"[[Thomas Jefferson]]: born quiet, contemplative, and reserved—purportedly with a speech impediment. Compared to the great orators of his time—[[Patrick Henry]], [[John Wesley]], [[Edmund Burke]]—he was a terrible public speaker. **His heart set on politics, he had two options: Fight against this sentence, or accept it. He chose the latter, channeling the energy into his writing, which others put into oratory instead**. There he found his medium. He found he could express himself clearly. Writing was his strength. [[Thomas Jefferson|Jefferson]] was the one the founding fathers turned to when they needed the [[Declaration of Independence]]. **He wrote one of the most important documents in history, in a single draft. [[Thomas Jefferson|Jefferson]] just wasn’t a public speaker—that doesn’t make him less of a man for acknowledging it and acting accordingly**." ([Location 1753](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00IX49OS4&location=1753)) --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[writing]], [[public-speaking]], [[obstacle-is-the-way]] **Source** -- [[202409180132 - B - The Obstacle is the Way]]