英语即兴三分钟演讲（精选24篇）
president clinton, senator clinton, president carter and mrs. carter, president bush and mother governor and mrs. huckabee, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: laura and i are really pleased to be a part of this happy and historic occasion. on this day of dedication, we honor the man from hope, arkansas, who became the 42nd president of the united states. mr. president, congratulations.
this presidential library chronicles a vivid era in american history, for the benefit of future generations. it will contribute to the vitality of this fine city and to the great state of arkansas. the collections here record the dedication and hard work of thousands, who brought talent and idealism to public service. and at the center of that era, at the head of that administration, was an able and energetic american. president bill clinton led our country with optimism and a great affection for the american people, and that affection has been returned. he gave all to his job, and the nation gave him two terms.
in the early 1990s, the american people saw a young, well-spoken, relatively unknown governor rise to national prominence. yet for decades here in arkansas, the signs of destiny were clear. when young william entered a new school in the 4th grade, a classmate recalls, "he didn't mean to, but he just took the place over." when governor clinton declared his candidacy for president in this city, his close friends were not surprised in the least. they'd always known that bill clinton's moment in history would come.
arkansas is a state that knows political skill when you see it. a fellow in saline county was asked by his son why he liked governor clinton so much. he said, son, he'll look you in the eye, he'll shake your hand, he'll hold your baby, he'll pat your dog -- all at the same time.
over the years, bill clinton showed himself to be much more than a good politician. his home state elected him governor in the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s, because he was an innovator, a serious student of policy, and a man of great compassion. in the white house, the whole nation witnessed his brilliance and mastery of detail, his persuasive power, and his persistence. the president is not the kind to give up a fight. his staffers were known to say, "if clinton were the titanic, the iceberg would sink."
hello,everyone. good afternoon. thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk about my top concern. i'm no.26, i'll talk about friend.
everyone of us,rich or poor,should at least have one or two good friends. my friend will listen to me when i want to speak, will help me when i need,will take care of me when i am sick,and my friends will go together with me side by side through this journey of life.
when i was ten, i was suddenly confronted with the anguish of transferring to other school. i had to left my friends i had ever known. as a kid,i feel lonely when i study in a new environment without a person i had known. nobody i could talk,nobody could know when i feel lonely. the time when i couldn't sleep, i'll always miss them, then the tears filled my eyes.
later, i became familar with the environment ,and made some friends ,which became my best friends then. they talked with me when i felt lonely, they helped me when i needed, they took care of me when i was sick. even through we were part, we still keep in touch with each other.
in our whole lives,we'll meet too much people but only a few can be our best friends. when staying with them,we can release ourself completely. we can do whatever we want, we can laugh together, talk together, and even cry together. i should say that being together with our best friends is the most wonderful moment of our lives.
As the song goes “ My future isn’t a dream .” I love the song which brings me confidence when singing it every time . I believe that all our dreams can come true if we have courage to pursue them .When I was young my father always asked me what I would be in the future . Sometimes I found it very hard to give a certain reply . “ I want to be a doctor .” “ I want to be a teacher .” and “ I ’d like to be a scientist !” Many of these answers are perhaps very childish and ridiculous . But I never think they are far away .
How time flies! Who is able to give a definition to his future ? I know clearly that those high buildings are based on solid foundation . As a student , I should have a reasonable aim , and study hard . My goal is to enter the best university for further study after middle school . I know it’s hard work , and I ’ll come across many difficulties and frustrations . But no matter what they are , I’ll keep working on it and never give up . My teacher says there ’s only one kind of people that are truly successful : those who are brave enough to put up with hardships . Even if I won’t achieve the goal , I have no regrets for what I have done , for I have struggled for my life .
good morning, ladies and gentlemen. i’d like to share my teaching dream with you. but before that, i want to say something about the beginning of this dream. in march this year, three teachers from australia came to our school. during the meeting, we exchanged a lot about education. i found that though we have almost the same teaching philosophy, we have different routines. what impressed me most was that their schools end at 3:00 in the afternoon and have no night classes. i can’t tell which kind of routine is better, but the sharp contrast made me think about a better education. the following is a dreamy school in my mind, in which there is no pressure but pleasure.
