Jimmy Breslin

Jimmy Breslin – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the life of Jimmy Breslin — the street-wise New York columnist, author, reporter, and outspoken voice for the ordinary person — with his journey, work, legacy, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Jimmy Breslin (born October 17, 1928 – died March 19, 2017) was a legendary American journalist, columnist, and novelist whose voice became synonymous with New York City grit, empathy for ordinary people, and piercing criticism of power. He pioneered a style of journalism that focused not just on newsmakers but on the everyday stories behind headlines, making him one of the most influential and imitated newspaper voices of the 20th century.

Though sometimes referred to (in error) as “entertainer” in quote-sites, Breslin’s real domain was journalism and authorship — yet his bold personality, public presence, and occasional forays into media made him a public figure well beyond newspapers.

Early Life and Family

James Earle Breslin was born on October 17, 1928 in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York City, into an Irish Catholic family.

Growing up in Depression-era Queens imbued Breslin with empathy for struggle, toughness, and an appreciation for the stories of people often overlooked — themes that would define his journalistic voice.

Education & Entry into Journalism

Breslin attended Long Island University from 1948 to 1950 but left before graduating. Long Island Press and slowly climbing the ranks through tenacity, curiosity, and a willingness to put in hard work.

His early reporting assignments were unglamorous — local politics, neighborhood stories, crime beats — but he learned the craft of journalism from the ground up. He often said that the “stories are on the top floors” (i.e. the powerful), but you must walk the stairs (i.e. go digging) to reach them.

Career and Achievements

Columnist & Voice of the Street

Breslin is best known for his syndicated newspaper columns, which appeared in a variety of New York outlets over his career: Newsday, New York Daily News, New York Herald Tribune, New York Journal American, and others.

One of Breslin’s most famous early columns came just after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination (1963). Instead of covering the pomp and political angles, he found and interviewed the gravedigger assigned to dig Kennedy’s grave, capturing a deeply human perspective amid national tragedy. This column became emblematic of his style: going where others don’t, talking with people others ignore, and illuminating with simplicity.

In 1986, Breslin won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for consistently championing ordinary citizens in his columns. George Polk Award for metropolitan reporting earlier in his career.

Books, Novels & Other Media

Beyond columns, Breslin authored many books — both nonfiction and novels. Some notable titles include The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, Table Money, The Church That Forgot Christ, I Want to Thank My Brain for Remembering Me: A Memoir, and American Lives: The Stories of the Men and Women Lost on September 11.

He also appeared (often as himself) in a few film or TV projects. For example, he was portrayed in or contributed to documentaries like Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists, about him and fellow New York columnist Pete Hamill.

Occasionally, he attempted to branch into television. In 1986 he hosted Jimmy Breslin’s People, a late-night show in which he traveled to speak with ordinary New Yorkers in their homes or prisons. The show was plagued by scheduling issues and was short-lived; Breslin later publicly announced his “firing” of the network, declaring he would end the show.

Style, Influence & Incidents

• Breslin’s writing style was colloquial, blunt, direct, and often colored by anger — especially against hypocrisy and injustice. He believed rage was a vital force in writing columns.

• He often told younger reporters: “Don’t go where the crowd is.”

• His investigative toughness sometimes brought danger. In 1970, he was beaten in a restaurant (The Suite) by an associate of the Lucchese crime family after writing about organized crime. He sustained a concussion, broken fingers, fractured ribs, and a broken nose.

• In politics, in 1969 he ran for president of the New York City Council on a protest ticket with Norman Mailer — a run called “Vote the Rascals In” — seeking to secede New York City from New York State. The campaign was unsuccessful, and he later quipped about being “mortified to have taken part in a process that required bars to be closed.”

• Late in life, even after formally reducing his output, he continued to write on occasion, asserting he still needed to write to make a living.

Legacy and Influence

Jimmy Breslin’s legacy lies in several dimensions:

1. Champion of the everyday
   He expanded the terrain of journalism by turning attention to people often ignored — immigrants, laborers, everyday New Yorkers — and thereby made their lives felt in public discourse.

2. Model for narrative journalism
   His blending of reportage, vivid scenes, character sketches, and moral urgency influenced generations of columnists and nonfiction writers.

3. New York icon
   His personality, voice, and persona were deeply tied to New York City — no small part of his appeal and influence. He is often remembered as one of its quintessential voices.

4. Resistance to media conformity
   Even as media changed, Breslin resisted following conventions. He remained authentic, maintained skepticism of power, and did not shy away from controversy.

5. Documentary & remembrance
   Works such as Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists preserve his methods, stories, and ethos for new audiences.

Personality, Traits & Strengths

• Courage & restlessness: He confronted danger, authority, and complacency — rarely settled.

• Empathy paired with anger: He could be angry at injustice but never forgot human dignity.

• Relentless work ethic: He believed in doing the groundwork — walking, digging, asking.

• Plainspoken intelligence: His writing avoided jargon; he could reach wide readership without sacrificing depth.

• Outspokenness: He didn’t shy from calling out hypocrisy, power abuse, or media failures.

Famous Quotes by Jimmy Breslin

Here are some widely cited and representative quotes (with sources where possible):

1. “Rage is the only quality which has kept me, or anybody I have ever studied, writing columns for newspapers.”

2. “Don’t trust a brilliant idea unless it survives the hangover.”

3. “The office of President is a bastardized thing, half royalty and half democracy, that nobody knows whether to genuflect or spit.”

4. “When you stop drinking, you have to deal with this marvelous personality that started you drinking in the first place.”

5. “The number one rule of thieves is that nothing is too small to steal.”

6. “People born in Queens, raised to say that each morning they get on the subway and ‘go to the city,’ have a resentment of Manhattan, of the swiftness of its life and success of the people who live there.”

7. “If you gather a lot of stuff, then you write it, write in scenes with dialogue. Somewhere in the middle, rising from all this research … is your opinions.”

8. “Life never was long enough to provide time for enemies.”

9. “Some time ago, I made a basic decision … The idea was to place myself in the presence of only those people who give off the warm, friendly vibrations which soothe the coating on my nerves.”

These quotes reflect his worldview — sharp, reflective, irreverent — and his signature tone.

Lessons from Jimmy Breslin

• Be the voice for the overlooked: He showed how journalism can elevate marginalized or ordinary lives.

• Go where no one else is looking: His success often came by avoiding the obvious angles and getting closer to the ground.

• Speak truth with character: His style was unmistakable; he taught that how you say something can matter as much as what you say.

• Use anger for purpose: His “rage” wasn’t destructive; it was a tool to spotlight injustice and demand accountability.

• Resist conformity: He remained himself, even when journalism changed around him.

• Write to live: Even in later years, he insisted he still needed to write, not just for fame or legacy, but to sustain himself.

Conclusion

Jimmy Breslin’s life is a testament to the power of journalism that doesn’t just report headlines but tells the stories beneath them. His fearless voice, devotion to the underdog, and uncompromising style made him more than a columnist — he became a public conscience, a literary force, and a New York institution.

Further reading on Breslin