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Janine Di Giovanni Quotes

Powerful Janine Di Giovanni for Daily Growth

About Janine Di Giovanni

Janine Di Giovanni, a distinguished British-American journalist, was born on October 6, 1964, in London, England. Raised in an academic family, she developed an early interest in literature and history, which would later influence her journalistic career. Di Giovanni began her career as a freelancer for the BBC, covering various conflicts in the Middle East. Her reporting took her to some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones, including Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya. These experiences led her to become one of the most respected war correspondents of her generation. In 1995, Di Giovanni was assigned to cover the Bosnian War for The Independent, a role that earned her the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. Her coverage was marked by her ability to humanize the stories of those caught in conflict zones, and she often focused on the experiences of women and children. Di Giovanni's major works include "The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria" (2016), a powerful account of her experiences covering the Syrian civil war, and "Ghosts by Daylight: A Family Memoir" (2007), which explores her family history and her mother's struggle with mental illness. Di Giovanni is also a senior international correspondent for The New Yorker magazine and has contributed to numerous other publications, including Time Magazine, The Guardian, and The Washington Post. She has been honored with several prestigious awards for her journalism, including the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for War Correspondents. Today, Janine Di Giovanni continues to report on global conflicts and human rights issues, using her platform to bring attention to the plight of those affected by war and conflict. Her work serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost of conflict and the importance of journalism in shedding light on the world's darkest corners.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"War is the worst of all peace."

This quote by Janine Di Giovanni suggests that war, despite being portrayed as a means to achieve peace or resolve conflicts, is ultimately destructive and detrimental. War causes immense suffering, loss, and devastation, often exacerbating tensions rather than resolving them. The phrase "the worst of all peace" underscores the irony that war, which is supposedly fought to establish peace, can actually result in more instability, chaos, and violence, making true peace elusive. The quote serves as a poignant reminder of the devastating impact of war on societies and the importance of pursuing peaceful solutions to conflicts whenever possible.

"Journalism has a moral responsibility to bring the truth to light."

This quote underscores the ethical principle that journalism should be guided by a commitment to truth-telling. It emphasizes the crucial role of journalists in society, as they have the power to inform the public, hold powerful entities accountable, and foster transparency. By illuminating the truth, journalists contribute significantly to democracy and upholding justice. This responsibility requires them to exercise integrity, maintain objectivity, and uphold high ethical standards in their reporting.

"We are no longer just witnesses to war: we are its unwitting participants."

This quote by Janine Di Giovanni emphasizes that in today's interconnected world, the impact and reach of conflicts go beyond direct participants. The global community, through various means such as social media, news, and economic ties, is indirectly involved in conflicts, making us "unwitting" or unintentional participants. This is because we are exposed to the realities of war, which can affect our attitudes, perceptions, and actions. As a result, the line between being merely a bystander and an active participant becomes blurred.

"War is not about numbers, it's about stories."

Janine Di Giovanni's statement "War is not about numbers, it's about stories" highlights the human aspect of war, emphasizing that statistics and troop counts do little to convey the true impact and essence of conflict. Instead, it is through personal narratives - the stories of individuals who live through these traumatic events - that we can truly understand the realities, emotions, and consequences of war. These stories provide a deeper insight into the experiences of those affected, helping us empathize and gain a more holistic perspective on conflicts and their lasting effects on societies.

"I always thought that war correspondents were cowboys, but they're not. They're just people who don't like being bored."

This quote by Janine Di Giovanni suggests that war correspondents are individuals who seek adventure and excitement, finding their passion in reporting on conflicts because it offers a thrilling contrast to the monotony of ordinary life. They are not simply adrenaline-seeking "cowboys," but rather, they are driven by a genuine dislike for mundane routines, finding fulfillment in shedding light on critical events and human experiences that others might find boring or unappealing.

Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life.

- Janine di Giovanni

New, Meant, Symbol, Easter

I love magazines. I always read 'Time,' 'Newsweek' and 'The Economist.' When I get my hair cut, French 'Vogue,' French 'Elle,' 'Paris Match' - I read them all in 10 minutes.

- Janine di Giovanni

Love, Always, Read, Economist

My own mother, my sister and nearly all the women in my family had full-time jobs as mothers. They were wonderful at it. They drove their children back and forth to soccer, skating lessons, piano lessons, private schools, but I sensed, even in my own mother, a kind of distant dissatisfaction.

- Janine di Giovanni

Own, Private, Full-Time, Dissatisfaction

Once Iraq became a hot bed for kidnapping, reporters had to use every kind of trick they could manage to avoid it. This included chase cars, security men for more prosperous agencies and networks, and GPS signals on satellite phones that could pinpoint the journalist's locations.

- Janine di Giovanni

Bed, Became, Reporters, Kidnapping

When you write non-fiction, you sit down at your desk with a pile of notebooks, newspaper clippings, and books and you research and put a book together the way you would a jigsaw puzzle.

