Froze on Stage? What Mr. Washington Told Les Brown When He Ran Off

The first time I stood up to speak, I stood up and my mind sat down. I looked at the audience and I panicked. I had rehearsed. I knew my lines. Everything left me. So I ran off. I said, "Mr. Washington, I can't think, sir. Let me do it another day. Please, sir. I'll mess up." He said, "Mr. Brown, if you run now, you will always be running." You were never meant to do this alone. When you're around people who believe in you, you start believing in yourself again. You stop shrinking. You start moving....