"I think somebody ought to do a survey as to how many great, important men have quit to spend time with their families who spent any more time with their family"
About this Quote
Cronkite’s line lands like a raised eyebrow delivered in Midwestern plainspokenness: a “survey” proposed not to discover truth, but to expose a comfortable lie. The target is the pious exit speech - the great man’s farewell tour where he claims he’s leaving power, the newsroom, the campaign trail, for the sacred cause of “family.” Cronkite, a journalist steeped in the rituals of public self-mythmaking, recognizes the phrase as one of America’s most durable alibis: the family invoked as proof of virtue, even when it functions as a PR fig leaf.
The intent is surgical skepticism. By specifying “great, important men,” he underlines the gendered script. The culture lets ambitious men frame departure as moral growth while quietly assuming the domestic labor will still be handled by someone else. Cronkite’s punchline is in the repetition: quitting “to spend time” does not necessarily mean spending time. The sentence mimics the circularity of the excuse itself - talk replacing action, sentiment standing in for rearranged priorities.
Context matters: Cronkite belonged to an era when public figures cultivated a paternal, trustworthy image, and journalists watched that image get polished in real time. His broadcast persona was steady; his private view here is sharper. He’s not romanticizing workaholism, he’s calling out performative virtue. The subtext is that modern status runs on visibility and control, and the “family” excuse often preserves both: you exit on your own terms, wrapped in wholesomeness, without surrendering the habits that kept you absent in the first place.
The intent is surgical skepticism. By specifying “great, important men,” he underlines the gendered script. The culture lets ambitious men frame departure as moral growth while quietly assuming the domestic labor will still be handled by someone else. Cronkite’s punchline is in the repetition: quitting “to spend time” does not necessarily mean spending time. The sentence mimics the circularity of the excuse itself - talk replacing action, sentiment standing in for rearranged priorities.
Context matters: Cronkite belonged to an era when public figures cultivated a paternal, trustworthy image, and journalists watched that image get polished in real time. His broadcast persona was steady; his private view here is sharper. He’s not romanticizing workaholism, he’s calling out performative virtue. The subtext is that modern status runs on visibility and control, and the “family” excuse often preserves both: you exit on your own terms, wrapped in wholesomeness, without surrendering the habits that kept you absent in the first place.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work-Life Balance |
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