---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was unknown because I came to…"
description: "\"I was unknown because I came to Washington from the West. I started covering Watergate. Immodestly, I'd say I did it pretty well, in part because it wa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/tom-brokaw-2402_because_i-was-unknown-because-i-came-to-washingt_2643226.jpg"
---

#  I was unknown because I came to Washington from the West…

![“I was unknown because I came to Washington from the West. I started covering Watergate. Immodestly, I'd say I did it pretty well, in part because it was hard to go wrong.” quote by Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/tom-brokaw-2402_because_i-was-unknown-because-i-came-to-washingt_2643226.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/tom-brokaw-2402_because_i-was-unknown-because-i-came-to-washingt_2643226.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/tom-brokaw-2402_because_i-was-unknown-because-i-came-to-washingt_2643226.jpg)

> “I was unknown because I came to Washington from the West. I started covering Watergate. Immodestly, I'd say I did it pretty well, in part because it was hard to go wrong.”

[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.

His outsider perspective and diligent reporting made his Watergate coverage effective.

**In simple terms:** Outsider view aided his reporting.

Key Takeaway

Leverage unique perspectives.

Themes

journalism watergate career

Mood

reflective informative

Type

journalistic historical

When to use this quote

- political reporting
- career development
- historical documentation

Key Concepts

investigative reporting media ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does outsider status influence reporting?
- What makes reporting effective?

A Different Perspective

Bias can affect objectivity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came/) [Came Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came-washington-1099916/) [Covering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/covering/) [Covering Watergate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/covering-watergate-2286830/) [Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [I came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-came/) [Part](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/part/) [Pretty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty/) [Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unknown/) [Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington/) [Watergate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watergate/) [Watergate Immodestly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watergate-immodestly-2286831/) [Well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well/) [West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west/) [West Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-started-2286832/) [Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong/)

## Related quotes

> [In most recent times, as the West started being hostile to us, we deliberately declared a Look East policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mugabe/in-most-recent-times-as-the-west-started-being-hostile-to-us-we/)

[Robert Mugabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mugabe/)

> [I had been doing plays in New York and on a whim we packed up and moved West, I started doing commercials and plays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-van-ark/i-had-been-doing-plays-in-new-york-and-on-a-whim-we-packed-up-and/)

[Joan Van Ark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-van-ark/)

> [Forty years after the greatest scandal of the American presidency, Elizabeth Drew's account in Washington Journal remains fresh and riveting, instructive and evocative. Her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/forty-years-after-the-greatest-scandal-of-the-american-presidency/)

[Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/)

> [Watergate was a constitutional crisis of the highest order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/watergate-was-a-constitutional-crisis-of-the-highest-order/)

[Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/)

> [I guess I've always liked hitting here, even when I was with Chicago before I came to Washington. I had a good time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/i-guess-i-ve-always-liked-hitting-here-even-when-i-was-with-chicago/)

[Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/)

> [I came to Washington to work for God, FDR, and the millions of forgotten, plain common workingmen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-perkins/i-came-to-washington-to-work-for-god-fdr-and-the-millions-of/)

[Frances Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-perkins/)

> [Well, what I tried to do is simply to get out on the land. And when I came to Washington, I think one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/well-what-i-tried-to-do-is-simply-to-get-out-on-the-land-and-when-i/)

[Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/)

> [“People who were personally concerned about a better world, came to Washington, were drawn to it. Even though where we were going was still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/people-who-were-personally-concerned-about-a-better-world-came-to/)

[Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/)

> [I came to Washington D.C. to continue President Trump's America First agenda and deliver for Northwest Georgia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-taylor-greene/i-came-to-washington-d-c-to-continue-president-trump-s-america-first/)

[Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-taylor-greene/)

> [Dean Acheson was one of the very best and brightest of the men who ever came to Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-graham/dean-acheson-was-one-of-the-very-best-and-brightest-of-the-men-who/)

[Katharine Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-graham/)

> [I came to Washington to stand up for the people who put their trust in me and to ensure the safety of the families…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-mcbath/i-came-to-washington-to-stand-up-for-the-people-who-put-their-trust/)

[Lucy McBath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-mcbath/)

> [I came to Washington to get things done in a bipartisan way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-kim/i-came-to-washington-to-get-things-done-in-a-bipartisan-way/)

[Young Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-kim/)

> [When I left my mountain home and came to Washington, I promised the veterans in our district that I would be their weapon in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/when-i-left-my-mountain-home-and-came-to-washington-i-promised-the/)

[Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/)

> [I went to see President Nixon at the White House. It wasn't difficult to get a meeting because I was heavyweight champion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-frazier/i-went-to-see-president-nixon-at-the-white-house-it-wasn-t-difficult/)

[Joe Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-frazier/)

> [The first time I ever came to Washington was to visit Calvin Coolidge in the White House with my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dellinger/the-first-time-i-ever-came-to-washington-was-to-visit-calvin-coolidge/)

[David Dellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dellinger/)

## 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 Because quotes

> [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [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/)

> [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/)

[Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/)

> [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/)

> [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/)

[Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/)

> [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/)

[Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/)

> [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/)

[Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/)

> [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/)

[Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/)

> [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/)

[Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/)

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [I was contacted by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MP, through the Pune Film Institute and offered the post in the NFDC. I accepted it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-was-contacted-by-rajyavardhan-singh-rathore-mp-through-the-pune/)

[Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

[Browse all 15,485 Because quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I was unknown because I came to Washington from the West. I started covering Watergate. Immodestly, I'd say I did it pretty well, in part because it was hard to go wrong.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tom Brokaw"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/i-was-unknown-because-i-came-to-washington-from-the-west-i-started/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Because"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/i-was-unknown-because-i-came-to-washington-from-the-west-i-started/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/tom-brokaw-2402_because_i-was-unknown-because-i-came-to-washingt_2643226.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/tom-brokaw-2402_because_i-was-unknown-because-i-came-to-washingt_2643226.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/tom-brokaw-2402_because_i-was-unknown-because-i-came-to-washingt_2643226.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was unknown because I came to Washington from the West. I started covering Watergate. Immodestly, I'd say…” — 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 was unknown because I came...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/i-was-unknown-because-i-came-to-washington-from-the-west-i-started/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/i-was-unknown-because-i-came-to-washington-from-the-west-i-started/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