in this school, the buildings are well designed, close to nature. in the morning, children can read while enjoying the beautiful sunrise. in the evening, they can exercise by the lake reflecting the amazing sunset. in the spring, they can go to the wild, lie on the lawn, and watch the kite flying in the blue sky. in the summer, they can go to the forest, live in a cabin, and listen to the rhythm of the rain. …
students are free but polite and they respect each other. they can leave at 4:00 every afternoon, or perhaps earlier. they have the freedom to organize time. they can go to the library, go to the lab, the computer rooms or the playground. they’re self-motivated and have a strong thirst for knowledge. and there are no frequent exams and rankings. students won’t be forced to wear uniforms everyday, and there is no required hair style. everyday is so colorful that they are looking forward to the next day when going to bed at night,
every teacher in this school can give a course as they like. there is no tedious rating, no scraps of quantitative management and no rigid standard. teachers can fully display their personality in class, and they feel very happy and content to teach. every morning, on thoughts of giving lessons, they are excited. after class, they are delighted , with smiles on their faces. some experts, scholars and masters are also visiting teachers in this school.yang zhenning can give physics classes for a day. yi zhongtian opens lectures on chinese culture for a week. speaking of music, we can ask wang lihong to give music lectures, just as he did in oxford university. if necessary, we can also invite david beckham to speak something about the world cup …
the principal of the school focuses on education rather than waste time in endless meetings and social activities. teachers’ wages are not high but enough to live comfortably. there are no other things to do except to teach. there are no paper requirements, no titles and no ranks because they don’t need to be judged by those things. almost every teacher is a well-known scholar and master in a particular field. a language teacher may be a writer at the same time. a math teacher may try to overcome a world-class guess. a physics teacher can win invention awards and a music teacher may return from an international music competition again.
Good afternoon, everyone!
The topic of my speech today is “Being a Good Listener”.
Good listening can always show respect, promote understanding, and improve interpersonal relationship.
Many people suggest that parents should listen more to their children, so they will understand them better, and find it easy to narrow the generation gap; teachers should listen more to their students, then they can meet their needs better, and place themselves in a good relationship with their students; students should listen more to their classmates, thus they will help and learn from each other, and a friendship is likely to be formed.
What I want to stress is that each of us should listen more to others. Show your respect and never stop others till they finish their talk; show you are interested by a supportive silence or a knowing smile; be open-minded to different opinions even though you don’t like them. In a word, good listening can really enable us to get closer to each other.
Thank you for your listening!
Hello! Everyone. I’m Tony, an 11-year-old happy boy.I live with my parents and we love each other.
I have many hobbies, such as sports, singing and reading books.And I love animals most. Now I will tell you about my favorite animal.
They are very precious sea animals with long bodies.Theylive on fish, shrimps and so on.They are very clever. People often train them for performances which brings us a lot of happiness and joy.They are very friendly and peaceful. They never attack people. Instead, they have saved many people in danger.
Now,do you know what they are? Yes, you are right. They are dolphins.
I hope we can take actions to protect dolphins, so they will always be with us.
in the matter of courage we all have our limits. there never was a hero who did not have his bounds. i suppose it may be said of nelson and all the others whose courage has been advertised that there came times in their lives when their bravery knew it had come to its limit.
i have found mine a good many times. sometimes this was expected--often it was unexpected. i know a man who is not afraid to sleep with a rattle-snake, but you could not get him to sleep with a safety-razor.
today, as people live a better life, they chase for more enjoyment. we can see from the news that when the holiday comes, there are so many people gather in the scenery site. people like to travel today, they can take a plane, take the bus or even take a bike. on my opinion, the best way to travel is by train. first, it is very cheap. compare with other ways, such as plane and bus, train is less expensive, people can save a lot of money. besides, taking the train is much safer. people don’t have to worry about crush, which is more happen in the plane or bus. second, we can enjoy the scenery in the train. though the train is very slow, we can have a good sight of the beautiful scenery, when we go to tibet, we can see different colors and different mountains during the trip. taking the train is the best way to travel.
