"It usually takes me more than three..." - Quote by Mark Twain
It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.
More by Mark Twain
“I was armed to the teeth with a pitiful little Smith & Wesson's seven-shooter, which carried a ball like a homopathic pill, and it took the whole seven to make a dose for an adult. But I thought it was grand. It appeared to me to be a dangerous weapon. It had only one fault - you could not hit anything with it.”
“You can't break a bad habit by throwing it out the window. You've got to walk it slowly down the stairs.”
“Inherently, each one of us has the substance within to achievewhatever our goals and dreams define. What is differentfor each of us is the training, education, knowledge and insight to utilize what we already have.”
More on Public Speaking
“If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.”
“Best masters for the young writer and speaker are the fault- finding brothers and sisters at home who will not spare him, but willpick and cavil, and tell the odious truth.”
“Since I am used to speaking in public, I know that it is useless.”
More on Preparation
“Wilson was once asked how long it took him to write a speech. He answered, 'That depends. If I am to speak 10 minutes, I need a week for preparation. If 15 minutes, 3 days. If half hour, two days. If an hour, I am ready now.'”
“When you start training camp, you're building the tools necessary to win a championship. You have to have the patience.”
“When I step onto the court, I'm ready to play. If you're going up against me, you'd better be ready. If you're not going to compete, I will dominate you.”