Henry R. Luce Quotes & Sayings

Publishing is a business, but journalism never was and is not essentially a business. Nor is it a profession. — Henry R. Luce

I became a journalist to come as close as possible to the heart of the world. — Henry R. Luce

To see, and to show, is the mission now undertaken by Life. — Henry R. Luce

Journalism is the art of collecting varying kinds of information (commonly called news) which a few people possess and of transmitting it to a much larger number of people who are supposed to desire to share it. — Henry R. Luce

Time should make enemies and Life should make friends. — Henry R. Luce

To see life. To see the world. To watch the faces of the poor, and the gestures of the proud. To see strange things. Machines, armies, multitudes, and shadows in the jungle. To see, and to take pleasure in seeing. To see and be instructed. To see and be amazed. (Describing the powers of photography; written for the launch of LIFE Magazine, 1936.) — Henry R. Luce

The world of the 20th century, if it is to come to life in any viability of health and vigor, must be to a significant degree an American century. — Henry R. Luce

I suggest that what we want to do is not to leave to posterity a great institution, but to leave behind a great tradition of journalism ably practiced in our time. — Henry R. Luce

Business, more than any other occupation, is a continual dealing with the future; it is a continual calculation, an instinctive exercise in foresight. — Henry R. Luce

Of necessity, we made the discovery that it is easier to turn poets into business journalists than to turn bookkeepers into writers. — Henry R. Luce

Show me a man who claims he is objective and I'll show you a man with illusions. — Henry R. Luce

There are men who can write poetry, and there are men who can read balance sheets. The men who can read balance sheets cannot write. — Henry R. Luce

I urge each of you to think seriously about the vision Dr. Daniel puts forth and think about what you can do to make it happen. — Henry R. Luce

It's easier to teach a poet how to read a balance sheet than it is to teach an accountant how to write. — Henry R. Luce

I am all for titillating trivialities. I am all for the epic touch. I could almost say that everything in Time, should be either titillating or epic or starkly, supercurtly factual. — Henry R. Luce

Not much longer shall we have time for reading lessons of the past. An inexorable present calls us to the defense of a great future. — Henry R. Luce

A missionary deals with all the important people of the community, but he is never really one of them. — Henry R. Luce