I don't know what a softball question is. All I know is I have no agenda. I ask short questions, and I listen to the answer.
I never think of access or good will. I just want a good interview. I want guests to be informative and entertaining. I've never been concerned about someone's liking me tomorrow.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Larry King emphasizes the importance of delivering value in interviews rather than seeking approval or access to celebrities.
In this quote, Larry King articulates his approach to interviews, prioritizing the quality of the conversation over personal relationships or access to influential figures. He believes that informative and entertaining dialogue is what truly matters, rather than the fleeting concern of being liked or having a favorable standing with his guests. This perspective highlights the integrity of the interviewer’s role in providing substance to the audience rather than focusing on superficial connections.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a panel discussion about effective interviewing techniques.
More from Larry King
All quotes →Those who have succeeded at anything and don't mention luck are kidding themselves.
I like getting to the meat of things. You can't get it in a five-minute interview. I like to hone a person. I like to make eye contact.
I never use the word 'I' when I interview someone. I think it's irrelevant.
I just love asking questions. I love people. It's in my DNA. I'm cursed - and blessed.
I'm 80 years old, and I don't know what I'm going to be when I grow up.
Similar quotes
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So if you aspire to be a good conversationali st, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that other persons will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves and their accomplishments
There may be an art to conversation, and some are better at it than others, but conversation's virtue lies in randomness and possibility: people, without a plan, could speak a spontaneous, unexpected truth, because revelation rules. Telling words recur in this smart, generous conversation between Stephen Andrews and Gregg Bordowitz: patience, responsibility, feminism, ethics, cosmology, AIDS, gift, freedom, mortality.
The art of conversation lies in listening.
Words let us say the things we want to say and also things we would be better off not having said. They let us know the things we need to know, and also things we wish we didn't.
So much of what passes for conversation today is degraded. It's either about one-upmanship, or dreary trivia. Even the cut and thrust of wit and bons mots is a form of bedazzlement designed to stop conversations dead rather than broaden them.