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Obviously you have to make a profit to put out a newspaper. I'm not an idiot. But when the margins are in excess of 25 per cent you're talking about greed.
Carl Hiaasen
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Profit is necessary for business, but excessive profits can indicate greed.

In this quote, Carl Hiaasen highlights the balance that must exist between making a profit and recognizing when profitability becomes greed. He suggests that while operating a business, such as a newspaper, requires financial viability, substantial profit margins can lead to unethical practices driven by greed rather than a commitment to quality information and service.

Themes

ProfitGreedBusinessEthicsJournalism

In practice

Example use cases

During a business ethics seminar to discuss corporate responsibility.

More from Carl Hiaasen

As frightening as this may sound, what you see in the books is the way I see the world. And so far I haven't seen anything, either in Florida or elsewhere, to dissuade me from it.
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To me, the newspaper business was a way to learn about life and how things worked in the real world and how people spoke. You learn all the skills - you learn to listen, you learn to take notes - everything you use later as a novelist was valuable training in the newspaper world. But I always wanted to write novels.
Carl HiaasenRead
Lots of people can write a good first page but to sustain it, that's my litmus test. If I flip to the middle of the book and there's a piece of dialogue that's just outstanding, or a description, then I'll flip back to the first page and start it.
Carl HiaasenRead
When you're given a newspaper column, you're not being paid to sit on a fence and scratch your chin and say 'On the one hand this' and 'On the other hand that.' You're getting paid for your opinion.
Carl HiaasenRead
The greatest sin for a writer is to be boring.
Carl HiaasenRead
The Florida in my novels is not as seedy as the real Florida. It's hard to stay ahead of the curve. Every time I write a scene that I think is the sickest thing I have ever dreamed up, it is surpassed by something that happens in real life.
Carl HiaasenRead

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