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I never took any elocution lessons, no diction lessons. I might have been a pretty decent broadcaster if I had, but what you see, I'm afraid, is what you get.
Walter Cronkite
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The speaker emphasizes authenticity and the value of being true to oneself over formal training.

Walter Cronkite's quote reflects a strong belief in authenticity and self-representation. He suggests that despite lacking formal training in elocution or diction, he prefers to present himself as he is, indicating that genuine expression is more important than polished performance. This attitude values individual personality and natural communication over potentially perfected skills.

Themes

AuthenticityCommunicationSelf-ExpressionBroadcastingProfessionalism

In practice

Example use cases

During a motivational speech about the importance of staying true to oneself in the workplace.

More from Walter Cronkite

Perhaps if all the peoples of the world understand what war really means, we would eliminate it.
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The death of Churchill at 90 was one of those watershed moments in which the obituary rises to a special calling beyond the sharing of remembered times. It gave an older generation a rare opportunity to explain something of itself to its children.
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I suppose popularity is measured by ratings. If a broadcaster is known as the leader because of ratings, then that's where people most want to be seen and heard, so there's no question that there's an advantage.
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Objective journalism and an opinion column are about as similar as the Bible and Playboy magazine.
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I feel no compulsion to be a pundit. As a matter of fact, I really don't have that much to say about most things. Working with hard news satisfies me completely.
Walter CronkiteRead
I think that our comfort is in our history.
Walter CronkiteRead

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