A speaker was speaking about the power of positive thinking and the power of words.

One of the audience raised his hand and said,

"It's not because I say good fortune, good fortune, good fortune that will make me feel better. Nor will saying bad luck, bad luck, bad luck, make me feel worse. They're only words and, by themselves, have no power."

The speaker replied. "Shut up, you fool, you don¹t understand a thing about this."

The member of the audience was stunned, his face became red and he was about to reply,

"You, son of a..."

The speaker raised his hand.

"Please excuse me. I didn't mean to upset you. Please accept my most sincere apologies."

The member of the audience calmed down. Some people in the hall murmured; others shuffled their feet.

The speaker resumed. "There's the reply to the question you asked me. A few words made you very angry. The other words calmed you down."

"Now do you understand the power of words?"

Copyright © 2003 Christian H. Godefroy
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