---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't read \"letters\" sections of…"
description: "\"I don't read \"letters\" sections of magazines, but I'll read anyone's blog post about me.\" — Joel Stein"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/joel-stein-12345_blogs_i-don-t-read-letters-sections-of-magazin_331913.jpg"
---

#  I don't read "letters" sections of magazines, but I'll…

![“I don't read &quot;letters&quot; sections of magazines, but I'll read anyone's blog post about me.” quote by Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/joel-stein-12345_blogs_i-don-t-read-letters-sections-of-magazin_331913.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/joel-stein-12345_blogs_i-don-t-read-letters-sections-of-magazin_331913.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/joel-stein-12345_blogs_i-don-t-read-letters-sections-of-magazin_331913.jpg)

> “I don't read "letters" sections of magazines, but I'll read anyone's blog post about me.”

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People are more interested in personal gossip about themselves than in general content.

**In simple terms:** People love reading about themselves.

Key Takeaway

Focus on personal relevance.

Themes

media personal interest gossip

Mood

witty observational

Type

humorous critical

When to use this quote

- blog comments
- social media
- customer feedback
- marketing copy

Key Concepts

Psychology communication

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do readers gravitate to personal mentions?
- How can writers balance personal and universal content?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on self can limit broader insight.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Blogs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blogs/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't read the "letters" section of Time magazine. I think it's just my habit as a reader. I don't read comments on stories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-don-t-read-the-letters-section-of-time-magazine-i-think-it-s-just/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [I read a blog about this young filmmaker in the Philippines who made a short film, and one of the characters in the film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-syjuco/i-read-a-blog-about-this-young-filmmaker-in-the-philippines-who-made/)

[Miguel Syjuco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-syjuco/)

> [“search and read my blog at pankajsundali.blogspot.in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-sundali/search-and-read-my-blog-at-pankajsundali-blogspot-in/)

Pankaj Sundali

> [I'm writing down your favorite things to show you that I've read your letters again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-rocket-to-the-moon/i-m-writing-down-your-favorite-things-to-show-you-that-i-ve-read-your/)

[A Rocket To The Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-rocket-to-the-moon/)

> [“Letters to the Dead" We read the letters of the dead like puzzled gods -- gods nevertheless, because we know what happened later. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wis-awa-szymborska/letters-to-the-dead-we-read-the-letters-of-the-dead-like-puzzled-gods/)

[Wisława Szymborska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wis-awa-szymborska/)

> [Taft was Roosevelt's handpicked successor. I didn't know how deep the friendship was between the two men until I read their almost four hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/taft-was-roosevelt-s-handpicked-successor-i-didn-t-know-how-deep-the/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [Yes, I receive fan mail. One of my favorite things to do is sit down and read the letters people write. It's really amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisa-miller/yes-i-receive-fan-mail-one-of-my-favorite-things-to-do-is-sit-down/)

[Marisa Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisa-miller/)

> [“You mean you're going to send the same form letter to the Great Pumpkin, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny?" "Why not? These guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/you-mean-you-re-going-to-send-the-same-form-letter-to-the-great/)

[Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/)

> [In a heavy oppressive atmosphere, when the spirits sink too low, the best cordial is to read over all the letters of one's friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/in-a-heavy-oppressive-atmosphere-when-the-spirits-sink-too-low-the/)

[William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/)

> [“Do you mean to tell me that Mr. Trevor read my letter?” demanded Lady Buxted indignantly. “Your secretary?” “I employ him to read my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgette-heyer/do-you-mean-to-tell-me-that-mr-trevor-read-my-letter-demanded-lady/)

[Georgette Heyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgette-heyer/)

> [Who else but me is ever going to read these letters?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/who-else-but-me-is-ever-going-to-read-these-letters/)

[Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/)

> [“I ran after her, pulling at her arm; this felt like a violation more than anything else. “You can’t read my letters! You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/i-ran-after-her-pulling-at-her-arm-this-felt-like-a-violation-more/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“I read your letters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-carmack/i-read-your-letters/)

[Cora Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cora-carmack/)

> [My mom used to keep all her Christmas cards in a basket bedecked with red ribbon, and I loved to look at them all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/my-mom-used-to-keep-all-her-christmas-cards-in-a-basket-bedecked-with/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [It turns out that social networks drive a heck of a lot of traffic to blogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg/it-turns-out-that-social-networks-drive-a-heck-of-a-lot-of-traffic-to/)

[Matt Mullenweg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mullenweg/)

