Bob Woodward Quotes

Not a season passes without new disclosures showing Nixon's numerous attempts at criminal use of his presidential powers and in fact the scorn he held for the rule of law... view

By: Bob Woodward

The central dilemma in journalism is that you don't know what you don't know... view

By: Bob Woodward

The biggest rap on me is that I don't find a Watergate every couple of years. Well, Watergate was unique. It's not something Carl Bernstein, I, or the Washington Post caused... view

By: Bob Woodward

Suppose Watergate had not been uncovered? I'd still be on the City Desk... view

By: Bob Woodward

Some newspapers have a hands-off policy on favored politicians. But it's generally very small newspapers or local TV stations... view

By: Bob Woodward

The cloud of doubt that surrounds political figures tends to remain and never dissipate or be clarified... view

By: Bob Woodward

People like to pigeonhole and say, Well, I'm a Washington insider, and you know, that's quite silly. What does that even mean?.. view

By: Bob Woodward

Nixon's grand mistake was his failure to understand that Americans are forgiving, and if he had admitted error early and apologized to the country, he would have escaped... view

By: Bob Woodward

Nixon's attempts to order subversion of various departments was bound to come out in some form... view

By: Bob Woodward

Nixon had some large achievements in foreign affairs. They will be remembered. But a president probably gets remembered for one thing, and Watergate will head the Nixon list, I suspect... view

By: Bob Woodward

Newspapers that are truly independent, like The Washington Post, can still aggressively investigate anyone or anything with no holds barred... view

By: Bob Woodward

The fact of the Watergate cover-up is not nearly as interesting as the step into making the cover-up. And when you understand the step, you understand that Richard Nixon lied. That he was a criminal... view

By: Bob Woodward

Lawyers didn't seriously get involved in the Watergate stories until quite late, when we realized we were on to something... view

By: Bob Woodward

Using these unnamed sources, if done properly, carefully and fairly, provides more accountability in government... view

By: Bob Woodward

It would seem that the Watergate story from beginning to end could be used as a primer on the American political system... view

By: Bob Woodward

It was accountability that Nixon feared... view

By: Bob Woodward

Many people have their reputations as reporters and analysts because they are on television, batting around conventional wisdom. A lot of these people have never reported a story... view

By: Bob Woodward

Watergate is an immensely complicated scandal with a cast of characters as varied as a Tolstoy novel... view

By: Bob Woodward

Certain political figures think when you call them and ask them for a comment.. view

By: Bob Woodward

If you interviewed 1,000 politicians and asked about whether the media's too soft or too hard, about 999 would say too hard... view

By: Bob Woodward

When you hear in the tape recordings Nixon's own voice saying, We have to stonewall, We have to lie to the Grand Jury, We have to pay burglars a million dollars, it's all too clear the horror of what went on... view

By: Bob Woodward

We're not going to have another Watergate in our lifetime. I'm sure... view

By: Bob Woodward

We need to police ourselves in the media... view

By: Bob Woodward

Way before Watergate, senior administration officials hid behind anonymity... view

By: Bob Woodward

There may yet be another Watergate book. I have thought a book about the aftermath of Watergate and its impact could be done, perhaps by me or someone else... view

By: Bob Woodward

When you practice reporting for as long as I have, you keep yourself at a distance from True Believers. Either conservatives or liberals or Democrats or Republicans... view

By: Bob Woodward

The failure of the system to deal quickly was attributable to Nixon's lying, stonewalling and refusal to come clean. So it took 26 months for the final truth to be known... view

By: Bob Woodward

There's hostility to lying, and there should be... view

By: Bob Woodward

There is a garbage culture out there, where we pour garbage on people. Then the pollsters run around and take a poll and say, do you smell anything?.. view

By: Bob Woodward

There are people who take rumors and embellish them in a way that can be devastating. And this pollution has to be eradicated by people in our business as best we can... view

By: Bob Woodward

The Washington Times wrote a story questioning the authenticity of some of the suggestions made about me in Silent Coup. But as a believer in the First Amendment, I believe they have more than a right to air their views... view

By: Bob Woodward

The source known as Deep Throat provided a kind of road map through the scandal. His one consistent message was that the Watergate burglary was just the tip of the iceberg... view

By: Bob Woodward

The number of illegal activities were so large that one was bound to come out and lead to the uncovering of the others. Nixon was too willing to use the power of government to settle scores and get even with enemies... view

By: Bob Woodward

The legislator learns that when you talk a lot, you get in trouble. You have to listen a lot to make deals... view

By: Bob Woodward

Watergate provides a model case study of the interaction and powers of each of the branches of government. It also is a morality play with a sad and dramatic ending... view

By: Bob Woodward

Deep Throat was a very unfortunate name given to the source by the managing editor of The Washington Post... view

By: Bob Woodward

Clinton... believes that the Washington Press Corps is so out of touch that it is absolutely inconceivable that reporters would understand the issues that people are really dealing with in their lives... view

By: Bob Woodward

I don't think there will ever be a permanent truce, but I believe the media needs to be more careful and be willing to count to 10 before rushing on the air or into print... view

By: Bob Woodward

I don't think it's useful for somebody to argue with reviews... view

By: Bob Woodward

I deal with first-hand sources. And give the people, even John Sununu, the opportunity to respond to what I've been told by first-hand sources... view

By: Bob Woodward

I believe Watergate shows that the system did work. Particularly the Judiciary and the Congress, and ultimately an independent prosecutor working in the Executive Branch... view

By: Bob Woodward

I believe there's too little patience and context to many of the investigations I read or see on television... view

By: Bob Woodward