--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had this unusual mix of curiosity, the…" description: "\"I had this unusual mix of curiosity, the ability to write in ways people understood, and when I appeared, viewers seemed to trust me to get them throug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/tom-brokaw-2402_ability_i-had-this-unusual-mix-of-curiosity-the_2443500.png" --- # I had this unusual mix of curiosity, the ability to write… ![“I had this unusual mix of curiosity, the ability to write in ways people understood, and when I appeared, viewers seemed to trust me to get them through some cataclysmic changes.” quote by Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/tom-brokaw-2402_ability_i-had-this-unusual-mix-of-curiosity-the_2443500.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/tom-brokaw-2402_ability_i-had-this-unusual-mix-of-curiosity-the_2443500.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/tom-brokaw-2402_ability_i-had-this-unusual-mix-of-curiosity-the_2443500.png) > “I had this unusual mix of curiosity, the ability to write in ways people understood, and when I appeared, viewers seemed to trust me to get them through some cataclysmic changes.” [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A blend of curiosity, clear communication, and trust enables guiding audiences through major upheavals. **In simple terms:** Curiosity, clear speech, and trust help people navigate big changes. Key Takeaway Use curiosity and clear communication to build trust during crises. Themes communication trust communication leadership Mood confident inspirational Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - news reporting - crisis communication - public speaking - change management Key Concepts Journalism media influence public trust Questions to Reflect On - How can you maintain trust when information changes rapidly? - What role does curiosity play in effective communication? A Different Perspective Trust can be fragile and may erode if messages become inconsistent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Viewers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viewers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [With someone like Cole Porter, Perry Como, Louis Armstrong, or Bessie Smith, you had people who understood emotion, could translate it into a melodic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-gardot/with-someone-like-cole-porter-perry-como-louis-armstrong-or-bessie/) [Melody Gardot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-gardot/) > [I believe if people understood each other more, if people took the time and realize it's not 'all about me' and I'm on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-believe-if-people-understood-each-other-more-if-people-took-the/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I think, for a long time, I didn't have people who understood where I was coming from. They were giving me advice on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/i-think-for-a-long-time-i-didn-t-have-people-who-understood-where-i/) [Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/) > [“His curse in life was to be attracted to people who understood him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-david-gold/his-curse-in-life-was-to-be-attracted-to-people-who-understood-him/) [Glen David Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-david-gold/) > [Culture, as Indian people understood it, was basically a lifestyle by which a people acted. It was self-expression, but not a conscious self-expression. Rather,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/culture-as-indian-people-understood-it-was-basically-a-lifestyle-by/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [America became a great nation early on not because it was flooded with politicians, but because it was flooded with people who understood the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/america-became-a-great-nation-early-on-not-because-it-was-flooded/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [If I had the good fortune of having the ability to influence people all over the world every time I spoke, I would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-i-had-the-good-fortune-of-having-the-ability-to-influence-people/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [People support me because the Argentine people have understood that the other path is a road to misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-milei/people-support-me-because-the-argentine-people-have-understood-that/) [Javier Milei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-milei/) > [“People may be understood through the art they produce or by descriptions from friends and family, by observation, or through their dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salomon-grimberg/people-may-be-understood-through-the-art-they-produce-or-by/) Salomon Grimberg > [If people understood how the economic system works, there'd be a revolution in a minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/if-people-understood-how-the-economic-system-works-there-d-be-a/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [No reform ever came from the bottom, and it was always people who understood how the ruling class worked who turned out to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/no-reform-ever-came-from-the-bottom-and-it-was-always-people-who/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The more people see that they are being understood, they become more motivated to understand your point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/the-more-people-see-that-they-are-being-understood-they-become-more/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [I just don't think there have been many people that have understood how important winning is to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-butler/i-just-don-t-think-there-have-been-many-people-that-have-understood/) [Jimmy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-butler/) > [I actually think if the American people understood what was going on instead of