Finally, a great excuse to add Halle Berry to the blog!
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Meaningful words, spectacular picture. Well done!
Thank you, David. Agreed on all counts.
John
Dear John (and other readers),
First of all, I love your blog and visit it almost everyday looking for new updates.
I’m a Dutch speechwriter and one could always learn more about the art of public speaking. Even more considering the fact public speaking holds higher regard in America than in the Netherlands.
I saw your interesting discussion about the origins of the quote. I agree with John that, knowing Churchill’s wit, he is a likely candidate.
However, as a (continental) European, I might have another source for this quote: the French king-of-protocol Jacques Gandouin (1920-2003).
In 1972, he wrote the “Guide du protocole et des usage” (Guide to protocol and custom) and the “Guide des bonnes manières et du protocole en Europe” (Guide to good manners and protocol in Europe) in 1989.
In those books, it reads : “Un discours doit être comme une minijupe, suffisamment long pour couvrir le sujet, mais suffisamment court pour retenir l’attention.”
Thank you for reading.
Christian
Dear Christian,
Thanks very much for the kind words about the blog. And thanks also for the great addition to the discussion of the source of this quote. For those readers who do not speak French, the quote at the end of Christians’s comment can be translated as: “A speech should be like a miniskirt, long enough to cover the subject but short enough to hold [the audience's] attention.”
I had not heard of Gandouin before but will be sure to look him up. And, this helpful information is one more reason not to substitute Halle Berry’s photo with one of Churchill!
Thanks again for the comment.
John
Actually, this is quote from Winston Church. “A speech should be like a women’s skirt. Long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to maintain interest.”
Thanks, Rich. I have seen the quote attributed to Churchill, and it is certainly something that he could have said, knowing his clever wit. But when looking, I found so many unattributed variations. For example, this one: “A paragraph should be like a lady’s skirt: long enough to cover the essentials but short enough to keep it interesting.”
I’ve also seen it attributed to Mark Twain or Ronald Knox, the latter of whom supposedly said, “A good sermon should be like a woman’s skirt: short enough to arouse interest but long enough to cover the essentials.” Perhaps the compromise would be to say “Frequently attributed to Winston Churchill”. But I have enough pictures of Churchill on the blog already, so I am not changing this one!
Cheers!
John
Nice quote … we need to find out where this one originated. Context suggests something in the 20th century.
Thanks, John. The quote exists in different forms but I was unable to find a single source. But I don’t think that I’ll look too hard because it would mean that I would have to substitute the photo of Halle for the speaker.
John
Winston Churchill is the source.
Thanks very much. In the quote below, Rich Austin said the same thing. Please see my response to him.
Regards,
John