5 Quotes & Sayings By Sally Bedell Smith

Sally Bedell Smith is a writer and editor whose work focuses on public issues, history, and biography. She has written ten books, including the critically acclaimed Richard M. Nixon: A Life in Full, a New York Times bestseller. Smith also writes a weekly column for The New York Times Sunday Magazine and contributes to The Washington Post Magazine and other publications Read more

She is a frequent commentator for National Public Radio, CBS News, CNN, and other outlets. Her most recent book is The Ascent of Woman: A 10,000-Year History

1
Asked to explain how he became a war hero he (Kennedy) responded, "It was involuntary. They think my boat. Sally Bedell Smith
2
Your Majesty, I'm afraid everything that could possibly go wrong is going wrong, " said Major Sir Michael Parker, an impresario for royal events with an expertise in pyrotechnics. "Oh good, what fun! " she replied with a smile. Sally Bedell Smith
3
After American titan and presidential father Joseph P. Kennedy suffered a stroke that impacted one side of his body, guests pretended not to notice the impact. Jackie Kennedy, however, held the impacted hand and kissed the affected side of his face, facing his disability and giving him the courage to do so. Sally Bedell Smith
4
Jack Kennedy brought an "intense concentration" and a "gently teasing humor" to the dinner table, along with what Katherine Graham called his habit of "vacuum cleaning your brain. Sally Bedell Smith