--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was doing interviews at the FBI…" description: "\"When I was doing interviews at the FBI, my tape recorder battery died. They gave me a new one, and I said, 'Of course, this is bugged?'\" — Ronald Kessler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/ronald-kessler-13022_doing_when-i-was-doing-interviews-at-the-fbi-m_873568.jpg" --- # When I was doing interviews at the FBI, my tape recorder… ![“When I was doing interviews at the FBI, my tape recorder battery died. They gave me a new one, and I said, 'Of course, this is bugged?'” quote by Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/ronald-kessler-13022_doing_when-i-was-doing-interviews-at-the-fbi-m_873568.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/ronald-kessler-13022_doing_when-i-was-doing-interviews-at-the-fbi-m_873568.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/ronald-kessler-13022_doing_when-i-was-doing-interviews-at-the-fbi-m_873568.jpg) > “When I was doing interviews at the FBI, my tape recorder battery died. They gave me a new one, and I said, 'Of course, this is bugged?'” [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker humorously doubts the reliability of equipment after a failure, implying skepticism toward official assurances. **In simple terms:** Doubt arises after a glitch. Key Takeaway Question the reliability of tools. Themes skepticism technology trust bureaucracy Mood wry observational Type anecdotal humorous When to use this quote - workplace tech - interviews - investigations - equipment maintenance Key Concepts critical thinking humor Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify equipment integrity? - When should you trust official statements? A Different Perspective Even new devices can be faulty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Interviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviews/) ## Related quotes > [Relationship Status : Battery died when I was about to say her 'I love you' , now she is taken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neeraj/relationship-status-battery-died-when-i-was-about-to-say-her-i-love/) [Neeraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neeraj/) > [I never do formal interviews. I don't use a tape recorder. I take notes but occasionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/i-never-do-formal-interviews-i-don-t-use-a-tape-recorder-i-take-notes/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [It's such a relief for me to sit in front of a tape recorder and not be using it to learn my lines,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/it-s-such-a-relief-for-me-to-sit-in-front-of-a-tape-recorder-and-not/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [I could learn how to press 'Record' on a tape recorder and write for a newspaper or a magazine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-bonds/i-could-learn-how-to-press-record-on-a-tape-recorder-and-write-for-a/) [Barry Bonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-bonds/) > [If you're famous and supposedly wise, it's always a good idea to have a tape recorder in the room. Never can tell when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-elman/if-you-re-famous-and-supposedly-wise-it-s-always-a-good-idea-to-have/) [Richard Elman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-elman/) > [So I use a tape recorder a lot to record ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-frusciante/so-i-use-a-tape-recorder-a-lot-to-record-ideas/) [John Frusciante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-frusciante/) > [The first six years of a child's life, it is like a tape recorder is on. Everything it sees, smells, touches, experiences in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lipton/the-first-six-years-of-a-child-s-life-it-is-like-a-tape-recorder-is/) [Bruce Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lipton/) > [It is just like your tape-recorder. It records, it reproduces - all by itself. You only listen. Similarly, I watch all that happens, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/it-is-just-like-your-tape-recorder-it-records-it-reproduces-all-by/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [Many of my characters first came through to me as voices. That's why I use a tape recorder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/many-of-my-characters-first-came-through-to-me-as-voices-that-s-why-i/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Life is marvelous now because I have a tape recorder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-korbut/life-is-marvelous-now-because-i-have-a-tape-recorder/) [Olga Korbut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-korbut/) > [I had wanted a tape recorder since I was tiny. I thought it was a magic thing. I never got one until just before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-had-wanted-a-tape-recorder-since-i-was-tiny-i-thought-it-was-a/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [When the audience first sees Cooper talking into his tape recorder at the beginning of 'Twin Peaks,' I think that's the greatest introduction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-maclachlan/when-the-audience-first-sees-cooper-talking-into-his-tape-recorder-at/) [Kyle MacLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-maclachlan/) > [Every single morning, I have a person sitting right there next to me in prayer with a tape recorder - and a song comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrae-crouch/every-single-morning-i-have-a-person-sitting-right-there-next-to-me/) [Andrae Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrae-crouch/) > [I used to do little sketches into my cassette tape recorder when I was a little boy. I would just turn it on and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harland-williams/i-used-to-do-little-sketches-into-my-cassette-tape-recorder-when-i/) [Harland Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harland-williams/) > [Imagine if Beethoven had a tape recorder. Then you'd know exactly what he meant. Maybe he meant 'Da da da da' instead of 'Boom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-van-halen/imagine-if-beethoven-had-a-tape-recorder-then-you-d-know-exactly-what/) [Eddie Van Halen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-van-halen/) ## More by Ronald Kessler > [To reform the Secret Service, the agency needs a director from outside the agency who will be immune from that culture and not beholden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/to-reform-the-secret-service-the-agency-needs-a-director-from-outside/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [“The White House is a character crucible," according to Bertram S. Brown, M.D., a psychiatrist who formerly headed the National Institute of Mental Health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/the-white-house-is-a-character-crucible-according-to-bertram-s-brown/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [Complex man that he was, J. Edgar Hoover left nothing to chance. The director shrewdly recognized that building what became known as the world's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/complex-man-that-he-was-j-edgar-hoover-left-nothing-to-chance-the/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [Voters