Bob Quote by P. J. O'Rourke
“Bob Wallace was my editor at Rolling Stone when I first started writing there, and he's a wonderful editor. I was in the Philippines during the Marcos overthrow, and I was up on what was called Smokey Mountain. I think it's gone now, but it was a garbage dump with a bunch of people living on it. I was talking to Bob on the phone, and I told him, "I'm a humorist. I can't write about this." And Bob told me to let my style be dictated by the subject, to take what I saw and write about it in the tone that it requires.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The New Yorker, P. J. O'Rourke, 1975
A writer should let the subject dictate tone, adapting style to match the gravity or humor of the material.
In simple terms: Match style to subject matter
Key Takeaway
Adapt voice to fit content
Themes
adaptation
authenticity
voice
Mood
critical
insightful
Type
reflective
practical
When to use this quote
- reporting war
- personal essay
- humor writing
- cultural critique
Key Concepts
journalism
narrative voice
contextual writing
Questions to Reflect On
- What does your subject demand from your voice?
- When does humor serve seriousness?
A Different Perspective
Rigid adherence to a fixed style can misrepresent truth
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