- Janine di Giovanni

Book, Newspaper, Pile, Jigsaw

From the earliest age, I was just different. I think that's part of every writer's little revenge. You think, 'I'm not a blonde, blue-eyed cheerleader but I'm going to get out of here and do something.'

- Janine di Giovanni

Think, Here, I Think, Blue-Eyed

In Paris, where I live, the inner neighborhoods are only available to the white elite. The poor and dispossessed are shuffled out to suburbs and never seen.

- Janine di Giovanni

Neighborhoods, Suburbs, Dispossessed

Occupy Wall Street was a disorganized movement without a clear focus and power base - essential in any successful revolution - but the message was clear: the divisions between those who are fortunate enough to enjoy city living as opposed to those who find it unbearable are too wide.

- Janine di Giovanni

Focus, City, Occupy, Essential

In the aftermath of any war or genocide, healing and reconciliation are ultimate aspirations.

- Janine di Giovanni

Healing, Genocide, Ultimate, Aspirations

Sarajevo was this beautiful city, very cosmopolitan, multiethnic, full of wonderful people, artists and writers and poets and Serbs and Muslims and Croats, and living side by side. And then this medieval siege, and it was a medieval siege, came, and the Bosnian Serbs were on the hills lobbing in rockets and grenades and mortars.

- Janine di Giovanni

City, Very, Rockets, Hills

I spent a good part of the nineties roaming the Earth writing about conflict. It was very grueling. I was beginning to find this way of life was, wow, addictive and deeply meaningful.

- Janine di Giovanni

Beginning, Roaming, Very, Nineties

Manhattan is increasingly less available to average-income earners.

- Janine di Giovanni

Manhattan, Increasingly, Earner

Lake Como has always been a magnet for the elite.

- Janine di Giovanni

Always, Been, Elite, Lake

I know being pregnant and giving birth is the most wonderful thing on Earth. I know that after you have a baby, there is a sense of addiction, a need to have another. It's biological.

- Janine di Giovanni

Addiction, Need, Another, Biological

There are people who are seekers and people who aren't.

- Janine di Giovanni

People, Who, Seekers

I see so many people get so wrapped up in wanting to get a bigger SUV or a bigger house. But then I think, 'My God, I could have been born a woman in the Congo.'

- Janine di Giovanni

Think, Been, Wanting, Congo

Even as a small child, I wondered why the Dominican nuns who educated me were subservient to the Jesuit priests who educated my brothers.

- Janine di Giovanni

Small, Why, Brothers, Priests

I have never been embedded with the American army or, you know, with the big war machine.

- Janine di Giovanni

Never, Big, Army, Embedded

Every time the Catholic Church takes one step forward, it seems to take one giant step back.

- Janine di Giovanni

Church, Forward, Back, Catholic Church

It's hard for the Catholic Church to accept change. When the mass was no longer said in Latin, loyalists went into mourning for years.

- Janine di Giovanni

Change, Church, Mass, Catholic Church

Little changes can start to make a difference in the world.

- Janine di Giovanni

Changes, Start, World, Make A Difference

There is a painful joke that Europeans often tell of their Gallic neighbors: God created France, the most beautiful country in the world with so much good in it, and ended up feeling guilty about it. He had to do something to make it fair. And so, he created the French people.

- Janine di Giovanni

Country, Tell, About, French People

It's always disappointing to come across phony do-gooders. And it's easy to scoff at celebrities working in war zones.

- Janine di Giovanni

War, Always, Celebrities, Disappointing

Sibling rivalry was, and still is to this day, rampant in my family. We were all competing for my parents' divided attention.

- Janine di Giovanni

Competing, Divided, Still, Rampant

Nonviolence worked in Serbia, and it can work in other countries seeking their freedom.

- Janine di Giovanni

Other, Nonviolence, Worked, Serbia

It is a well known urban myth that the French don't trust banks and store their money under their mattress. It's not that they are tight with money - they just don't trust anyone.

- Janine di Giovanni

Trust, Mattress, Banks, French

To be a good reporter, writing about war, you have to write about the people. It's not about the tanks or the RPGs or military strategy. It's always about the effect war has on civilians, on society, and how it disrupts and destroys lives.

- Janine di Giovanni

Always, About, Lives, Strategy

The pope is an intelligent man and realizes that time marches on. He says the Church has a long way to go in developing a real strategy that integrates women - but clearly he is baffled as to how to do it.

- Janine di Giovanni

Church, Go, Pope, Strategy

When I did a year-long study in 2005 of European countries integrating Muslims into their cultures, France came in the lowest of the rank. Sweden was not far behind, though, which is worrying, as racism in France is much closer to the bone.

- Janine di Giovanni

Behind, Study, Integrating, Rank

In Iraq during the days of Saddam, I had a government minder who followed me everywhere, reported on my activities.

- Janine di Giovanni

Had, Iraq, Followed, Reported

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