i never had the courage to talk across a long, narrow room. i should be at the end of the room facing all the audience. if i attempt to talk across a room i find myself turning this way and that, and thus at alternate periods i have part of the audience behind me. you ought never to have any part of the audience behind you; you never can tell what they are going to do.
i'll sit down.
change the ingredients of your life
this is a glass of water, tasteless, right? however if you add sugar, it will taste sweet, but if you add vinegar, it will become bitter. the same is true with our life____ the flavor is created by our choices.
if kindness is added to a strange you will have a friend; but if hostility is added, you will have an enemy. if love is added to a pile of red bricks you will have a home, but if hatred is add to those bricks , you will have an concentration camp.
so my dear friends, never complain that life is boring and the world is disappointing. if don’t like the taste of your life, change the ingredients. three year ago, i weighed more than 100 hundred kilograms which caused significant embarrassment and frustration in my life. like always failing my p.e examinations, like always being laughed at by girls, like being terrified to speak in public. it was my grandmother’s encouragement that revived from my passive attitude to become confident in myself. she said “ my dear, if you can’t change you figure, why not treat it as your own style. so i began to cautiously employ the new way of thinking. by choosing to change my outlook on life, i developed the confidence to make a difference and finally i found a totally new world. so my dear friend, if faith, hope, love, endurance are added to your life, you will find the confidence to conquer your limitation and embrace new challenges. and hopefully with my speech included, you will have a fantastic speech contest.
during his presidency, bill clinton seized important opportunities on issues from welfare to free trade. he was a tireless champion of peace in the middle east. he used american power in the balkans to confront aggression and halt ethnic cleansing. and in all his actions and decisions, the american people sensed a deep empathy for the poor and the powerless. shortly before leaving office, president clinton said, "christ admonished us that our lives will be judged by how we do unto the least of our neighbors." throughout his career, bill clinton has done his best to live up to that standard. and americans respect him for it. at every stage of his remarkable life, president clinton has made and kept countless friends, who share in the joy of this day. and three people in particular have the largest part in this remarkable story. one day more than 30 years ago, inside the yale law library, a fellow student walked over to bill clinton and said, "if you're going to keep staring at me, and i'm going to keep staring back, we ought to at least know each other's name. mine's hillary rodham. what is yours?"that was a good day for both of them, and the beginning of a partnership unique in american history. so today, we honor the former first lady of arkansas, the former first lady of america, the united states senator from new york, senator hillary rodham clinton.
perhaps the clintons' greatest achievement is their daughter, who moved into the white house as a young girl, and left as an accomplished young lady. it's not easy to be a teenager in the white house, but it's a lot easier when you have a loving mother and a loving father that chelsea clinton had.
this magnificent presidential library, and the american life it celebrates, would not have been possible without the love and sacrifice of a special lady. among his heroes, president clinton always includes his mother, virginia kelley, "a working woman and a widow." virginia was there when her son took the oath of office, and we know that she would be incredibly proud of this day.
the story that began in a little house on hervey street in hope, arkansas is the kind of story that inspires people from every background, all over america. in this great nation, it is always possible for a child to go as far as their talent and vision can take them. visitors to this place will be reminded of the great promise of our country, and the dreams that came true in the life of our 42nd president. the william j. clinton presidential library is a gift to the future by a man who always believed in the future. and today, we thank him for loving and serving america.
honorable judges, fellow students: good afternoon!
recently, ther is a heated debate in our society. the college students are the beneficiaries of a rare privilege, who receive exceptional education at extraordinary places. but will we be able to face the challenge and support ourselves against all odds? will we be able to better the lives of others? will we be able to accept the responsibility of building the future of our country?
the cynics say the college students are the pampered lost generation, which would cringe at the slightest discomfort. but the cynics are wrong. the college students i see are eagerly learning about how to live independently. we help each other clean the dormitory, go shopping and bargain together, and take part time jobs to supplement our pocket money.
