Shadowing Practice: Arnold Schwarzenegger Leaves the Audience SPEECHLESS | One of the Best Motivational Speeches Ever - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

C1
I'm here to talk about success.
⏸ Paused
166 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
I'm here to talk about success.
2
The first rule of success is to have a vision.
3
You see, if you don't have a vision of where you go,
4
and if you don't have a goal where you go,
5
you drift around and you never end up anywhere.
6
I mean, as you know,
7
I was born in 1947 in Austria after the Second World War.
8
So I was very fortunate that I stumbled onto my vision.
9
And I didn't really like Austria when I grew up.
10
I couldn't wait to get out of there.
11
I couldn't see myself becoming a farmer,
12
or a worker in a factory, or anything like that.
13
Even though my parents wanted me to stay there and have a normal life.
14
But that was their vision, not mine.
15
My vision was totally different.
16
I felt that I was born for something special,
17
for something unique, for something big.
18
Then one day I went to school,
19
I remember I was 11 years old,
20
and they showed a documentary about America.
21
There they showed in this documentary the huge skyscrapers,
22
the high-rises, the huge bridges,
23
the six-lane freeways, and all of this stuff,
24
and I said to myself,
25
that's where I want to be.
26
I don't want to be around here with these little farmhouses and these little buildings.
27
I want to be in America.
28
One day after school I walked by a store in Graz.
29
So I went inside and I looked around and then I saw a magazine.
30
I saw a bodybuilding magazine that had Reg Park on the cover.
31
Reg Park was then a three-time Mr. Universe.
32
And I saw him on the big screen as Hercules.
33
I read that and I said to myself, Wow!
34
This is the blueprint for my life.
35
This is exactly what I want to do.
36
I want to become a bodybuilding champion just like Reg Park.
37
I want to get into movies just like Reg Park.
38
And I want to make millions of dollars and be rich and famous just like Reg Park.
39
Do you know how great it felt that I knew where I was going?
40
Imagine the majority of people don't know where they're going.
41
I knew where I was going.
42
that I'm going to become this bodybuilding champion just like him.
43
So it was just a question of how do you do it?
44
I was so relieved because when you have a goal,
45
when you have a vision, everything becomes easy.
46
So people always ask me when they saw me in the gym in the pumping iron days.
47
They say, why is it that you're working out so hard?
48
Five hours a day, six hours a day,
49
and you have always a smile on your face.
50
And I told people all the time,
51
I said, because to me,
52
I'm shooting for a goal.
53
In front of me is the Mr. Universe title.
54
So every rep that I do gets me closer to accomplishing that goal,
55
to make this goal, this vision turn into reality.
56
Every single set that I do,
57
every repetition, every weight that I lift will get me a step closer to turn this goal into reality.
58
So I couldn't wait to do another 500-pound squat.
59
I couldn't wait to do another 500 pound bench press.
60
I couldn't wait to do another 2,000 reps of sit-ups.
61
I couldn't wait for the next exercise.
62
With the age of 20 I went to London and I won the Mr. Universe contest as the youngest Mr. Universe ever.
63
And it was because I had a goal.
64
So let me tell you something,
65
visualizing a goal and going after it makes it fun.
66
You've got to have a purpose no matter what you do in life.
67
You've got to have a purpose.
68
74% hate their job in America.
69
Now, there's not much different when you come to Europe.
70
The majority of people don't like what they're doing.
71
Because they're really not doing it because they didn't have a goal and they followed this goal.
72
they just aimlessly drift around and then all of a sudden there's a job opening so they get that job.
73
Because you have to work.
74
But then when you work, it's a chore.
75
It's work.
76
It's not fun.
77
So if you think about only a quarter of the people really enjoy what they're doing in life.
78
That is unbelievable if you think about it.
79
So I felt so blessed that I knew what I was doing.
80
It's like a medical student that studies and knows he wants to become a doctor.
81
You know where to go.
82
And the same thing is also in politics.
83
I remember that in politics I had a very clear vision that I will be the leader of California.
84
That's as far as I could go because I was not born in America,
85
so I could not run for president.
86
So being the governor of the fifth largest state,
87
I should say the largest state,
88
the fifth largest economy in the world,
89
was for me really the ultimate title,
90
the ultimate accomplishment in politics.
91
So even though people came up to me says why don't you go
92
and run for something smaller you're never gonna make it.
93
I ran for governor and then two months later I became governor of the state of California.
94
Again because I had a very clear vision what I'm gonna do with California.
95
So that's rule number one, have a vision.
96
Rule number two is don't listen to the naysayers.
97
Don't listen to the naysayers.
98
Everything I ever did, the thing that I heard out of people's mouth was, that's impossible.
99
That can't be done.
100
Or no. That is exactly what I heard.
101
And of course I proved to the people that it can't be done.
102
So whenever someone said to me,
103
it It can't be done.
104
I heard it can be done.
105
When they said no, I heard yes.
106
And when they said it's impossible,
107
I heard it is possible.
108
I'm a strong believer of what Nelson Mandela said,
109
that everything is always impossible until someone does it.
110
Well, I'm going to be the one,
111
I said to myself, I'm going to do it and I'm going to show it to them.
112
Maybe it has never been done before.
113
That's perfectly fine with me.
114
But I'm gonna do it.
115
And I did not listen to the naysayers.
116
It's all about the hard work that you put in.
117
I said, I'm gonna say,
118
if in bodybuilding I worked out five,
119
six hours a day, I'm gonna do the same thing now for acting.
120
And of course I went to college to study English.
121
I studied the accent removal,
122
acting classes, and all of this stuff, all day long.
123
I worked and I worked and I worked.
124
And within a short period of time,
125
I made one movie called Hercules in New York,
126
which of course went right into the toilet.
127
But it didn't discourage me.
128
I still had the same vision.
129
And then all of a sudden I did Streets of San Francisco.
130
I did Stay Hungry and Pumping Iron and The Villain.
131
And then all of a sudden I was asked by Dino De Laurentiis
132
and the Universal Studio to star in Conan the Barbarian.
133
And after I did Conan the Barbarian,
134
the director at the press conference said to the press,
135
the director was John Milius,
136
he said to the press,
137
if we wouldn't have had Arnold,
138
we would have had to build one.
139
So think about that.
140
The very body that they said can never be sold because the time is wrong,
141
A few years later, I'm doing Conan the Barbarian
142
and it was the number one hit at the box office when he came out in the summer of 82.
143
Think about that.
144
And the director says, if we wouldn't have had his body,
145
we would have had to build one.
146
So all of a sudden,
147
my body became an asset, not a liability.
148
And the same thing was with Terminator after we were finished filming Terminator,
149
Jim Cameron said to the press,
150
if Arnold wouldn't have had that accent and talked like a machine,
151
I think the movie wouldn't have worked.
152
So think about that.
153
The body and the accent that they attacked was an asset.
154
But I didn't listen to those losers.
155
I didn't listen to them at all.
156
It's just the reality of it is that you cannot listen to the naysayers.
157
So this is a very important lesson for all of you.
158
So when someone says, no,
159
this is a stupid idea,
160
you in your mind, you don't have to say it,
161
but in your mind, just say to yourself, you, you asshole.
162
What do you know?
163
Teaching the
164
Teaching
165
the Mission Man
166
theme Deputy Mansion 可以 指

