--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Are you telling me that the polite little…" description: "\"Are you telling me that the polite little note I sent my college alumni magazine has, by some unbeknownst series of errors, come to be printed in The P..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/603/frank-bruni-16963_alumni_are-you-telling-me-that-the-polite-littl_2243789.jpg" --- # Are you telling me that the polite little note I sent my… ![“Are you telling me that the polite little note I sent my college alumni magazine has, by some unbeknownst series of errors, come to be printed in The Paper of Record, instead? What a fiasco!” quote by Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/603/frank-bruni-16963_alumni_are-you-telling-me-that-the-polite-littl_2243789.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/603/frank-bruni-16963_alumni_are-you-telling-me-that-the-polite-littl_2243789.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/603/frank-bruni-16963_alumni_are-you-telling-me-that-the-polite-littl_2243789.jpg) > “Are you telling me that the polite little note I sent my college alumni magazine has, by some unbeknownst series of errors, come to be printed in The Paper of Record, instead? What a fiasco!” [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A small mistake in a college alumni note led to a major publishing error, causing embarrassment. **In simple terms:** Minor errors can cause big public mishaps. Key Takeaway Proofread carefully before submission. Themes error communication embarrassment Mood frustrated humorous Type analytical critical When to use this quote - magazine publishing - college alumni newsletters - media corrections - corporate communications Key Concepts journalism editing public relations Questions to Reflect On - How can you prevent such errors? - What processes improve editorial accuracy? A Different Perspective Human error is inevitable; over‑editing can delay release. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alumni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alumni/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Errors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/errors/) [Errors Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/errors-come-343665/) [Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiasco/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Magazines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magazines/) [Note Sent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/note-sent-5097982/) [Notes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notes/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Paper Record](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper-record-2312071/) [Polite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polite/) [Printed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/printed/) [Printed Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/printed-paper-1918119/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Series](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/series/) ## Related quotes > [An important document of the paper of record at a crucial, make-or-break juncture in its long, glorious history, and a love letter to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-rabin/an-important-document-of-the-paper-of-record-at-a-crucial-make-or/) [Nathan Rabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-rabin/) > [“Whence then come my errors? They come from the sole fact that since the will is much wider in its range and compass than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/whence-then-come-my-errors-they-come-from-the-sole-fact-that-since/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Nothing chased nightmares away faster than the rustle of printed paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/nothing-chased-nightmares-away-faster-than-the-rustle-of-printed-paper/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Drunken talk isn’t meant to be printed in the paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-charles/drunken-talk-isn-t-meant-to-be-printed-in-the-paper/) [Ray Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-charles/) > [My mother had always told her kids: if you're about to do something, and you want to know if it's a bad idea, imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-mother-had-always-told-her-kids-if-you-re-about-to-do-something/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Nothing chased nightmares away faster than the rustle of printed paper. But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/nothing-chased-nightmares-away-faster-than-the-rustle-of-printed/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Greatness and fiasco is the same. You're reaching for something just out of your grasp, and if you get it, it's great, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/greatness-and-fiasco-is-the-same-you-re-reaching-for-something-just/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [I was a fitness fiasco - until I found Pilates . . . It's been the most gentle on my body I'm longer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/i-was-a-fitness-fiasco-until-i-found-pilates-it-s-been-the-most/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [The murder rate in Chicago is skyrocketing and you see who's doing it and perpetrating it, they all look like Chief Keef.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/the-murder-rate-in-chicago-is-skyrocketing-and-you-see-who-s-doing-it/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [Enough of this foreign fiasco distraction. Get back to work. 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There will be some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/once-you-ve-been-on-tour-six-seven-years-you-get-an-idea-of-what/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [The degree of sympathy we feel regarding another's fiasco is directly proportional to how easy or difficult it is for us to imagine ourselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/the-degree-of-sympathy-we-feel-regarding-another-s-fiasco-is-directly/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [There's always the possibility of a fiasco. But there's also the possibility of bliss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/there-s-always-the-possibility-of-a-fiasco-but-there-s-also-the/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## More by Frank Bruni > [We are constantly bemoaning that we have two nominees, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, who are when you put them together as unpopular a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/we-are-constantly-bemoaning-that-we-have-two-nominees-hillary-clinton/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [“Books are personal, passionate. They stir emotions and spark thought in a manner all their own, and I'm convinced that the shattered world has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/books-are-personal-passionate-they-stir-emotions-and-spark-thought-in/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [We still write too many stories that are "state of the race" stories that are informed almost solely by what the polling shows and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/we-still-write-too-many-stories-that-are-state-of-the-race-stories/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [But fairness is where we’re heading, at least in regard to marriage, which has emerged as the terrain on which Americans are hashing out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/but-fairness-is-where-we-re-heading-at-least-in-regard-to-marriage/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [Campaigns waged with lies presage governments racked by distrust. 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I mean it's funny because we've been harping on polls like never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/i-think-the-donald-trump-s-obsession-is-is-bigger-than-just-polling-i/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [You're encouraging a response in citizens and the public, that has nothing to do with an informed decision, that has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/you-re-encouraging-a-response-in-citizens-and-the-public-that-has/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [Writers and reporters need to remind themselves they're not to be judged solely by the number of clicks or eyeballs on a given story,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/writers-and-reporters-need-to-remind-themselves-they-re-not-to-be/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [Another way in which our system is unfair. 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