Backgrounds Quote by Nat Hentoff
![“Here is a guy who's supposed to be the Genghis Khan of the church, the pro-choice people hate him, and I don't know about his labor background so I figured there must be more to him, and there is. I wrote a book about [John Cardinal O'Connor].” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/de5/nat-hentoff-1615_backgrounds_here-is-a-guy-who-s-supposed-to-be-the-g_761069.jpg)
“Here is a guy who's supposed to be the Genghis Khan of the church, the pro-choice people hate him, and I don't know about his labor background so I figured there must be more to him, and there is. I wrote a book about [John Cardinal O'Connor].”
About This Quote
Source Book: Biography of John Cardinal O'Connor, author unknown
The quote suggests a complex, contradictory public figure whose reputation is contested and layered.
In simple terms: A controversial church leader with hidden depths.
Key Takeaway
Look beyond headlines to understand people.
Themes
leadership
controversy
public perception
faith
media
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
biographical
political
When to use this quote
- political analysis
- media critique
- biographical research
Key Concepts
complexity
identity
politics
religion
Questions to Reflect On
- What aspects of his life are most misunderstood?
- How does media framing affect our view of leaders?
A Different Perspective
Public opinion can be swayed by selective facts.
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![“[Margot Hentoff] thinks - first of all, she - this I hear from a lot of people beside her. She thinks that men have no business getting into this argument at all unless they're going to be pro-choice. But it turns out that a fair number of fetuses are male, and besides that, we are all one part of…” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/060/nat-hentoff-1615_argument_margot-hentoff-thinks-first-of-all-she-t_42891.jpg)
![“I like [John Cardinal O'Connor] a lot. He - I started a - to know him - when I asked William Shawn at The New Yorker, 'Sh - can I do a profile of Cardinal O'Connor?' He said, 'All right. Find out what he's like.' So I went to his office, and I heard somebody - and it turned out to be O'Connor…” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e89/nat-hentoff-1615_cardinals_i-like-john-cardinal-o-connor-a-lot-he-i_2810252.jpg)
![“I've I call [Cardinal John O'Connor] from time to time and he calls me. And when I think there's something he ought to think about doing, I call him and he usually does it.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f8/nat-hentoff-1615_call-me_i-ve-i-call-cardinal-john-o-connor-from_2152132.jpg)
![“[Cardinal John O'Connor] had [my wife] Margot and me over for drinks a couple of times. That was something I never could have envisioned back when I was a kid in Boston, that a cardinal and I would be, if not breaking bread, at least breaking Scotch.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a81/nat-hentoff-1615_back-when_cardinal-john-o-connor-had-my-wife-margo_2956043.jpg)
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![“My chronology is terrible. [Work with William Shawn] must have some ago. It was after he was fired by Newhouse. After New - when Newhouse bought The New Yorker, he said in one of those grand press” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b15/nat-hentoff-1615_chronology_my-chronology-is-terrible-work-with-will_68342.jpg)
![“We disagree heavily on abortion [with Margot Hentoff].” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b48/nat-hentoff-1615_abortion_we-disagree-heavily-on-abortion-with-mar_70628.jpg)
![“[My wife Margot] was the - I guess, the coordinator or the production manager [of The Jazz Review], and we got to know each other and we married.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/18d/nat-hentoff-1615_coordinator_my-wife-margot-was-the-i-guess-the-coord_104123.jpg)
![“[A.J. Muste] was - he - I don't know what he finally came out believing in, but it was some kind of higher being.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c49/nat-hentoff-1615_believe_a-j-muste-was-he-i-don-t-know-what-he-fi_209477.jpg)
![“Margot [Hentoff] dislikes Bill Clinton because he's totally untrustworthy, and you really ought to have some faith in whoever's going to be your president.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cc7/nat-hentoff-1615_bills_margot-hentoff-dislikes-bill-clinton-bec_218363.jpg)
