J. R. Moehringer Quotes

Powerful J. R. Moehringer for Daily Growth

About J. R. Moehringer

J.R. Moehringer is an accomplished American author, journalist, and former staff member at The New York Times. Born on October 19, 1963, in Baltimore, Maryland, he grew up in a family of modest means. His love for storytelling was fostered early, as his mother, a secretary, had a rich imagination that often found expression in her stories and anecdotes. Moehringer's professional journey began at The Baltimore Sun, where he worked as a reporter before moving to The New York Times, where he won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1995. His work at The Times encompassed a wide range of topics, from sports and culture to human interest stories. In 2000, Moehringer published his first book, "The Tender Bar," a semi-autobiographical account of his upbringing in a Long Island bar run by his alcoholic uncle. The book was critically acclaimed and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography. His second book, "Sutton: The Life of a Master Forger," published in 2006, chronicled the life of art forger Shaun Greenhalgh. This work showcased Moehringer's ability to delve deep into the lives of his subjects and tell their stories with both empathy and objectivity. In 2015, Moehringer published "One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories," a collection of short fiction. The book showcased Moehringer's versatility as a writer, demonstrating his ability to excel in various genres and styles. Today, J.R. Moehringer continues to write, teach, and engage with the literary community. His works are celebrated for their narrative prowess, emotional depth, and insightful observations about human nature.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"A story is a life distilled, a reality refined."

This quote by J.R. Moehringer suggests that stories are a concentrated form of life experiences, where the essence or key aspects of a person's journey are captured and presented in a more refined and digestible manner. In other words, stories take the complexities and uncertainties of real life and transform them into a coherent narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end that readers can easily grasp and appreciate.


"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new."

This quote suggests that rather than spending time and energy trying to dismantle or eradicate something that no longer serves us, it's more effective to invest in creating a new and better alternative. It implies that change is an active process of construction, not just destruction, and encourages a proactive approach towards personal growth and positive transformation.


"We are each other's harvest; we are each other's business; we are each other's magnitude and bond."

This quote by J.R. Moehringer emphasizes the interconnectedness of human beings, suggesting that our individual lives and experiences have a profound impact on one another. It implies that each person plays a crucial role in shaping others' lives (our "harvest") and vice versa, as well as being integral parts of a collective whole (our "business"). The quote also suggests that the positive or negative interactions between us can amplify our potential for growth ("magnitude"), and strengthen our bonds as members of the human family. In essence, it underscores the importance of mutual respect, empathy, and collaboration in shaping our world together.


"Fear is the enemy of the mind, the destroyer of dreams, the fabricator of excuses."

The quote implies that fear is a significant hindrance to mental growth, creative ideation, and achieving one's aspirations. Fear generates self-doubt, fosters excuses for inaction, and undermines our dreams by making us believe they are unattainable or impossible. Overcoming fear is essential to embracing opportunities, pursuing goals, and unlocking our full potential.


"The past is a place of reference, not residence."

This quote emphasizes that while our past experiences shape who we are, we should not dwell in them or live as if we are still in those times. Instead, the past serves as a guide or reference point for understanding ourselves, making decisions, and growing in life. It's important to learn from the past, but not to be defined by it, allowing us to move forward and create new experiences in the present and future.


While I was busy hating Vegas, and hiding from Vegas, a funny thing happened. I grew to love Vegas.

- J. R. Moehringer

Love, Vegas, Funny Thing, Hating

Some of football's gaudiest displays of manliness are purely aesthetic. It's not what players do, it's how they look doing it.

- J. R. Moehringer

Aesthetic, Some, Purely, Manliness

Write every day; never give up; it's supposed to be difficult; try to find some pleasure and reward in the act of writing, because you can't look for praise from editors, readers, or critics. In other words, tips that are much easier to give than to take.

- J. R. Moehringer

Every Day, Some, Other, Tips

Like the Earth, the Web is a less appealing place than it used to be. If I want attitude and arguing and meanness and profanity and wrong information screamed at me as gospel, I'll get in a time machine and spend Christmas with my family in 1977.

- J. R. Moehringer

Used, Web, Arguing, Profanity

Basketball's eras are defined by teams - Celtics, Lakers, Bulls - and baseball's epochs are defined by players - Ruth, Robinson, Mantle - but with football, it's the sideline strategists, the nutty professors and top coated Lears.

- J. R. Moehringer

Teams, Lakers, Ruth, Nutty

My father was a food lover and a deadbeat dad, and maybe a connection between good food and bad dads was forged early, in the deepest folds of my subconscious, where we make so many decisions about our parents.

- J. R. Moehringer

Bad, Maybe, Forged, Dads

Tacked above my desk are photos of artists I admire - Hopper, Sargent, Twain - and postcards from beloved bookstores where I've spent all my time and money - Tattered Cover, Elliot Bay, Harvard Bookstore.

- J. R. Moehringer

Admire, Cover, Photos, Bay

I've been trying to write a book since before I was old enough to vote, and I've collected many rejection slips from publishers and magazines. I used to keep them all stuck to my refrigerator, with magnets, but an ex-girlfriend told me they were depressing, and defeatist, and suggested I take them down. A very wise suggestion on her part.

- J. R. Moehringer

Been, Before, Very, Rejection Slips

If you can live in Vegas, or visit Vegas, and leave in one piece, still loving it and somehow laughing about it, you should spend at least part of your last night in town doing something that will serve you well no matter where you go next: thank your lucky stars.

- J. R. Moehringer

Doing, Lucky, Next, Last Night

The greatest players use anger as fuel. Michael Jordan played every night with something like road rage.

- J. R. Moehringer

Like, Michael Jordan, Use, Jordan

Baseball, boxing, handball - sooner or later every game gets compared to narrative, but only in football are the plays perfectly linear, drawn up with letters, and only in football is the field itself lined like a sheet of notebook paper.

- J. R. Moehringer

Game, Later, Perfectly, Lined

In Zurich, in a cafe overlooking the Limmat, I ate butter-drenched white asparagus pulled from the ground that morning; it had the aftertaste of champagne. I've been able to appreciate epic meals in San Francisco, New Orleans, Berlin, Paris, Las Vegas.

- J. R. Moehringer

Been, Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans

There's that old journalism rule that sunshine is the great disinfectant - which is how reporters bust their way into meetings and such all the time. In sports, I really think winning is the great disinfectant.

- J. R. Moehringer

Think, Which, Reporters, Journalism

Baseball always gets credit for the foundational part of masculinity - the father thing. The eternal game of backyard catch, 'Field of Dreams', the Ripkens, the Griffeys, the Bondses, so on. But football is the real paternal game, because it's a conveyor belt of father figures, in the form of coaches.

- J. R. Moehringer

Game, Conveyor, Figures, Backyard

Now, whenever I need to go online, I confine myself to a tight circle: Gmail, MLB.com, NYTimes.com, Slate and maybe Facebook.

- J. R. Moehringer

Myself, Need, Maybe, Confine

I'm a big fan of the poet Mary Jo Salter, and although she doesn't need to be discovered at all - she's widely admired and anthologized and extremely accomplished - I wish she were a household name.

- J. R. Moehringer

Wish, Big, Discovered, Household

Food still isn't my thing, but I've learned to respect its power and significance.

- J. R. Moehringer

Power, Still, Learned, Significance

You think you choose the subjects of your books. But sometimes, in ways you don't know, the books choose you.

- J. R. Moehringer

Think, Books, Ways, Subjects

Vegas is like the old definition of writing: though I don't enjoy writing, I love having written. Though I didn't enjoy Vegas, I love having lived there.

- J. R. Moehringer

Love, Vegas, Having, Definition

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