Download App

AI scoring for every sentence you speak

Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play
TRENDING

Popular

Why practice speaking with this video?

Arnold Schwarzenegger's motivational speech is not just inspiring; it provides an excellent opportunity for English learners to improve their speaking skills. Engaging with this shadow speech allows you to practice articulation and pronunciation in a real-life context. The passionate delivery of his message about vision and success can enhance your understanding of emotional expression in spoken English, making it an ideal choice for those looking to learn English with YouTube. By mimicking his speech pattern through the shadowing technique, you will not only boost your vocabulary but also gain confidence in delivering your own ideas.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In Schwarzenegger's speech, several key grammatical structures and expressions provide excellent learning material:

  • "I want to be...": This structure is used to express desires and future intentions, essential for goal setting and personal expression.
  • "If you don't have a vision...": The conditional sentences here highlight the importance of having a clear goal, which can be useful in discussions about plans and aspirations.
  • "This is exactly what I want to do.": Not only does this phrase reflect a strong commitment to one's goals, but it also emphasizes the use of the present tense to discuss current intentions.
  • "Imagine the majority of people don't know where they're going.": This example showcases the use of the imperative mood to engage listeners and provoke thought, ideal for initiating discussions.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While practicing with this video, pay special attention to the following pronunciation traps:

  • Vision: Ensure the "v" sound is crisp; it's a common mistake for learners to replace it with a "b" sound.
  • Goals: Practice the long "o" sound to avoid confusion with similar words.
  • Fortunate: The pronunciation of the "t" can often be softened; focus on articulating it clearly to maintain professionalism.
  • Especially: Be mindful of the stress on the second syllable; this is crucial for clarity in speech.

By incorporating these pronunciation tips and utilizing this shadowing site, learners will enhance their overall speaking ability, making it easier to communicate effectively in various contexts.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

☕ Buy us a coffee