just being told tidbits by this administration, they would actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-actually-think-if-the-american-people-understood-what-was-going-on/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I just wish people understood better that I, too, am human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-moody/i-just-wish-people-understood-better-that-i-too-am-human/) [Ivan Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-moody/) ## More by Tom Brokaw > [What I think is that Fox has done a very smart job of carving out their place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/what-i-think-is-that-fox-has-done-a-very-smart-job-of-carving-out/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [It's so much easier to do it right than to do it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/it-s-so-much-easier-to-do-it-right-than-to-do-it-wrong/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [In the spring of 1984, I went to the northwest of France, to Normandy, to prepare an NBC documentary on the 40th anniversary of D-Day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/in-the-spring-of-1984-i-went-to-the-northwest-of-france-to-normandy/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [“postwar America. He learned the insurance business by day and braille by night. Before long the VA found him a job with an elderly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/postwar-america-he-learned-the-insurance-business-by-day-and-braille/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [1920 was an auspicious year for a young person to enter the world as an American citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/1920-was-an-auspicious-year-for-a-young-person-to-enter-the-world-as/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [The doctor didn't want me to play golf anymore and was worried about me fly-fishing. Golf is something I enjoy, but fly-fishing is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-doctor-didn-t-want-me-to-play-golf-anymore-and-was-worried-about/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [You will not get a Google alert when you fall in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/you-will-not-get-a-google-alert-when-you-fall-in-love/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [We were empty nesters, our last-born child having departed for Duke. Meredith decided we needed a dog to fill the vacuum. She heard about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/we-were-empty-nesters-our-last-born-child-having-departed-for-duke/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [The cancer is in remission, and I will shortly go on a drug maintenance regimen to keep it there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-cancer-is-in-remission-and-i-will-shortly-go-on-a-drug/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [David Brinkley was an icon of modern broadcast journalism, a brilliant writer who could say in a few words what the country needed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/david-brinkley-was-an-icon-of-modern-broadcast-journalism-a-brilliant/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [The Warmth of Other Suns is a sweeping and yet deeply personal tale of America's hidden 20th century history - the long and difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-warmth-of-other-suns-is-a-sweeping-and-yet-deeply-personal-tale/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [We don't play the celebrity business in our family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/we-don-t-play-the-celebrity-business-in-our-family/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [The real test of an anchor is when there's a very big event. Sept. 11 is the quintessential example of that, and that day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-real-test-of-an-anchor-is-when-there-s-a-very-big-event-sept-11/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [While attendance at traditional churches has been declining for decades... the evangelical movement is growing, and it is changing the way America worships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/while-attendance-at-traditional-churches-has-been-declining-for/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [There are lots of dimensions to being a cancer patient. The overwhelming one is that it takes over your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/there-are-lots-of-dimensions-to-being-a-cancer-patient-the/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) [Explore all 168 Tom Brokaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had this unusual mix of curiosity, the ability to write in ways people understood, and when I appeared, viewers seemed to trust me to get them through some cataclysmic changes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Brokaw" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/i-had-this-unusual-mix-of-curiosity-the-ability-to-write-in-ways/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/i-had-this-unusual-mix-of-curiosity-the-ability-to-write-in-ways/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/tom-brokaw-2402_ability_i-had-this-unusual-mix-of-curiosity-the_2443500.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/tom-brokaw-2402_ability_i-had-this-unusual-mix-of-curiosity-the_2443500.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/tom-brokaw-2402_ability_i-had-this-unusual-mix-of-curiosity-the_2443500.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had this unusual mix of curiosity, the ability to write in ways people understood, and when I appeared…” — Tom Brokaw", "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": "Tom Brokaw", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I had this unusual mix of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/i-had-this-unusual-mix-of-curiosity-the-ability-to-write-in-ways/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/i-had-this-unusual-mix-of-curiosity-the-ability-to-write-in-ways/#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 } } ] } ```