Editors Quote by Nat Hentoff
“William Shawn was the editor of The New Yorker and for whom I worked for, God, 27 years; a man I respected enormously because of what he did, - what the magazine was about.”
About This Quote
Source Magazine: The New Yorker, editorial tenure 1936‑1975
The quote praises William Shawn’s leadership, emphasizing his profound influence on the magazine’s identity and the deep respect he earned.
In simple terms: Shawn shaped the magazine and earned great respect.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and value impactful mentorship.
Themes
leadership
respect
journalism
Mood
admiring
reflective
Type
biographical
professional
When to use this quote
- career mentorship
- media leadership
- professional development
Key Concepts
editorial vision
institutional culture
Questions to Reflect On
- How does a leader’s vision shape an organization?
- What qualities foster lasting respect?
A Different Perspective
The quote may idealize; individual impact, overlooking broader team contributions.
![“I just so desperately wanted to be published in New Yorker, and I'd so desperately try to get something in it. But I'd always get nice letters back telling me that Mr. Shawn [William Shawn, the New Yorker's editor from 1952 to 1987] just didn't like this or didn't like that about what I submitted.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/042/kevin-sessums-9486_editors_i-just-so-desperately-wanted-to-be-publi_606050.jpg)
![“If [Bill Shawn] liked the piece, then he would run it. But he wanted the magazine to be something that was more than just a weekly event. And as a result you could pick up a New Yorker under him, as I mentioned before, a year from then or 10 years or 20 years and there would always be something…” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/158/nat-hentoff-1615_bills_if-bill-shawn-liked-the-piece-then-he-wo_1950058.jpg)
![“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)
![“[Bill Shawn] didn't edit the writers very strongly, but he knew what he wanted.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8f0/nat-hentoff-1615_bills_bill-shawn-didn-t-edit-the-writers-very_668456.jpg)
![“I've never met anybody quite like [Bill Shawn]. He created - and I'm sure it was conscious - an aura about him of quietude.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c1d/nat-hentoff-1615_auras_i-ve-never-met-anybody-quite-like-bill-s_1934145.jpg)
![“[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)
![“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)
![“I walked all around it [the Guggenheim Bilbao] and couldn't find one clear, clean shot. To make things worse, the weather was lousy. Nothing about this rang commercial money shot. In a situation like this there's only one thing to do: forget about pleasing editors, please yourself.” quote by Robert Polidori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/375/robert-polidori-55002_clean_i-walked-all-around-it-the-guggenheim-bi_9097.jpg)