## More by Joel Stein

> [I want to be heavily tied to a city that I write for every week, that knows my stuff and I can interact with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-want-to-be-heavily-tied-to-a-city-that-i-write-for-every-week-that/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [I never thought to look at the New York Times one, even though I knew people were pissed off. I've seen YouTube videos from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-never-thought-to-look-at-the-new-york-times-one-even-though-i-knew/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [When wine drinkers tell me they taste notes of cherries, tobacco and rose petals, usually all I can detect is a whole lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/when-wine-drinkers-tell-me-they-taste-notes-of-cherries-tobacco-and/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [When Time got rid of my column, I thought it was all over. It was really sad. And then, I just started pushing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/when-time-got-rid-of-my-column-i-thought-it-was-all-over-it-was/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [ I have some idea that if I pick on \[boy band\] One Direction, I'll get a ton of hate mail, because I know that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-have-some-idea-that-if-i-pick-on-boy-band-one-direction-i-ll-get-a/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [I've definitely written people e-mails telling them I've loved their stories, but that seems more like a professional journalist thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-ve-definitely-written-people-e-mails-telling-them-i-ve-loved-their/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [I can't imagine what someone would write that would infuriate me. Maybe if my loved one had died of some disease and someone was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-can-t-imagine-what-someone-would-write-that-would-infuriate-me/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [People would ask if I wanted to host things and I was like, "No, I'm a writer, I don't host things." Just thinking I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/people-would-ask-if-i-wanted-to-host-things-and-i-was-like-no-i-m-a/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [I don't like to be in the forest. It's a weird thing. I've learned to have a general appreciation for nature, which has taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-don-t-like-to-be-in-the-forest-it-s-a-weird-thing-i-ve-learned-to/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [Early on, even in college, I figured out that it was just more interesting to me to create content than to write about other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/early-on-even-in-college-i-figured-out-that-it-was-just-more/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [I think I realized that Dave Barry was funnier than I'll ever be, and he made no attempt to make any actual points. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-think-i-realized-that-dave-barry-was-funnier-than-i-ll-ever-be-and/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [I always thought that being at Time and tweaking your bosses and exploiting your expense account was just fun. Just joyous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-always-thought-that-being-at-time-and-tweaking-your-bosses-and/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [I'm not that clued into what people are that touchy about and how many of them there are and how niche these niches are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-m-not-that-clued-into-what-people-are-that-touchy-about-and-how/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [I can't imagine deer hunting. I used to think I couldn't imagine deer hunting because killing a deer seemed so awful. But now I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-can-t-imagine-deer-hunting-i-used-to-think-i-couldn-t-imagine-deer/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

> [When I get real big volumes of hate mail, it's usually because I wrote something poorly. But it's also because some group told people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/when-i-get-real-big-volumes-of-hate-mail-it-s-usually-because-i-wrote/)

[Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

[Explore all 55 Joel Stein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/)

## More Blogs quotes

> [It turns out that social networks drive a heck of a lot of traffic to blogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg/it-turns-out-that-social-networks-drive-a-heck-of-a-lot-of-traffic-to/)

[Matt Mullenweg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mullenweg/)

> [Authors of published papers and editors of scientific journals can, unfortunately, be slow to come to terms with criticism, and it's good that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-gelman/authors-of-published-papers-and-editors-of-scientific-journals-can/)

Andrew Gelman

> [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Here's the point - and Jonah Goldberg reminds us of this. He wrote a blog post that was titled "The MacGuffinization of American Politics."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/here-s-the-point-and-jonah-goldberg-reminds-us-of-this-he-wrote-a/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [I have a blog where I keep in touch with my fans. I write about things that are important to me. Sometimes on there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-have-a-blog-where-i-keep-in-touch-with-my-fans-i-write-about-things/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I also like to use a sensational headline. Many people read blogs in aggregators, which generally show only the headline. So you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/i-also-like-to-use-a-sensational-headline-many-people-read-blogs-in/)

[Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/)

> [I get questions from Richard Sandomir at the New York Times or Michael Hiestand at USA Today about issues .., 'well, there's a blog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-buck/i-get-questions-from-richard-sandomir-at-the-new-york-times-or/)

[Joe Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-buck/)

> [If the word police want to come and get me, they can come and get me. If someone wants to blog about me, fine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-brennan/if-the-word-police-want-to-come-and-get-me-they-can-come-and-get-me/)

[Neal Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-brennan/)

> [The audience has spoken, they want stories. They're dying for them. They're rooting for us to give them the right thing and they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/the-audience-has-spoken-they-want-stories-they-re-dying-for-them-they/)

[Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/)

> [I hated the blog hype and how fast everything was happening. It didn't feel natural to me. But at the same time, what's more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-angelakos/i-hated-the-blog-hype-and-how-fast-everything-was-happening-it-didn-t/)

[Michael Angelakos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-angelakos/)

> [The biggest journalistic game-changer of our time has been the rise of social media and the overgrowth of faux news sources - league- and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lipsyte/the-biggest-journalistic-game-changer-of-our-time-has-been-the-rise/)

[Robert Lipsyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lipsyte/)

> [One of the very few things that I actually read about myself on blogs that got to me was people saying, 'Ne-Yo doesn't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/one-of-the-very-few-things-that-i-actually-read-about-myself-on-blogs/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [I think a lot of journal articles should really be blogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/i-think-a-lot-of-journal-articles-should-really-be-blogs/)

[Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/)

> [I keep in touch with my fans by keeping a blog online and I try to answer questions every day. I also have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-keep-in-touch-with-my-fans-by-keeping-a-blog-online-and-i-try-to/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [As Barbara Streisand discovered, adopting a militaristic posture against a tech-savvy mob of civil libertarians is not going to be of much help: Many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/as-barbara-streisand-discovered-adopting-a-militaristic-posture/)

[Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/)

[Browse all 380 Blogs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blogs/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't read \"letters\" sections of magazines, but I'll read anyone's blog post about me.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joel Stein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-don-t-read-letters-sections-of-magazines-but-i-ll-read-anyone-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blogs"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-don-t-read-letters-sections-of-magazines-but-i-ll-read-anyone-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/joel-stein-12345_blogs_i-don-t-read-letters-sections-of-magazin_331913.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/joel-stein-12345_blogs_i-don-t-read-letters-sections-of-magazin_331913.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/joel-stein-12345_blogs_i-don-t-read-letters-sections-of-magazin_331913.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't read \"letters\" sections of magazines, but I'll read anyone's blog post about me.” — Joel Stein",
                "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": "Joel Stein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't read \"letters\" sections of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-don-t-read-letters-sections-of-magazines-but-i-ll-read-anyone-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/i-don-t-read-letters-sections-of-magazines-but-i-ll-read-anyone-s/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
