--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me the question that you have to ask…" description: "\"For me the question that you have to ask, about any magazine, is whether it's needed, whether it's publishing things that no one else could publish, or..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/lorin-stein-22569_asks_for-me-the-question-that-you-have-to-ask_365802.png" --- # For me the question that you have to ask, about any… ![“For me the question that you have to ask, about any magazine, is whether it's needed, whether it's publishing things that no one else could publish, or publish equally well. So there's that.” quote by Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/lorin-stein-22569_asks_for-me-the-question-that-you-have-to-ask_365802.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/lorin-stein-22569_asks_for-me-the-question-that-you-have-to-ask_365802.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/lorin-stein-22569_asks_for-me-the-question-that-you-have-to-ask_365802.png) > “For me the question that you have to ask, about any magazine, is whether it's needed, whether it's publishing things that no one else could publish, or publish equally well. So there's that.” [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A magazine should only exist if it offers unique content that cannot be found elsewhere or can be delivered as well as others. **In simple terms:** Only publish if you add something new. Key Takeaway Focus on uniqueness. Themes media journalism value originality Mood critical analytical Type editorial strategic When to use this quote - editorial meetings - content planning - media analysis - strategic publishing Key Concepts content strategy market differentiation Questions to Reflect On - What makes a publication indispensable? - How do you measure originality? A Different Perspective It may be hard to define "uniqueness" objectively, leading to subjective decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing/) ## Related quotes > [The money can be decent, but I really don't recommend the work-for-hire route as an entry into publishing. Too many things can go wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-abbey/the-money-can-be-decent-but-i-really-don-t-recommend-the-work-for/) [Lynn Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-abbey/) > [Part of my impetus to get famous is to have access to printed matter. I love all the stuff like postcards, books, little things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-pierson/part-of-my-impetus-to-get-famous-is-to-have-access-to-printed-matter/) [Jack Pierson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-pierson/) > [Our generation grew up with the Review as a fact of life. It was America’s literary magazine. To our minds, it still is. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/our-generation-grew-up-with-the-review-as-a-fact-of-life-it-was/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > ['The Week' is my favourite magazine. Everyone from presidents to CEOs of companies love it, politicians, people in the massive charity business in America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/the-week-is-my-favourite-magazine-everyone-from-presidents-to-ceos-of/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [Models: I'm not voting for you for any stupid magazine list! If you were really that Hot you wouldn't have to beg the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tosh/models-i-m-not-voting-for-you-for-any-stupid-magazine-list-if-you/) [Daniel Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tosh/) > [ My chronology is terrible. \[Work with William Shawn\] must have some ago. It was after he was fired by Newhouse. After New - when… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-chronology-is-terrible-work-with-william-shawn-must-have-some-ago/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [Of course a magazine is usually more interesting than a conversation, because so much more time and preparation has gone into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/of-course-a-magazine-is-usually-more-interesting-than-a-conversation/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [I produced some very good work at 'New York' magazine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolf/i-produced-some-very-good-work-at-new-york-magazine/) [Michael Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolf/) > [Ooh, he new issue is out!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoidberg/ooh-he-new-issue-is-out/) [Zoidberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoidberg/) > [“If you're anything like me, You bite your nails, And laugh when you're nervous. You promise people the world, because that's what they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/if-you-re-anything-like-me-you-bite-your-nails-and-laugh-when-you-re/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [If you look at a magazine and something catches your eye, are you not going to open it up to see what's inside?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-altice/if-you-look-at-a-magazine-and-something-catches-your-eye-are-you-not/) [Summer Altice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-altice/) > [The thing that I like about magazines, paper magazines, and papers in any kind of tangible format is the surprise factor of turning the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/the-thing-that-i-like-about-magazines-paper-magazines-and-papers-in/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [“Never look a gift horse in the magazine well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-roberts/never-look-a-gift-horse-in-the-magazine-well/) D.A. Roberts > [I love trade magazines - any trade's magazine: by entering into what is taken for granted in a world not your own, you better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/i-love-trade-magazines-any-trade-s-magazine-by-entering-into-what-is/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [Uh, I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-mars/uh-i-wanna-be-on-the-cover-of-forbes-magazine/) [Bruno Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-mars/) ## More by Lorin Stein > [I regret that there aren't more short stories in other magazines. But in a certain way, I think the disappearance of the short-story template…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/i-regret-that-there-aren-t-more-short-stories-in-other-magazines-but/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [You can go back and try to generalize, but then you end up saying things that all editors say about everything that ever gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/you-can-go-back-and-try-to-generalize-but-then-you-end-up-saying/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [I tend to think that the onus is on the writer to engage the reader, that the reader should not be expected to need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/i-tend-to-think-that-the-onus-is-on-the-writer-to-engage-the-reader/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [We've never had a giant circulation. And we've always been a magazine for writers and for sophisticated readers. We've never had to run stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/we-ve-never-had-a-giant-circulation-and-we-ve-always-been-a-magazine/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [I’m a reader who uses fiction as a way of worrying about life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/i-m-a-reader-who-uses-fiction-as-a-way-of-worrying-about-life/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [I love having people around who are better interviewers than I am and who can make the time to do a really great job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/i-love-having-people-around-who-are-better-interviewers-than-i-am-and/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [Chekhov's stories are about the moment that a life goes off the rails and the price that will be paid - forever. That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/chekhov-s-stories-are-about-the-moment-that-a-life-goes-off-the-rails/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [I like fiction that deals with matters that are of burning importance to us in our private lives. And not all short stories are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/i-like-fiction-that-deals-with-matters-that-are-of-burning-importance/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [Names don't matter, CVs don't matter, previous publications don't matter at all, because, in a certain way, the ideal is for someone to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/names-don-t-matter-cvs-don-t-matter-previous-publications-don-t/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [Pretty much every issue that we've put out, there have been at least one or two things that really surprised me. It sounds like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/pretty-much-every-issue-that-we-ve-put-out-there-have-been-at-least/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [I hadn't thought about the balance in mood. You see that we did it in alphabetical order, so if there's any kind of shape,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/i-hadn-t-thought-about-the-balance-in-mood-you-see-that-we-did-it-in/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [A lot of people who want to see the short story have a renaissance of readership - they tend to think of short stories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/a-lot-of-people-who-want-to-see-the-short-story-have-a-renaissance-of/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [The real threat to reading isn’t the time we spend hanging out, it’s the time we spend online.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/the-real-threat-to-reading-isn-t-the-time-we-spend-hanging-out-it-s/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [When I was a book editor, I got used to being told that my tastes were dark or edgy. These are not words that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/when-i-was-a-book-editor-i-got-used-to-being-told-that-my-tastes-were/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [Our generation grew up with the Review as a fact of life. It was America’s literary magazine. To our minds, it still is. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/our-generation-grew-up-with-the-review-as-a-fact-of-life-it-was/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) [Explore all 27 Lorin Stein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For me the question that you have to ask, about any magazine, is whether it's needed, whether it's publishing things that no one else could publish, or publish equally well. 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