Robert Caro Quotes

11 Sourced Quotes

Power can be like a sword, a very unusual sword. Not only does it have a sharp blade but a sharp handle. So it cuts into not only the people it's being used against but also into the people who are using it.

Robert Caro
Every time one of my books comes out, profiles mention that I write on a typewriter that hasn't been manufactured in twenty-five years. And people send me their old Smith-Corona 210's for free. I used to have seventeen spares to cannibalize the parts. I'm down to eleven.

Robert Caro
Herman Brown was a businessman who wanted value for money spent. His relationships with politicians were measured by that criterion.

Robert Caro
There's no sense in asking me about the recession. I don't understand the world of finance. Would you like a chocolate-chip cookie?

Robert Caro
It's so easy to fool yourself into thinking that you're working hard. It's so easy not to write. So you use any trick you can to make yourself know there's work to be done. That's why I wear a jacket and tie when I sit down to write.

Robert Caro
Hemingway said, "Always quit for the day when you know what the next sentence is going to be." I do that.

Robert Caro
I live near Columbia, and I see a lot of college students. My best moment was seeing one of these kids carrying Master of the Senate. I could never ask him if he liked it. What if he said, "Mehhh, it's not so great. I have to read it for class"? That would kill me. So I never do that.

Robert Caro
There is no bullshit with books. What's on the page is what's on the page. It's either good enough to last or it's not.

Robert Caro
When you examine power, you are examining the very roots of why the world is where it is.

Robert Caro
If you just keep asking, it's amazing what comes out of people.

Robert Caro
The base of biography has to be facts.

Robert Caro