2 Quotes & Sayings By Stephen Runciman
Stephen Runciman is a historian and lecturer at the university of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge and lives in London. In the introduction to his latest book, "The Confidence Course", he writes: "Confidence. It's all about anxiety these days. For some reason, it's become fashionable to think that confidence is the answer to all our problems
... In short, confidence is about as useful as a chocolate fireguard or a chocolate fireguard". "And yet, you will be stunned by how many people have read this book and yet have no idea what I am talking about when I talk about confidence.
Or worse still, they think I am referring to some mysterious inner force of character that is their personal secret… They have been reading it for months or years thinking that I am writing about them but then one day they suddenly realise that the book has been nothing more than a guide to bringing out their inner wretchedness!" "It's just a fad, an up-and-coming trend in pop psychology. In the next few years we might all start referring to it as 'elegance', 'humour', 'artistry', 'tact', 'precision', 'balance', 'extravagance' and so on. But right now we are stuck with confidence."