---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was in Austin on 9/11, and there were…"
description: "\"I was in Austin on 9/11, and there were no flights, so I couldn't get to New York to cover the story, so I had to find more creative ways.\" — Lawrence ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/lawrence-wright-5166_austin_i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-n_410376.png"
---

#  I was in Austin on 9/11, and there were no flights, so I…

![“I was in Austin on 9/11, and there were no flights, so I couldn't get to New York to cover the story, so I had to find more creative ways.” quote by Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/lawrence-wright-5166_austin_i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-n_410376.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/lawrence-wright-5166_austin_i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-n_410376.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/lawrence-wright-5166_austin_i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-n_410376.png)

> “I was in Austin on 9/11, and there were no flights, so I couldn't get to New York to cover the story, so I had to find more creative ways.”

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

## About This Quote

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

The writer had to improvise alternative reporting methods when usual channels were unavailable.

**In simple terms:** He found creative ways to cover the story.

Key Takeaway

Adapt when plans fail.

Themes

journalism creativity crisis

Mood

resourceful urgent

Type

practical inspirational

When to use this quote

- news gathering
- emergency reporting
- travel restrictions
- digital media

Key Concepts

problem solving resourcefulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How would you report under constraints?
- What tools aid improvisation?

A Different Perspective

Creative solutions may lack original depth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/)

## Related quotes

> [“What a brilliant cover story. In a success-obsessed society like this one, what's the best rock to hide something under? It's the rock called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/what-a-brilliant-cover-story-in-a-success-obsessed-society-like-this/)

[Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/)

> [Only one way to cover a story like this, and make that a double, bartender, please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/only-one-way-to-cover-a-story-like-this-and-make-that-a-double/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [“Having committed this to memory, he reflected how deluded he’d been to believe he had left his past behind and become a peaceful Swedish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-duns/having-committed-this-to-memory-he-reflected-how-deluded-he-d-been-to/)

[Jeremy Duns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-duns/)

> [In early 1970, Newsweek's editors decided that the new women's liberation movement deserved a cover story. There was one problem, however: there were no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/in-early-1970-newsweek-s-editors-decided-that-the-new-women-s/)

[Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/)

> [My job is to cover the hell out of the story, very aggressively. The real place to be courageous if you're a news organization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-baquet/my-job-is-to-cover-the-hell-out-of-the-story-very-aggressively-the/)

[Dean Baquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-baquet/)

> [We feel no obligation to follow the news cycle. In other words, I felt no obligation to cover story in anyway, because we're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/we-feel-no-obligation-to-follow-the-news-cycle-in-other-words-i-felt/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [I just read that Time magazine cover story with all this information about how you have to have your kids by the time you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-clayburgh/i-just-read-that-time-magazine-cover-story-with-all-this-information/)

[Jill Clayburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-clayburgh/)

> [Very rarely are you going to see the large shareholder or CEO of a corporation march into a newsroom and say, "Cover this story,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/very-rarely-are-you-going-to-see-the-large-shareholder-or-ceo-of-a/)

[Robert Waterman McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-waterman-mcchesney/)

> [When you keep telling yourself a lie, at some point you buy your own cover story, like a CIA spy or something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/when-you-keep-telling-yourself-a-lie-at-some-point-you-buy-your-own/)

[Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/)

> [ The cover story of the magazine \[TIME magazine\] depicting a few individuals who are acting contrary to most Myanmar, is creating misconceptions of Buddhism. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thein-sein/the-cover-story-of-the-magazine-time-magazine-depicting-a-few/)

[Thein Sein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thein-sein/)

> [Even when he was just a reality-TV star, Trump was the kind of star who got a cover story in 'Time.' But that wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/even-when-he-was-just-a-reality-tv-star-trump-was-the-kind-of-star/)

[David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/)

> [Sometimes you're forced to do the cover before the story is done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-adams/sometimes-you-re-forced-to-do-the-cover-before-the-story-is-done/)

[Neal Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-adams/)

> [“The elaborateness of the cover story made him feel like a criminal. This is what criminals must feel like as they prepare to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-loewinsohn/the-elaborateness-of-the-cover-story-made-him-feel-like-a-criminal/)

Ron Loewinsohn

> [All of us ambitious young writers hoped to have a cover story in Esquire, of course. The idea was to write the best, most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-shames/all-of-us-ambitious-young-writers-hoped-to-have-a-cover-story-in/)

[Laurence Shames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-shames/)

> [Part fact part fiction is what life is. And it is always a cover story. I wrote my way out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/part-fact-part-fiction-is-what-life-is-and-it-is-always-a-cover-story/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

