One of the toughest things about newspaper writing is deciding what you leave out. Every reporter has things in his or her notebook we adore that don't make it into the story. Sometimes it's off-topic or the story is just too long. You know it will never see light of day, and it kills us.

As William Faulkner put it, "In writing, you must kill your darlings."

Breaking that rule, I just had to share this nugget from an interview I did with Colts owner Jim Irsay for a forthcoming story. The exact opposite of what you'd expect from sports franchise gajillionaire, Irsay ranged over a broad span of topics, from music to art to Super Bowl trophies. The guy seems ravenous for human experiences.

Anyway, he dropped this on me near the end of the interview. It's not going in the story, but I just had to share it:

"In a long life you play a lot of different roles. I've dug construction ditches, and I've driven by construction ditches in limousines. And I'm glad I've done both."

As someone who's walked the corridors of Washington and interviewed some famous people like Irsay, but also worked as a dishwasher and pasted stamps on mass mailings, I can definitely relate.