Quotes By Dan Rather

Fear rules almost every newsroom in the country.

A college degree is the key to realizing the American dream, well worth the financial sacrifice because it is supposed to open the door to a world of opportunity.

They may have turned this up, whether you had the Paula Jones case or not. But again maybe not, but again that's like if a frog had side pockets he'd probably wear a handgun.

I don't pretend to be a digital savant or even a digital apprentice.

I was really lucky to work at CBS news. I was blessed to be able to live my dream in many ways at CBS news.

I don't back down. I don't cave when the pressure gets too great from these partisan political ideological forces.

I had just turned 10-years-old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and plunged America into World War II.

Journalists should denounce government by public opinion polls.

If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all.

What I say or do here won't matter much, nor should it.

Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow.

Once the herd starts moving in one direction, it's very hard to turn it, even slightly.

The press is a watchdog. Not an attack dog. Not a lapdog. A watchdog. Now, a watchdog can't be right all the time. He doesn't bark only when he sees or smells something that's dangerous. A good watchdog barks at things that are suspicious.

I still love following and thinking about politics. I enjoy recommending important journalism I read or see from other sources.

And now the sequence of events in no particular order.

Despite what many Americans think, most Soviets do not yearn for capitalism or Western-style democracy.

The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called "truth".

I'm proud to say I've never been anybody's lapdog.

I'd much rather wear out than rust out.

Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.

Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.

As long as I have my health, I want to be reporting somewhere.

I think it's important for the public to know, great reporting starts with a publisher who has guts and an editor who has guts.

Well, first of all, I don't want to debate the word conservative, but by my definition, a conservative is someone who wants to conserve the Constitution of the United States and the American tradition and law that no one is above the law.

Are the Democrats going to dance the mandate Macarena?

Only votes talk, everything else walks.

This race is hotter than a Times Square Rolex.

This much we know: Journalism is not a precise science. It's, on its best day, is a crude art. We make mistakes; I make mistakes. With more than 50 years as a journalist, I have at least had the opportunity to blow more stories, make more mistakes than maybe anybody in television.

As someone who's been covering presidential campaigns since the 1950s, I have no delusions about political reporting. Candidates bargaining access to get the kind of news coverage they want is nothing new.

Performing doesn't turn me on. It's an egomaniac business, filled with prima donnas - including this one.