Students of public speaking continually ask, "How can I overcomeself-consciousness and the fear that paralyzes me before anaudience?" Did you ever notice in looking from a train window that somehorses feed near the track and never even pause to look up at thethundering cars, while just ahead at the next railroad crossing afarmer's wife will be nervously trying to quiet her scared horse asthe train goes by? How would you cure a horse that is afraid of cars–graze him in aback-woods lot where he would never see steam-engines orautomobiles, or drive or pasture him where he would frequently seethe machines? Apply horse-sense to ridding yourself of self-consciousness andfear: face an audience as frequently as you can, and you will soon stop shying. You can never attainfreedom from stage-fright by reading a treatise. A book may giveyou excellent suggestions on how best to conduct yourself in thewater, but sooner or later you must get wet, perhaps even strangleand be "half scared to death." There are a great many "wetless"bathing suits worn at the seashore, but no one ever learns to swimin them. To plunge is the only way. . Dale Carnegie
About This Quote

The term "stage fright" refers to the fear of public speaking. It can be a crippling fear that makes even the most confident speaker bow to it. However, while we all think we know what stage fright is, we don't always understand the cause and effect of it. According to Dr.

Harold L. Humes, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and author of several books on this subject, stage fright comes from an overactive conscience and a lack of confidence in one's abilities.

Source: The Art Of Public Speaking

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  1. It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.
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