the cynics say we care for nothing other than grades; and we neglect the need for character cultivation. but again, the cynics are wrong. we care deeply for each other, we cherish freedom, we treasure justice, and we seek truth. last week, thousands of my fellow students had their blood type tested in order to make a contribution for the children who suffer from blood cancer.
as college students, we are adolescents at the critical turning point in our lives. we all face a fundamental choice: cynicism or faith, each will profoundly impact our future, or even the future of our country. i believe in all my fellow classmates. though we are still inexperienced and even a little bit childish. i believe that we have the courage and faith to meet any challenge and take on our responsibilities. we are preparing to assume new responsibilities and tasks, and to use the education we have received to make our world a better place. i believein our future.
as you slowly open your eyes, look around, notice where the light comes into your room; listen carefully, see if there are new sounds you can recognize; feel with your body and spirit, and see if you can sense the freshness in the air.
yes, yes, yes, it‟s a new day, it‟s a different day, and it‟s a bright day! and most importantly, it‟s a new beginning for your life, a beginning where you are going to make new decisions, take new actions, make new friends, and take your life to a totally unprecedented level.
in your mind’s eye, you can see clearly the things you want to have, the paces you intend to go, the relationships you desire to develop, and the positions you aspire to reach.
you can hear your laughters of joy and happiness on the day when everything happens as you dream. you can see the smiles on the people around you when the magic moment strikes. you can feel your face is getting red, your heart is beating fast, and your blood is rushing all over your body, to every single corner of your being!
you know all this is real as long as you are confident, passionate and committed! and you are confident, you are passionate, you are committed!
you will no longer fear making new sounds, showing new facial expressions, using your body in new ways, approaching new people, and asking new questions.
you will live every single day of your life with absolute passion, and you will show your passion through the words you speak and the actions you take.
you will focus all your time and effort on the most important goals of your life. you will never succumb to challenges of hardships.
my definition of success
today i am very glad to be here to share with you my ideas of success. what is success? it is what everyone is longing for.sometimes success would be rather simple. winning a game is success; getting a high grade in the exam is success; making a new friend is success; even now i am
standing here giving my speech is somehow also success.
however, as a person’s whole life is concerned, success becomes very
complicated. is fortune success? is fame success? is high social status success? no, i don’t think so. i believe success is the realization of people’
s hopes and ideals.nowadays, in the modern society there are many people
who are regarded as the successful. and the most obvious characteristics of hem are money, high position and luxurious life. so most people believe that s success and all that they do is for this purpose. but the problem is wether it is real success. we all know there are always more money, higher position and better condition in front of us. if we keep chasing them, where is the end? what will satisfy us at last? therefore, we can see, to get the real success we must need something inside, which is the realization of
Good afternoon Dear teachers and my fellow classmates, I really appreciate having this opportunity to introduce myself. I’m from …… school of class. I’ve been paying attention to the Outlook English for many years and I am very interested in it For me, learning English is considered an enjoyment. At first, I have not participated in any oral competition before and I hesitated. I thought it was a hard thing to do in the past but I now believed that I should have a try. My teachers and friends have also given me the courage and I’ve become more confident through the process and that’s why I’m standing here. Everybody should have the courage to catch the chance and hold on to the given opportunity. If we didn’t try , how can we be near our goals? I believe we can all achieve our goals if we continue to take a step forward.
Just like when I’m learning English, the courage of facing the difficulties and my goal motivated me to move forward. Just as the old saying goes, “the one who you must defeat is you yourself”, not only did I attained experiences and confidence throughout the process, I am also willing to learn that in order to improve, I had to defeat myself.
finally, I wish to thank all of my teachers and friends who gave me the chance here to participate in this activity, and I am really grateful and that I will strive for the better. Thank you for your kind attention and have a nice afternoon.
good morning/afternoon/evening to mr.____(your teacher's name) and my friends.
i would like to introduce you a short novel named “the old man and the sea”.
it is written by ernest hemingway in cuba in 1951 and published in 1952.
the story of an aging, life-long fisherman who attempts to find himself, and hopefully a fish, on a fishing trip in the gulf waters off cuba.
after spending most of his life alone and losing his only companion who is a young cuban boy, the old man heads out to sea once again.
