It's very hard to turn your back once you're aware of what's going on, and you're aware of the injustices, and you're aware of the civilian casualties. It's much easier if you have no idea and you've never seen it.
Lynsey AddarioRead
I do think my childhood is one of the fundamental reasons that I'm able to do my job. We were raised in this totally nonjudgmental family. We never knew who was going to walk in the front door. And as a journalist and a photographer, you walk into so many different scenes that you have to be open to everything.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Childhood experiences shape our abilities and open-mindedness, especially in creative professions.
In this quote, Lynsey Addario reflects on how her upbringing in a nonjudgmental environment has profoundly influenced her career as a journalist and photographer. Growing up in a home where diverse individuals and experiences were welcomed, she learned to embrace openness and adaptability, traits that are crucial when navigating the varied and unpredictable scenes she encounters in her work. This suggests that our formative years can significantly impact our professional capabilities and perspectives.
Themes
ChildhoodOpennessNonjudgmentalJournalismPhotographyInfluence
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about creativity, this quote can highlight the importance of diverse experiences.
More from Lynsey Addario
All quotes →As a Western woman in the Middle East, I am often put in a different category. I am sort of like the third sex. I am not treated like a man. I am not treated like a woman. I am just treated like a journalist. That is usually really helpful.
Lynsey AddarioRead
My strength is looking for composition and light, and I think those things come in the quieter times of war or photographing people affected on the margins of war - civilians, refugees; that is where I really excel.
Lynsey AddarioRead
Don't expect things to happen fast. Be empathetic with the people you are photographing. Don't be concerned about money.
Lynsey AddarioRead
If people really saw what was happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, then they might be marching in the streets to end wars. But you know, I think that no one ever sees because we're not allowed to see, and we're not allowed to publish what we do see. So it's quite difficult.
Lynsey AddarioRead
Look, I would say that anyone who does this work and doesn't have a strain of idealism is an adrenaline junkie or completely narcissistic. There is no other justification. You're risking your life, and if anything happens, it's our families who suffer tremendously.
Lynsey AddarioRead
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