Jim Leyland Quotes

Twenty five years in Washington has taught me never to tell a lie to a reporter.

If there's more than one person—including yourself—in a room, consider anything said to be on the record and a probable headline in the morning paper.

I've never got on with the British press because they've always given me such a hard time. Once they build a band up they just want to do people down. They shouldn't concentrate on the colour of someone's shirt they should listen to the music.

I'm not saying that the press is wrong to report any internal differences we have, but at the same time, I think it's our job to keep them from becoming public issues, for anything that detracts from the purely athletic aspects of the sport is bad for us.

People take things too personally - I don't. If someone says something about me, I let it go. But unfortunately, everyone isn't like that. So I'm trying to be more diplomatic - but people always want a headline from me!

I understand why people might be interested. But I just don't talk about my personal life. It's a decision I made a long time ago, before I ever even knew anyone would be interested in my personal life.

Never charge a player and, above all, no pointing your finger or yelling.

I thought I might say something to newsmen that could be turned into a scandal.

The truth is, you can be honest with your friends - but you just can't be honest with the general public if you want to keep your friends.

I haven't raised my voice for eight to 10 years in the kitchen. And I won't have anybody shouting. If I hear of anybody having a go at anyone else, they'll get disciplined.

I can't begin to count how many times I have warned politicians and candidates to worry as much about the good coverage as the bad, because the more air they put in your balloon, the bigger the target when they start shooting.

I hate to spoil my own prospects, but I really don't respect the kiss-and-tell approach to public life at all, not at all.

I don’t allow my staff to criticize each other…. Evan Rosalyn … She knows that nothing can make me madder then for her to criticize staff.

You can take a position with the media, but don’t necessarily get in their face.

I praise loudly; I blame softly.

No public character has ever stood the revelation of private utterance and correspondence.

If you can't say anything bad about someone, don't say anything at all, because it won't get printed.

When I became press secretary my father sent me a telegram and said, "Tell the truth if you can and if you can't tell the truth, don't tell a lie." That became very difficult to do.

If you want to go into the court of world opinion, you had better go in with clean hands.

Don’t do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of the Washington Post.

The White House Press Secretary is supposed to serve the President and the Press. I found that I could not serve two masters.

Never contradict anybody.

There's this intense media spotlight; there's a need to be transparent, and, 'Oh, by the way, I'm also trying to fight a war at the same time.' It's a challenge, but it goes with the job.

As an actor, you can't just be in the film. You're also in charge of selling it, and so you have to sell yourself, and you have to be very political and make sure to not say the wrong things. It's exhausting.

If one player can say that I, Emmanuel Adebayor, spoke badly to anyone in the changing rooms, then I'd honestly like to know who it is. It has never happened in my life.