W.E. Woodward Quotes

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

Way before Watergate, senior administration officials hid behind anonymity.

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

I think that everyone is kind of confused about the information they get from the media and rightly so. I'm confused about the information I get from the media.

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?

Don't mistake thinking for action & don't mistake action for results.

Licking your wounds will not stop the bleeding, but applying pressure will.

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

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.

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.

Until you accept responsibility for your life, someone else runs your life.

Leadership Principle: As hunger increases, excuses decrease.

Leaders who won't own failures become failures.

A leader must inspire or his team will expire.

You don't get lucky in sport.

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

Certain political figures think when you call them and ask them for a comment; that you are somehow doing something that you shouldn't be doing.

After Nixon resigned in 1974, he engaged in a very aggressive war with history, attempting to wipe out the Watergate stain and memory. Happily, history won, largely because of Nixon's tapes.

I suspect there have been a number of conspiracies that never were described or leaked out. But I suspect none of the magnitude and sweep of Watergate.

I'm not going to name some of my colleagues who are very well-known for their television presentation, but they wouldn't know new information or how to report a story if it came up and bit them.

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

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

Deep Throat did serve the public interest by providing the guidance and information to us.

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

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

Watergate is not the sort of issue that changes the vote. I don't know anyone who has changed their vote because of it.

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.

Because of Watergate in part, I am kind of a magnet for calls and information and suggestions.

They need to review this secret world. We have an incredibly powerful government that gets on automatic pilot.

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

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

I give lectures for money, but all the money goes to charity. So, I make no money from it.

Rawhide Down is full of spectacular, original reporting.

Without courage, it doesn't matter how good the leader's intentions are.

Every leader has the courage to make decisions. No decision is usually the worst decision.

You won't get ahead until you get off your behind.

Deep Throat's information, and in my view, courage, allowed the newspaper to use what he knew and suspected.

You can succeed beyond the past, but not beyond your belief

Vanity as an impulse has without doubt been of far more benefit to civilization than modesty has ever been.

You shall use all your senses to monitor very carefully all that goes on about you, inside and outside.

You have to acquire a personal peace of mind which comes with understanding.

Leaders respond & change; the rest quit and blame.

Many people surrender what is possible for what is comfortable.

You have to unzip your heart before you unzip your pants.

By a quirk of culture and history, it could be that China has arrived today where many other 'more developed countries' will arrive tomorrow.

A passive mindset "manages" to live with mediocre, but an active mindset "leads" to change until excellence results.

The only thing tougher than developing leadership skills is attempting to be successful without them.

Analysis paralysis occurs when you overthink and underwork.

You can tell the size of a person by the way he treats people who cannot help him.

You must act in the face of reality, never taking counsel of you own worst fears.