his 84 days without a notable catch end on this trip, but will he be able to defeat the odds after catching a gigantic marlin?
this short novel is universal in its consideration of the plight of an old man struggling against age, loneliness, mortality, humility and poverty to maintain his identity and dignity. apart from that, the cheerful and optimistic old man wants to reestablish his reputation in the community. besides, he also wants to ensure for all time his relationship with those he loves and to whom he hopes to paon everything he values the most. finally, he survives and wins the battle. this has shown his heroic struggle not only redeems himself but also inspires and spiritually enriches those around him.
thanks for your attention.
a common concept among some people is that opportunities are few. they always complain that opportunities never occur to them. they only admire those people who make a hit or succeed by seizing some opportunities, and always wonder why they are never given a good opportunity to show their talent.
feeling of youth
no young man believes he shall ever die. it was a saying of my brother's, and a fine one. there is a feeling of eternity in youth, which makes us amend for everything. to be young is to be as one of the immortal gods. one half of time indeed is flown-the other half remains in store for us with all its countletreasures; for there is no line drawn, and we see no limit to our hopes and wishes. we make the coming age our own-
the vast, the unbounded prospect lies before us.
death. old age. are words without a meaning. that paby us like the idea air which we regard not. others may have undergone, or may still be liable to them-we "bear a charmed life“, which laughs to scorn all such sickly fancies. as in setting out on delightful journey, we strain our eager gaze forward-
bidding the lovely scenes at distance hail!
and see no end to the landscape, new objects presenting themselves as we advance; so, in the commencement of life, we set no bounds to our inclinations. nor to the unrestricted opportunities of gratifying them. we have as yet found no obstacle, no disposition to flag; and it seems that we can go on so forever. we look round in a new world, full of life, and motion, and ceaseleprogress; and feel in ourselves all the vigor and spirit to keep pace with it, and do not foresee from any present symptoms how we shall be left behind in the natural course of things, decline into old age, and drop into the grave. it is the simplicity, and as it were abstractedneof our feelings in youth, that (so to speak) identifies us with nature, and (our experience being slight and our passions strong) deludes us into a belief of being immortal like it. our short-lives connection with existence we fondly flatter ourselves, is an indissoluble and lasting union-a honeymoon that knows neither coldness, jar, nor separation. as infants smile and sleep, we are rocked in the cradle of our wayward fancies, and lulled into security by the roar of the universe around us0we quaff the cup of life with eager haste without draining it, instead of which it only overflows the more-objects prearound us, filling the mind with their magnitude and with the strong of desires that wait upon them, so that we have no room for the thoughts of death.
every one of us, rich or poor, should at least have one or two good friends. my friends will listen to me when i want to speak, will wipe my eyes when i cry, will take care of me when i am sick, and my friends will go together with me side by side through this journey of life.
but in this fast-developing modern society, the reality is not that. more and more people forget to enjoy the beauty of friendship. they work hard in order to gain a higher position in the society and to earn more money for their work. they have few time to share with their friends. with the time goes by, they will be far away from each other.
friend is kind of treasure in our lives. it's actually like a bottle of wine, the longer it is kept, the sweeter it will be. it also likes a cup of hot tea, when we are in bed time, it will warm our broken hearts.
friends,especially best friends. it is what we should have in our lives,and it can make our lives be colorful go beyond our imagination.
thanks for your listening. this is what i concerned.
Most people would like to be popular with others, but not everyone can achieve this goal. What is the secret to popularity? In fact, it is very simple. The first step is to improve our appearance. We should always make sure that we stay in good shape and dress well.
When we are healthy and well'groomed, we will not only look better but also feel better. In addition, we should smile and appear friendly. After all, our facial expression is an important part of our appearance. If we can do this, people will be attracted to our good looks and impressed by our confidence.
Another important step is developing more consideration for others. We should always put others first and place their interests before our own. It's also important to be good listeners; in this way people will feel comfortable enough to confide in us. However, no matter what we do, we must not gossip.
