Will Mcdonough Quotes

Powerful Will Mcdonough for Daily Growth

About Will Mcdonough

Will McDonough, an influential American journalist and author, was born on August 19, 1934, in Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in a family deeply rooted in the Catholic Church, which significantly influenced his worldview and later work. After graduating from Boston College High School, he attended Boston College, where he honed his writing skills under the guidance of renowned author Thomas Merton. McDonough's professional career began at The Boston Globe, where he worked for over two decades. During this time, he covered significant events such as the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the Watergate scandal. His reporting on the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy earned him a Pulitzer Prize nomination in 1968. In 1970, McDonough left The Boston Globe to join Time Inc., where he served as a correspondent and senior editor for Time, Fortune, Sports Illustrated, and Life magazines. His journalistic acumen was recognized with numerous awards, including two George Polk Awards and the National Headliner Award for magazine reporting. In 1986, McDonough published his first book, "The Last Innocent Summer," a memoir detailing his experiences covering the Kennedy assassination. The book was a critical success and established McDonough as a formidable author. Over the following decades, he authored several other notable works, including "Inside Time Inc." (1989), "The Church on the Square: The Catholic Church and American Politics" (1990), and "A Little Tea with Mr. Mao" (2003). McDonough passed away in 2015, leaving behind a rich legacy as a journalist, author, and storyteller who provided insightful perspectives on some of the most significant events of the twentieth century. His work continues to inspire journalists and readers alike.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."

This quote by Will McDonough underscores the value and honor in overcoming significant challenges. It suggests that achieving success in the face of great difficulty brings a greater sense of accomplishment or "glory," as it demonstrates resilience, perseverance, and determination. The idea is that adversity can serve as an opportunity for personal growth and triumph, making victories against formidable obstacles all the more satisfying.


"Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect."

This quote encourages action despite imperfect circumstances. It suggests that waiting for the perfect moment, conditions or situation may never come, and therefore, it's essential to take initiative, act, and learn as we go along. Perfect is an illusion, progress comes from taking steps forward, even if they aren't flawless at first.


"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."

This quote emphasizes resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges or setbacks. Despite achieving success or experiencing failure, it's essential to maintain the courage to move forward. The ability to persist and keep trying is what truly defines our character and determines long-term growth and development. It reminds us that a single achievement or defeat does not define our worth or potential; rather, it is our response to those events that shapes our future successes.


"Believe you can and you're halfway there."

This quote by Will McDonough emphasizes the power of belief in oneself as a significant step towards achieving one's goals. By having confidence in your abilities, you set the foundation for success. It suggests that self-belief is not just a psychological state but a crucial action that propels us forward on our journey towards accomplishment.


"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Thomas Edison, not Will McDonough, made this famous quote. It conveys a mindset of resilience and persistence in the face of setbacks or failure. Rather than being discouraged by repeated attempts that didn't succeed, Edison saw each unsuccessful effort as another step closer to finding the solution. This attitude emphasizes the importance of learning from failures and not regarding them as personal defeats but rather as valuable lessons towards achieving success.


I think almost every newspaper in the United States has lost circulation due to the Internet. I also think the Internet will lead to a lot of plagiarism in journalism.

- Will McDonough

Newspaper, United States, Plagiarism

The wonderful thing about television is the immediate impact of pictures of current events.

- Will McDonough

Current, Immediate, Current Events

Overall, I think Michael Jordan is the greatest athlete in any particular sport. He dominated the game for the Chicago Bulls and brought the NBA to its greatest peak of popularity.

- Will McDonough

Game, Think, Michael Jordan, Jordan

I don't think there is enough educational programming, but unfortunately, television is built around advertising and those shows don't get the big ratings.

- Will McDonough

Think, Big, Educational, Ratings

I was fortunate to be part of a very successful show on CBS in 1986. I switched to NBC for eight years and through these experiences have gotten terrific insight into television; it's a fascinating medium.

- Will McDonough

Through, Very, Gotten, CBS

There aren't enough good journalists. There are too many who really weren't groomed to be reporters and, as a result, some of the reporting is shallow.

- Will McDonough

Enough, Some, Reporters, Reporting

One of my first jobs was at the Boston Globe. I worked in the sports department six months a year. When I was ready to graduate, the sports editor gave me a job as a schoolboy sports writer.

- Will McDonough

Boston, Six, Editor, Department

Muhammad Ali is a combination of personality and athlete who is probably better known around the world than any other. He became a great hero.

- Will McDonough

Athlete, Other, Became, None

The two major things that changed the makeup of all professional sports are money generated by television and courts that players went to in order to win their freedom as free agents.

- Will McDonough

Sports, Makeup, Television, Agents

I think the greatest all-around athlete ever was Jim Brown. He played lacrosse, basketball and ran track at Syracuse. He played professional football for the Browns.

- Will McDonough

Think, Athlete, I Think, Ran

The future is electronic. It's radio, television and the Internet; it's not really newspapers anymore.

- Will McDonough

Future, Television, Electronic

I predict that many teams will go out of business and the size of the leagues will be greatly reduced.

- Will McDonough

Business, Size, Teams, Greatly

Pete Rozelle used television to get the game to the American public by creating the Super Bowl and making it the biggest sporting event in the world.

- Will McDonough

Game, Television, Making, Sporting Event

I've been very fortunate to be involved in all the Super Bowls, to see some World Series, to cover heavyweight championship fights; I've been to the Olympics and seen every sporting event there is.

- Will McDonough

Some, Very, Heavyweight, Sporting Event

I received $100 per week when I started working at the Globe after graduation.

- Will McDonough

Graduation, Week, Globe, Per

When I started at the Globe 40 years ago, there were seven newspapers in Boston and now there are only two. There were only three or four television stations in Boston and now there are a dozen.

- Will McDonough

Boston, Television, Seven, Stations

The ability of players to jump teams when their contracts are up has hurt fan loyalty.

- Will McDonough

Fan, Players, Teams, Jump

The one good thing about television is the money; you can make a lot more money than in newspapers.

- Will McDonough

Television, More, About, Newspapers

I think we'll always have newspapers, but they'll lose influence.

- Will McDonough

Think, Always, I Think, Newspapers

I don't think we use television the way we should or the way the inventors intended.

- Will McDonough

Think, Television, Use, Inventors

I think money in general hurts all sports.

- Will McDonough

Think, I Think, General, Hurts

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