Go for the gold: better one great column and some undistinguished ones than constant mediocrity. Allan Sloan More Quotes by Allan Sloan More Quotes From Allan Sloan Don't commit to being a columnist unless you're willing to do it right. Report your behind off, so you have something original and useful to say. Say it in a way that will interest someone other than you, your family and your sources. Allan Sloan columnists source way I grew up in an environment of jokes and sarcasm and puns. I talk that way, so I write that way. Allan Sloan sarcasm sarcastic writing When I started writing a business column 15 years ago, I knew I'd found the perfect job for myself. As a columnist I could pick my own topic, do my own analysis, say what I wanted to say and attribute it to myself. Best of all, I could write in my own voice. Allan Sloan writing jobs years Teamwork is better than isolation, especially for a columnist. Allan Sloan columnists isolation teamwork Report, report, report. Dig, dig, dig. Think, think, think. Don't stop being a reporter because you've become a columnist. Allan Sloan reporters columnists thinking I've spent my career trying to help people without connections understand what's going on so that they have a chance of getting a fair shake from the connected and the powerful. Allan Sloan careers powerful people I don't tolerate whining, I look at people & say 'you're a victim, it's not your fault' figure our how to survive! Allan Sloan faults people looks People are treating the Stewart case as seriously as Enron when it's really over trivia. Allan Sloan case seriously over people If the government decides to put your life under a microscope, do you think it won't find something? I suspect there's not an adult in the country who would walk away totally unscathed if every aspect of his or her life were investigated the way Stewart's ImClone trading was. Allan Sloan walk you government life The lesson that any thinking person draws from the Stewart saga is that when the government asks questions, run for your lawyer and don't say a word. Had Stewart kept her mouth shut, she'd be OK. Allan Sloan person lawyer government thinking The column's worked out great for me. I've gotten a ton of ego satisfaction, had a lot of fun, won a batch of prizes and occasionally done some public good. Allan Sloan great good me ego I wanted to be a columnist so badly that I took a huge pay cut to leave Forbes, which wouldn't give me a column, and join Newsday, which wanted my column for its Sunday business section. Allan Sloan leave me sunday business It's easy to write a good column if you've got good information. It's hard if you have to depend on style alone. I suppose there are people who can get away with styling on a regular basis. I'm not one of them. You're probably not, either. Allan Sloan alone good you style
