Scott Pelley

"We cannot understand the present without understanding the past."

"The microphone is a tool, not a weapon, though it can be wielded as one."

"Truth is often stranger than the stories we tell about it."

"A newsroom is only as strong as its weakest link of integrity."

"The best reporting leaves people thinking, not telling them what to think."

"In a democratic society, we are all journalists in some way."

"The hardest stories to tell are often the most important ones."

"Ambition in journalism should be for truth, not for ratings."

"We shape the narrative, but we must never forget that we are shaped by it too."

"The camera never lies, but it often simplifies."

"Great journalists are great listeners first and great talkers second."

"The privilege of broadcast journalism comes with an obligation to excellence."

"Every story is someone's life; report it with the respect it deserves."

"The truth may be unpopular, but it is always worth pursuing."

"In journalism, as in life, context is everything."

"We live in a time when facts are optional, and that is not freedom."

"A good journalist asks not 'What do people want to hear?' but 'What do they need to know?'"

"The public has a short memory, but the record is long."

"Reporting is an act of faith in the power of truth."

"The most important story may be the one you never get the chance to tell."

"Journalism is not a profession; it is a calling."

"The pressure to sensationalize is constant, but it must be resisted."

"We are custodians of words, and words have power."

"The connection between storyteller and audience is sacred."

"In the digital age, verification is more important than velocity."

"Great journalism exposes not just facts but the human experience."

"The burden of truth-telling is heavy, but it is the burden we must carry."

"A free society requires not just freedom of the press but a free press that is worthy of that freedom."

"The stories we don't tell are often as important as the ones we do."

"In reporting, humility is not weakness; it is wisdom."