--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everybody is an expert on one thing…" description: "\"Everybody is an expert on one thing - that's what I learned in my high school journalism class - and that's, of course, his own life. And everybody des..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afb/william-t-vollmann-2100_badly_everybody-is-an-expert-on-one-thing-that_1531077.jpg" --- # Everybody is an expert on one thing - that's what I… ![“Everybody is an expert on one thing - that's what I learned in my high school journalism class - and that's, of course, his own life. And everybody deserves to live and have his story told. And if it doesn't seem like an interesting story, then that's the failure of the listener, or the journalist…” quote by William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afb/william-t-vollmann-2100_badly_everybody-is-an-expert-on-one-thing-that_1531077.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afb/william-t-vollmann-2100_badly_everybody-is-an-expert-on-one-thing-that_1531077.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afb/william-t-vollmann-2100_badly_everybody-is-an-expert-on-one-thing-that_1531077.jpg) > “Everybody is an expert on one thing - that's what I learned in my high school journalism class - and that's, of course, his own life. And everybody deserves to live and have his story told. And if it doesn't seem like an interesting story, then that's the failure of the listener, or the journalist who retells it badly.” [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Everyone has expertise in their own life story; journalists must listen and convey these narratives, otherwise the failure lies in the listener or storyteller. **In simple terms:** People are experts of their own lives; good storytelling respects that. Key Takeaway Listen deeply and tell stories faithfully. Themes storytelling expertise empathy Mood thoughtful analytical Type journalistic philosophical When to use this quote - interviews - documentary projects - personal memoirs Key Concepts narrative ethics journalistic responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What stories are you overlooking in everyday conversations? - How can you improve your listening to capture true narratives? A Different Perspective Listeners may misinterpret or overlook nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Expert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expert/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [We live in a world where everybody's an expert. Everybody's doing a YouTube video. Everyone's doing a tutorial of what needs to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-del-rio/we-live-in-a-world-where-everybody-s-an-expert-everybody-s-doing-a/) [Bianca Del Rio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-del-rio/) > [Everybody is a critic, everybody has a voice, everybody can reach you. Everybody is an expert and that's what makes it fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sherman/everybody-is-a-critic-everybody-has-a-voice-everybody-can-reach-you/) [Richard Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sherman/) > [You write a story about loneliness, and you grab them all because everybody's an expert on that one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/you-write-a-story-about-loneliness-and-you-grab-them-all-because/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Narrative drives most of economics. 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