QuotesCosmos
Quoted in The Fine Art of Political Wit by Leon Harris (1964)
• Quoted in The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations by Robert Andrews (1993)
• "Newspaper editors are people who separate the wheat from the chaff and then print the chaff." (variation)
• "Newspaper editors are men who separate the wheat from the chaff, and print the chaff." (variation)
• "Journalists separate the wheat from the chaff... and then print the chaff." (variation)
• This statement has also been attributed to an earlier usage by Elbert Hubbard.
“

An editor is someone who separates the wheat from the chaff and then prints the chaff.

— Adlai Stevenson II

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "An editor is someone who separates the wheat from the chaff and then prints the chaff." in the context of "Quoted in The Fine Art of Political Wit by Leon Harris (1964)
• Quoted in The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations by Robert Andrews (1993)
• "Newspaper editors are people who separate the wheat from the chaff and then print the chaff." (variation)
• "Newspaper editors are men who separate the wheat from the chaff, and print the chaff." (variation)
• "Journalists separate the wheat from the chaff... and then print the chaff." (variation)
• This statement has also been attributed to an earlier usage by Elbert Hubbard." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Adlai Stevenson II" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

Tags

#Adlai Stevenson II#chaff#separates#someone#editor#prints#wheat
Adlai Stevenson II

About Adlai Stevenson II

Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (5 February 1900 – 14 July 1965) was an American politician and statesman, noted for his skill in debate and oratory; Governor of Illinois, he was twice an unsuccessful candidate for President of the United States running against Dwight D. Eisenhower (in 1952 and 1956). Under the John F. Kennedy administration, he served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations.