"Regardless, I did rise to the editorship before embarking on a freelance career in the late '60s"
About this Quote
In an editor’s mouth, "editorship" is a loaded title. It implies gatekeeping power, institutional legitimacy, and the authority to shape taste. Yates frames that authority as a rung he climbed, not a perch he was handed. Then he drops the second act: "before embarking" on freelance work. "Embarking" makes freelancing sound like a voyage rather than a scramble, recasting a risky move as chosen adventure. That matters because the late 1960s were a moment when media hierarchies loosened, counterculture and New Journalism blurred the line between establishment gloss and street-level immediacy, and the best writers could leverage personal voice into a brand.
The subtext is a bid for independence without forfeiting pedigree: I paid my dues inside the machine, then I walked out on purpose. It’s also a subtle claim about identity. Yates isn’t just an editor or a freelancer; he’s positioning himself as someone who can speak with insider authority while operating outside institutional constraints.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Yates, Brock. (2026, February 17). Regardless, I did rise to the editorship before embarking on a freelance career in the late '60s. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/regardless-i-did-rise-to-the-editorship-before-98905/
Chicago Style
Yates, Brock. "Regardless, I did rise to the editorship before embarking on a freelance career in the late '60s." FixQuotes. February 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/regardless-i-did-rise-to-the-editorship-before-98905/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Regardless, I did rise to the editorship before embarking on a freelance career in the late '60s." FixQuotes, 17 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/regardless-i-did-rise-to-the-editorship-before-98905/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.


