I became a journalist by accident, and stayed one. Just as well; I have no other talent whatever, even in the most modest and rudimentary form. I can't paint or compose or write novels; I couldn't be a businessman or financier; I would be impossible as a teacher and a disaster as an actor." - Meaning and context.">
"Farewell, my faithful friends", The Times (1 January 1990, from a 9 May 2007 reprint)
• Levin was retiring his manual typewriter for a computer and a long cherished wristwatch.
“

I became a journalist by accident, and stayed one. Just as well; I have no other talent whatever, even in the most modest and rudimentary form. I can't paint or compose or write novels; I couldn't be a businessman or financier; I would be impossible as a teacher and a disaster as an actor.

— Bernard Levin

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I became a journalist by accident, and stayed one. Just as well; I have no other talent whatever, even in the most modest and rudimentary form. I can't paint or compose or write novels; I couldn't be a businessman or financier; I would be impossible as a teacher and a disaster as an actor." in the context of ""Farewell, my faithful friends", The Times (1 January 1990, from a 9 May 2007 reprint)
• Levin was retiring his manual typewriter for a computer and a long cherished wristwatch." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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

About Bernard Levin

Bernard Levin (19 August 1928 – 7 August 2004) was an English journalist, author and broadcaster. He was best known for his columns about political and social issues which appeared in The Times.