who disregarded Richard Nixon's involvement in the questionable ethics issue that led to his Checkers speech should not have been surprised when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/voters-who-disregarded-richard-nixon-s-involvement-in-the/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [To become a Secret Service agent, applicants must pass a polygraph exam. But after being hired, agents are never required to undergo regular lie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/to-become-a-secret-service-agent-applicants-must-pass-a-polygraph/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [“No one can imagine the kind of pressure being president of the U.S. imposes on an individual and how easily a president can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/no-one-can-imagine-the-kind-of-pressure-being-president-of-the-u-s/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [In a series of articles beginning on Oct. 2, 1966, I wrote about the long-forgotten history of the Liberty Tree. To call attention to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/in-a-series-of-articles-beginning-on-oct-2-1966-i-wrote-about-the/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [“Voters tend to forget that presidents are, first and foremost, people. If they are unbalanced, nasty, and hypocritical, that will be reflected in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/voters-tend-to-forget-that-presidents-are-first-and-foremost-people/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [Love him or hate him, no one has been able to figure out Donald Trump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/love-him-or-hate-him-no-one-has-been-able-to-figure-out-donald-trump/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [Rather than use the term 'profiling,' the profilers prefer to say they engage in criminal investigative analysis. That is because, besides developing profiles, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/rather-than-use-the-term-profiling-the-profilers-prefer-to-say-they/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [The media are always on the lookout for possible sightings of D.B. Cooper, the man who parachuted from a plane with $200,000 in ransom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/the-media-are-always-on-the-lookout-for-possible-sightings-of-d-b/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [The truth is that no internal reviews or congressional hearings will change the Secret Service's broken management culture. It needs better leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/the-truth-is-that-no-internal-reviews-or-congressional-hearings-will/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [With the selection of Acting Secret Service Director Joseph P. Clancy as the director, President Obama has guaranteed that the agency will continue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/with-the-selection-of-acting-secret-service-director-joseph-p-clancy/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [TacOps is a unit which breaks into homes and offices to plant bugging devices. They get into mafia hangouts, they go into embassies, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/tacops-is-a-unit-which-breaks-into-homes-and-offices-to-plant-bugging/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [Agents who have left the Secret Service to join other federal law enforcement agencies report that training in firearms and counterterrorism tactics in those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/agents-who-have-left-the-secret-service-to-join-other-federal-law/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) [Explore all 52 Ronald Kessler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) ## More Doing quotes > [I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm damn well gonna do it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geri-halliwell/i-don-t-know-what-i-m-doing-but-i-m-damn-well-gonna-do-it/) [Geri Halliwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geri-halliwell/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [If you think you're doing everything right, then you have a tendency to stand pat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/if-you-think-you-re-doing-everything-right-then-you-have-a-tendency/) [John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/) [Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/) > [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/) [Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/) > [If I'm not thinking about you then I am texting you , if I am not texting you then I am on the phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-m-not-thinking-about-you-then-i-am-texting-you-if-i-am-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [.\*. why u hate me..Bitches be doing the most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty/why-u-hate-me-bitches-be-doing-the-most/) Kitty > [“dances with mine as if we’ve been doing this our whole”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-michaels/dances-with-mine-as-if-we-ve-been-doing-this-our-whole/) [Corinne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-michaels/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/) [Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/) > [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [You can't drain the swamp, as President Trump has touted doing, without getting rid of Mitch McConnell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcgrath/you-can-t-drain-the-swamp-as-president-trump-has-touted-doing-without/) [Amy McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcgrath/) Browse all 10,133 Doing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was doing interviews at the FBI, my tape recorder battery died. They gave me a new one, and I said, 'Of course, this is bugged?'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ronald Kessler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/when-i-was-doing-interviews-at-the-fbi-my-tape-recorder-battery-died/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/when-i-was-doing-interviews-at-the-fbi-my-tape-recorder-battery-died/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/ronald-kessler-13022_doing_when-i-was-doing-interviews-at-the-fbi-m_873568.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/ronald-kessler-13022_doing_when-i-was-doing-interviews-at-the-fbi-m_873568.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/ronald-kessler-13022_doing_when-i-was-doing-interviews-at-the-fbi-m_873568.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was doing interviews at the FBI, my tape recorder battery died. They gave me a new one, and I said…” — Ronald Kessler", "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": "Ronald Kessler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was doing interviews at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/when-i-was-doing-interviews-at-the-fbi-my-tape-recorder-battery-died/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/when-i-was-doing-interviews-at-the-fbi-my-tape-recorder-battery-died/#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 } } ] } ```