David Maraniss People Quotations

It's hard to know exactly how people develop the characters they do. There could be people from humble beginnings that turn into jerks. Some characteristics are just part of that special soul of that human being.

I discovered in writing the biography of Bill Clinton that it is actually easier to write a biography of someone who is dead. Although you can't interview them, you have a fuller perspective on their whole life after they're gone and people are more willing to talk about them.

People always try to separate the good from the bad in Clinton and say that, if he had not done certain things, he would have been a great president. But you can't do that. Those were his major characteristics.

As soon as this tragedy happened in New Orleans, I just was haunted by memories and thoughts about Roberto Clemente and sort of how he gave his life to help people in a situation like this. It was very heartening for me to see athletes of this era come through in ways larger than themselves.

Sometimes heroes are born, and sometimes heroes are made. People get to show what they're made of in critical situations. You saw people demonstrate their values in this tragedy.

People evoke his name today and ask what would Lombardi have done with Terrell Owens.