I am like a man so busy in letting rooms in one end of his house, that he can't stop to put out the fire that is burning the other.
Abraham LincolnRead
Extemporaneous speaking should be practised and cultivated. It is the lawyer's avenue to the public.
Interpretation
Extemporaneous speaking is essential for lawyers to effectively communicate with the public.
Abraham Lincoln emphasizes the importance of extemporaneous speaking for lawyers, highlighting that it is a vital skill for engaging with the public. By practicing and cultivating this ability, lawyers can better express their arguments and connect with their audience, fulfilling their role as advocates and communicators in society.
In practice
During a public speaking workshop, a trainer might quote Lincoln to emphasize the need for impromptu speaking skills.
I am like a man so busy in letting rooms in one end of his house, that he can't stop to put out the fire that is burning the other.
Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.
For it has been said, all that a man hath will he give for his life; and while all contribute of their substance the soldier puts his life at stake, and often yields it up in his country's cause. The highest merit, then is due to the soldier.
And having thus chosen our course, without guile, and with pure purpose, let us renew our trust in God, and go forward without fear, and with manly hearts.
The final lesson a writer learns is that everything can nourish the writer. The dictionary, a new word, a voyage, an encounter, a talk on the street, a book, a phrase learned.
What if you love knowledge for its own sake, not necessarily as a blueprint to action? What if you wish there were more, not fewer reflective types in the world?
Nothing would please us more than to see our beloved children form the habit of reading the Gospels - not merely from time to time, but every day.
By all means read the Puritans, they are worth more than all the modern stuff put together.
All historians generalize from particulars. And often, if you look at a historian's footnotes, the number of examples of specific cases is very, very small.
Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.
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