. His eyes fell as he processed her response. Then he lifted his chin and attempted a grin that was almost painfully dejected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/he-blinked-his-eyes-fell-as-he-processed-her-response-then-he-lifted/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) ## More by Ed Asner > [All capitalists should be like Warren Buffett, and he says he should be taxed more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/all-capitalists-should-be-like-warren-buffett-and-he-says-he-should/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [There are genuinely sufficient resources in the world to ensure that no one, nowhere, at no time, should go hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/there-are-genuinely-sufficient-resources-in-the-world-to-ensure-that/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [The older I've gotten, the more the need to exert comedy no matter how tragic a character I may be portraying because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/the-older-i-ve-gotten-the-more-the-need-to-exert-comedy-no-matter-how/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [“And there you have your Founders and Framers in all their elite glory—the 1 percent of their time. Many spent more than they made.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/and-there-you-have-your-founders-and-framers-in-all-their-elite-glory/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [To my knowledge, there is no blacklist. But there is a mindset, even among liberal producers, that says 'He may be difficult so let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/to-my-knowledge-there-is-no-blacklist-but-there-is-a-mindset-even/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [I've never stopped loving cartoons. I loved cartoons as a kid. I can still look at them and enjoy them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/i-ve-never-stopped-loving-cartoons-i-loved-cartoons-as-a-kid-i-can/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [The treasure shouldn't do the hunting, and you're a treasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/the-treasure-shouldn-t-do-the-hunting-and-you-re-a-treasure/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [Always keep yourself engaged, in theater, in whatever job you can get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/always-keep-yourself-engaged-in-theater-in-whatever-job-you-can-get/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [If you can't get an acting job, then go backstage. Or take tickets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/if-you-can-t-get-an-acting-job-then-go-backstage-or-take-tickets/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [“Of all the Founders, Adams may have been the most churchgoing. But as a Unitarian, he did not believe in the Holy Trinity, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/of-all-the-founders-adams-may-have-been-the-most-churchgoing-but-as-a/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [I went into acting as psychotherapy, and it's still a work in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/i-went-into-acting-as-psychotherapy-and-it-s-still-a-work-in-progress/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [Never thought acting was something you could make a living at. It wasn't until I was in college, and got a lead in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/never-thought-acting-was-something-you-could-make-a-living-at-it-wasn/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [“Pissed off by the lies, misrepresentations, and outright horseshit, I decided it was time to strike back. It was time to reclaim the Constitution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/pissed-off-by-the-lies-misrepresentations-and-outright-horseshit-i/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [Some of my earliest political feelings were based on the anti-Japanese bubblegum cards I got. There were also Spanish Civil War bubblegum cards. Awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/some-of-my-earliest-political-feelings-were-based-on-the-anti/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [“Roughly speaking: more than forty held government bonds. More than twenty were moneylenders. Over fifteen were slave owners. The rest an assortment of land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/roughly-speaking-more-than-forty-held-government-bonds-more-than/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) [Explore all 48 Ed Asner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) ## More Desks quotes > [“He blinked. His eyes fell as he processed her response. Then he lifted his chin and attempted a grin that was almost painfully dejected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/he-blinked-his-eyes-fell-as-he-processed-her-response-then-he-lifted/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [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/) > [Reagan was sitting up at Cath's desk when Cath woke up. "Are you awake?" "Have you been watching me sleep?" "Yes, Bella. Are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/reagan-was-sitting-up-at-cath-s-desk-when-cath-woke-up-are-you-awake/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [In luggage claim at the Minneapolis airport, the guy came up to me and said, "Maybe you're wrong, maybe stories do matter." I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/in-luggage-claim-at-the-minneapolis-airport-the-guy-came-up-to-me-and/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [Ireland starts for me with the end of 'The Dead,' which my father read to me from his desk in his basement office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/ireland-starts-for-me-with-the-end-of-the-dead-which-my-father-read/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [Grandfather / advised me: / Learn a trade / I learned / to sit at desk / and condense / No layoff / from this / condensery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorine-niedecker/grandfather-advised-me-learn-a-trade-i-learned-to-sit-at-desk-and/) [Lorine Niedecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorine-niedecker/) > [The writer's Queen Victoria is his public, and he would do well to keep a bust of the old Queen on his desk with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-watson-fowler/the-writer-s-queen-victoria-is-his-public-and-he-would-do-well-to/) [Henry Watson Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-watson-fowler/) > [But what struck me was the book-madness of the place--books lay scattered across the unmade bed and the top of a battered-looking desk, books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-millhauser/but-what-struck-me-was-the-book-madness-of-the-place-books-lay/) [Steven Millhauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-millhauser/) > [These are the men who, without virtue, labour, or hazard, are growing rich, as their country is impoverished; they rejoice, when obstinacy or ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/these-are-the-men-who-without-virtue-labour-or-hazard-are-growing/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [As long as I sit at Henry Clay's desk, I will remember his lifelong desire to forge agreement, but I will also keep close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/as-long-as-i-sit-at-henry-clay-s-desk-i-will-remember-his-lifelong/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [At this point two elderly security guards in parkas, the guys who normally work the front desk at the plant, asked John to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/at-this-point-two-elderly-security-guards-in-parkas-the-guys-who/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Albert and I would spend hours and hours looking at them. 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Why can't they move Sunday to the middle of the week so you could put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/sometimes-there-s-nothing-but-sundays-for-weeks-on-end-why-can-t-they/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) [Browse all 652 Desks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I loved journalism until the day my journalism teacher, a man I revered, came by my desk and said, 'Are you planning on going into journalism?' I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'I wouldn't.' I said, 'Well, why not?' 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