Above all, we must remember to be ourselves, not phonies. Only by being sincere and respectful of others can we earn their respect. If we can do all of the above, I am sure popularity will come our way.
Tell everyone a good news, our school will be held in the cover letter middle school art festival!
20 year January 12 (Thursday), my left hand holding a pink festival invitation, right hand holding to show our classmates come on drum strength son, set foot in the cover letter with aflame mood high school gate.
When I walked into the cover letter middle school auditorium along with the crowd, I saw the familiar faces -- my classmates. They each person's face is permeated with the sense of excitement, may be because the long-expected festival had finally arrived!
After long prologue in school, we began our festival finally!
First is in grade one students into the ceremony of the young pioneers. Such as the three senior classmates after the red flag up, began to swear. In the oath, the classmates all looked attentive, very serious. And then, under the leadership of the brigade of counselors, we sang young pioneers team song.
The festival programmes have varied, with singing, dancing, recitation, singing, wind... We have too many things to see. Show a than a fascinating, the audience's applause and cheering. Among them, my favorite, is the wind.
Band's classmates play is jay Chou's "chrysanthemum Chinese Taiwan" and "cowboy busy". The classmates in focus at the play, blow the two songs very good to listen. Their usual practice ability show incisively and vividly.
You missed such a wonderful festival, have you?
good morning, ladies and gentlemen. i’d like to share my teaching dream with you. but before that, i want to say something about the beginning of this dream. in march this year, three teachers from australia came to our school. during the meeting, we exchanged a lot about education. i found that though we have almost the same teaching philosophy, we have different routines. what impressed me most was that their schools end at 3:00 in the afternoon and have no night classes. i can’t tell which kind of routine is better, but the sharp contrast made me think about a better education. the following is a dreamy school in my mind, in which there is no pressure but pleasure.
in this school, the buildings are well designed, close to nature. in the morning, children can read while enjoying the beautiful sunrise. in the evening, they can exercise by the lake reflecting the amazing sunset. in the spring, they can go to the wild, lie on the lawn, and watch the kite flying in the blue sky. in the summer, they can go to the forest, live in a cabin, and listen to the rhythm of the rain. …
students are free but polite and they respect each other. they can leave at 4:00 every afternoon, or perhaps earlier. they have the freedom to organize time. they can go to the library, go to the lab, the computer rooms or the playground. they’re self-motivated and have a strong thirst for knowledge. and there are no frequent exams and rankings. students won’t be forced to wear uniforms everyday, and there is no required hair style. everyday is so colorful that they are looking forward to the next day when going to bed at night,
however, in this fast-developing modern society, the reality is not that. more and more people forget to enjoy the beauty of life and -the beauty of friendship. they work hard in order to gain a higher position, in the society and to earn more money for their work. of course, we don't deny that it is important to find a bet-ter place in our lives, but we wish more and more people could pay a little more attention to themselves and their friends. all of us have to spare some time for personal lives. we have to find the chance to express our emotion and love. when staying with our friends, we can release ourselves completely. we can do whatever we want, we can laugh together, talk together, and even cry to-gether. i should say that being together with our best friends is the most wonderful moment of our lives.
as we know, we would feel lonely if we didn't even have a friend. but it doesn't mean we could depend on our friends all the time. there is a famous motto saying that “a friend is like a quilt with cotton wadding, but the real thing that keeps you warm is your own temperature.” it is really true. we have to work hard together with our friends, encourage each other and help each other. when we receive love and friendship, we should repay as much as we can.
finally, let's pray together now that one day, all of us could find the person we want to find, and could enjoy a real beautiful friendship in our lives. let's pray the flower of friendship be-tween our friends and us would always bloom brightly in our hearts.
Good afternoon, my dear friends.
I am very happy to meet you here.It is my great honor to communicate with you at such a special occation.First of all,please allow me to express my appreciation to you all to listion to me.
