Dale Carnegie Quotes

When a man is asked to make a speech, the first thing he has to decide is what to say.

No man not inspired can make a good speech without preparation.

I always hate a speech after I make it.

When you make as many speeches and you talk as much as I do and you get away from the text, it's always a possibility to get a few words tangled here and there.

For the Oscars, I had a speech in my hand, and I just knew if I opened the piece of paper, I was going to be unable to read it. So I just thought, 'I'm going to say, as coherently as I can, whatever I can.'

I've never given a speech without being terrified first.

I have to make a speech tomorrow and prefer to lose my foot.

I've always loved public speaking, and that's something I definitely will pursue after the Olympics.

I hate watching myself because when I watch anything I've ever done, I realize all the ways I could have done it better.

Always, with speeches, I feel like it's an opportunity to say something.

I wonder what my speech would be.

I don't much like to look back with the idea that I was doing it wrong then or I'm doing it wrong now.

I don't like giving speeches - I enjoy sitting on my rump.

I'm never a person who likes anything I've done. It's just the way it is. Twenty years later, I can look at something I did, and I'm still thinking, 'You know, that could have been better if you had done it this way or that way.

In a perfect world, I would never give another speech, address, talk, lecture or whatever as long as I live.

I am not a good cue card reader.

I've seen my performances. I don't like them.

Speeches are much easier if you read them. I just find when I do that, it's harder to fire up the crowd.

I am still working on patter and presentation.

I am never happy with what I do, so I try not to watch stuff that is filmed with me in it because I am always like, 'Oh, I could have done that a little bit better,' or, 'I could have done that differently - that riff could have been a little better.'

Hey, I'm not a politician. I'm a ham. I love to give speeches.

I look back on my work and I think, 'Oh, why didn't I do that differently?'

I felt that some of my work was OK. If I could do it over, I'd do better.

I had a bad experience doing public speaking at school. I had to talk about a pen for five minutes and it was really hard work. I couldn't wait to get off the stage.

If you're not comfortable with public speaking - and nobody starts out comfortable; you have to learn how to be comfortable - practice. I cannot overstate the importance of practicing. Get some close friends or family members to help evaluate you, or somebody at work that you trust.