"I had been writing for about twelve years. I knew pretty well how you could find things out, but I had never been trained in an academic way how to go about the research"
About this Quote
A working writer confessing a gap in “academic” training is less a humblebrag than a quiet declaration of independence. McCullough’s line positions research not as a priesthood with exclusive rites, but as a craft you learn by doing: chasing sources, asking better questions, developing instincts for what rings true and what doesn’t. After twelve years in the trenches, he’s saying he already knew the essential skill academics sometimes mistake for methodology: how to find things out.
The subtext is a gentle rebuke to credentialism. By separating “knowing pretty well” from being “trained,” McCullough implies that the academy’s formal procedures can be useful without being the only legitimate path to knowledge. That distinction matters in his career arc. McCullough became a flagship figure in narrative history - meticulously sourced, intensely readable, and designed for the general public rather than for peer-review gatekeeping. His books succeed because they treat archival work as a means to an end: human-scale storytelling with receipts.
Contextually, this is also a statement about audience. Academic history often rewards specialization and theoretical positioning; McCullough’s lane rewarded clarity, scene, and momentum. The quote reminds us that “research” is not synonymous with jargon or footnote density. It’s curiosity disciplined by evidence. The intent is almost instructive: you don’t need permission to investigate, but you do need the patience to verify.
The subtext is a gentle rebuke to credentialism. By separating “knowing pretty well” from being “trained,” McCullough implies that the academy’s formal procedures can be useful without being the only legitimate path to knowledge. That distinction matters in his career arc. McCullough became a flagship figure in narrative history - meticulously sourced, intensely readable, and designed for the general public rather than for peer-review gatekeeping. His books succeed because they treat archival work as a means to an end: human-scale storytelling with receipts.
Contextually, this is also a statement about audience. Academic history often rewards specialization and theoretical positioning; McCullough’s lane rewarded clarity, scene, and momentum. The quote reminds us that “research” is not synonymous with jargon or footnote density. It’s curiosity disciplined by evidence. The intent is almost instructive: you don’t need permission to investigate, but you do need the patience to verify.
Quote Details
| Topic | Learning |
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