## More by Lawrence Wright

> [Every medium has its advantages and weaknesses and there are many things I can put down on paper that I might not be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/every-medium-has-its-advantages-and-weaknesses-and-there-are-many/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [Contempt for men pervades the most obscure strata of our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/contempt-for-men-pervades-the-most-obscure-strata-of-our-society/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [Look at what Jimmy Carter did. Look at the risks he took for a country that wasn't his. Israel has benefited unbelievably from that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/look-at-what-jimmy-carter-did-look-at-the-risks-he-took-for-a-country/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [Hubbard set up the Church of Scientology in Hollywood in 1954 for a reason. He understood that celebrity was increasingly a feature of American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/hubbard-set-up-the-church-of-scientology-in-hollywood-in-1954-for-a/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [Religions prosper in large part because of the communities that they create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/religions-prosper-in-large-part-because-of-the-communities-that-they/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [If you have great characters, then your reader becomes emotionally invested in those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/if-you-have-great-characters-then-your-reader-becomes-emotionally/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [“However, twelve former Sea Org members told me that Miscavige had assaulted them; twenty-one have told me or testified in court that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/however-twelve-former-sea-org-members-told-me-that-miscavige-had/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [I don't want to constantly be writing about terrorism and strife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-don-t-want-to-constantly-be-writing-about-terrorism-and-strife/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [The Israelis and the Palestinians don't know each other. They live right there, but they've become strangers. And it makes it much more difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/the-israelis-and-the-palestinians-don-t-know-each-other-they-live/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [“Miscavige keeps a number of dogs, including five beagles. He had blue vests made up for each of them, with four stripes on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/miscavige-keeps-a-number-of-dogs-including-five-beagles-he-had-blue/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [Every form has its merits. And I like to work in a lot of different forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/every-form-has-its-merits-and-i-like-to-work-in-a-lot-of-different/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [To me the notion that Palestinians are actually Jews is, I think, quite revelatory and very radical and a possible bridge that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/to-me-the-notion-that-palestinians-are-actually-jews-is-i-think-quite/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [Science fiction invites the writer to grandly explore alternative worlds and pose questions about meaning and destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/science-fiction-invites-the-writer-to-grandly-explore-alternative/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [“Undersheriff McClanahan was so worried about the mental health of his investigative team that he assembled a team of psychologists to debrief them. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/undersheriff-mcclanahan-was-so-worried-about-the-mental-health-of-his/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

> [It's their belief, their own will, that holds people in Scientology, even oftentimes when they have been abused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/it-s-their-belief-their-own-will-that-holds-people-in-scientology/)

[Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

[Explore all 103 Lawrence Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/)

## More Austin quotes

> [In the tradition of the classic songwriter rooms like The Bluebird in Nashville, Strange Brew is a gift to the music community in Austin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-cross/in-the-tradition-of-the-classic-songwriter-rooms-like-the-bluebird-in/)

[Christopher Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-cross/)

> [Athens, much like Austin, is a difficult music scene. There are so many musicians there that it is hard to get gigs and hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-smith/athens-much-like-austin-is-a-difficult-music-scene-there-are-so-many/)

[Corey Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-smith/)

> [I assaulted Stone Cold Steve Austin and got away with it! It was indeed a very special night for me...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-mcmahon/i-assaulted-stone-cold-steve-austin-and-got-away-with-it-it-was/)

[Vince McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-mcmahon/)

> [I try to make as much time as I can for R5, because I love it so much. Ultimately, that's what's going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-lynch/i-try-to-make-as-much-time-as-i-can-for-r5-because-i-love-it-so-much/)

[Ross Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-lynch/)

> [Me being able to beat up Austin Powers? I mean, how great can that be?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verne-troyer/me-being-able-to-beat-up-austin-powers-i-mean-how-great-can-that-be/)

[Verne Troyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verne-troyer/)

> [“I love you,' I told him. It was not the first time, but I didn't want it to be the last. Austin gathered me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-hart/i-love-you-i-told-him-it-was-not-the-first-time-but-i-didn-t-want-it/)

[Megan Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-hart/)

> [Does anybody have, a cold beer for Steve Austin?!??!!?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/does-anybody-have-a-cold-beer-for-steve-austin/)

[Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/)

> [That's one the main reasons we live in Austin. The weather is so nice for the majority of the offseason, and it's easy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-arrieta/that-s-one-the-main-reasons-we-live-in-austin-the-weather-is-so-nice/)

[Jake Arrieta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-arrieta/)

> [I would say of characters I've created, the one I've felt the most connected to emotionally was Adam Austin from 'The Prophet.' I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/i-would-say-of-characters-i-ve-created-the-one-i-ve-felt-the-most/)

[Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/)

> [I come from a very small island which is packed with people. I mean, jam-packed with people. I've lived a life which has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-plant/i-come-from-a-very-small-island-which-is-packed-with-people-i-mean/)

[Robert Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-plant/)

> [What we've witnessed in the past 25 or 30 years is just incredible. We've birthed 30,000 or 40,000 restaurants. I used to go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/what-we-ve-witnessed-in-the-past-25-or-30-years-is-just-incredible-we/)

[Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/)

> [ “To me \[Edgar Allan Poe's\] prose is unreadable—like Jane Austin's \[sic\]. No there is a difference. I could read his prose on salary, but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/to-me-edgar-allan-poe-s-prose-is-unreadable-like-jane-austin-s-sic-no/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [I always love to come to Austin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-lee-ermey/i-always-love-to-come-to-austin/)

[R. Lee Ermey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-lee-ermey/)

> [Austin is sexy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mee/austin-is-sexy/)

[Mee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mee/)

> [I just went to your typical public schools, and my dad would take us to the movies every week, or he'd buy scalped tickets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-pascal/i-just-went-to-your-typical-public-schools-and-my-dad-would-take-us/)

[Pedro Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-pascal/)

Browse all 214 Austin quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I was in Austin on 9/11, and there were no flights, so I couldn't get to New York to cover the story, so I had to find more creative ways.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lawrence Wright"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-no-flights-so-i-couldn-t-get/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Austin"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-no-flights-so-i-couldn-t-get/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/lawrence-wright-5166_austin_i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-n_410376.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/lawrence-wright-5166_austin_i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-n_410376.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/lawrence-wright-5166_austin_i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-n_410376.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was in Austin on 9/11, and there were no flights, so I couldn't get to New York to cover the story, so I…” — Lawrence Wright",
                "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": "Lawrence Wright",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I was in Austin on 9/11,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-no-flights-so-i-couldn-t-get/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-no-flights-so-i-couldn-t-get/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
