Fear of Speaking Quotes

Ninety percent of people's nightmares is standing in front of 1,000 people. Did you know that? And having to speak. You would have thought it would have been a madman tying you up and taking your eyes out.

Who, with tame cowardice familiar grown, would hear my thoughts, but fear to speak their own.

I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood. That the speaking profits me, beyond any other effect....what I most regretted were my silences. Of what had I ever been afraid? ...Death on the other hand, is the final silence...my silences had not protected me. Your silences will not protect you.

If I have to speak in public, I am terrified.

When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.

When I am in the Scottish Parliament chamber, I often feel the need to sit for the entire debate. It's only courteous to listen to what everyone has to say, although I often find myself desperate to say something but too scared to stand up in case I regret it.

One of the areas I have a little less confidence in is giving any kind of a speech.

I was a studious child, heavily into academics. For the longest time, I wouldn't talk.

I failed public speaking in grade school, 'cause I was so nervous and scared.

There's a fallacy with stand up comedy, which is, people come up to comedians, and they go, 'You say what I think but I'm not brave enough to say,' and that's not particularly true.

Part of what was in the ether all around me growing up, until I was between 19 and 20, was a terrible, debilitating stutter. It was part of what made me very reclusive as a kid.

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

I didn't think it would be possible for me to do music professionally. I was afraid to speak up and say I wanted to become a musician.

I keep my mouth shut now. I've turned into a professional coward.

I don't like giving speeches. It makes me nervous.

I was first spotted for a modeling career and there's no talking involved in that - the thought of doing any sort of public speaking at that time would have terrified me. So that was something I sort of had to learn.

I don't talk in front of people.

I was in sixth grade the first time I was required to speak in front of an audience. I had terrible stage fright and felt quite ill, in fact, by the time I had to give my little talk to students in another class across the hall.

I still get terrified if I have to talk in front of a group of people. By having a character to play, it makes it safer.

I'm suffering from stage fright. I don't like making speeches. [...] I'm the kind of introvert actor who likes putting on other people's clothes and pretending to be somebody else, which is completely crazy choice of profession. So, I don't enjoy public speaking and I have every sympathy for anyone who has to do it and doesn't enjoy it.

I find the whole situation of confronting an audience terrifying.

I'm terrified of losing my voice.

When I'm nervous, I stutter, and I had to keep stopping and starting.

Nick can get up on stage and just wing it, whereas I would have to be taken to a mental institution.

People only stutter at the beginning of the word. They're not afraid when they get to the end of the word. There's just regret.