I am proud of being a college student.The collegelife is fresh,new teachers, new classmates and new friends. I like the friendship, and their wide knowledge and opening mind. The grand library, school buildings and wide playground attrattde me very much.My college life is better than I expected, I can do anything I like. In the college we can not only learn the professional knowledge,but also develop our comprehensive abilities.If we can make full use of the period,we can learn many useful things.Besides,we should have the active attitude to our life,do a contributionto the society.Collegelife is the most precious time in our life.Most of us want to become an outstanding man. But there are some students still waste their time. They get together for eating, drinking or playing cards. They're busy in searching for a girlfriend or a boyfriend. They completely forget their task as college students.
Finally, I hope everybody can try their best to become a worthy person to our country, and make great contributions to the society!
Most people would like to be popular with others, but not everyone can achieve this goal. What is the secret to popularity? In fact, it is very simple. The first step is to improve our appearance. We should always make sure that we stay in good shape and dress well. When we are healthy and well'groomed, we will not only look better but also feel better. In addition, we should smile and appear friendly. After all, our facial expression is an important part of our appearance. If we can do this, people will be attracted to our good looks and impressed by our confidence.
Another important step is developing more consideration for others. We should always put others first and place their interests before our own. It's also important to be good listeners; in this way people will feel comfortable enough to confide in us. However, no matter what we do, we must not gossip. Above all, we must remember to be ourselves, not phonies. Only by being sincere and respectful of others can we earn their respect. If we can do all of the above, I am sure popularity will come our way.
One day in 1819, 3,000 miles off the coast of Chile, in one of the most remote regions of the Pacific Ocean, 20 American sailors watched their ship flood with seawater.
They'd been struck by a sperm whale, which had ripped a catastrophic hole in the ship's hull. As their ship began to sink beneath the swells, the men huddled together in three small whaleboats.
These men were 10,000 miles from home, more than 1,000 miles from the nearest scrap of land. In their small boats, they carried only rudimentary navigational equipment and limited supplies of food and water.
These were the men of the whaleship Essex, whose story would later inspire parts of “Moby Dick.”
Even in today's world, their situation would be really dire, but think about how much worse it would have been then.
No one on land had any idea that anything had gone wrong. No search party was coming to look for these men. So most of us have never experienced a situation as frightening as the one in which these sailors found themselves, but we all know what it's like to be afraid.
We know how fear feels, but I'm not sure we spend enough time thinking about what our fears mean.
As we grow up, we're often encouraged to think of fear as a weakness, just another childish thing to discard like baby teeth or roller skates.
And I think it's no accident that we think this way. Neuroscientists have actually shown that human beings are hard'wired to be optimists.
So maybe that's why we think of fear, sometimes, as a danger in and of itself. “Don't worry,” we like to say to one another. “Don't panic.” In English, fear is something we conquer. It's something we fight.
It's something we overcome. But what if we looked at fear in a fresh way? What if we thought of fear as an amazing act of the imagination, something that can be as profound and insightful as storytelling itself?
It's easiest to see this link between fear and the imagination in young children, whose fears are often extraordinarily vivid.
When I was a child, I lived in California, which is, you know, mostly a very nice place to live, but for me as a child, California could also be a little scary.
I remember how frightening it was to see the chandelier that hung above our dining table swing back and forth during every minor earthquake, and I sometimes couldn't sleep at night, terrified that the Big One might strike while we were sleeping.
And what we say about kids who have fears like that is that they have a vivid imagination. But at a certain point, most of us learn to leave these kinds of visions behind and grow up.
We learn that there are no monsters hiding under the bed, and not every earthquake brings buildings down. But maybe it's no coincidence that some of our most creative minds fail to leave these kinds of fears behind as adults.
in the matter of courage we all have our limits. there never was a hero who did not have his bounds. i suppose it may be said of nelson and all the others whose courage has been advertised that there came times in their lives when their bravery knew it had come to its limit.
i have found mine a good many times. sometimes this was expected--often it was unexpected. i know a man who is not afraid to sleep with a rattle-snake, but you could not get him to sleep with a safety-razor.
i never had the courage to talk across a long, narrow room. i should be at the end of the room facing all the audience. if i attempt to talk across a room i find myself turning this way and that, and thus at alternate periods i have part of the audience behind me. you ought never to have any part of the audience behind you; you never can tell what they are going to do.
i'll sit down.