He felt that the time had come for his most impressive effort.
"Very well, then, listen to me," he said.

"What you suffer from, Michael, is a mere want of self-confidence and from modesty.

You don't seem to grasp--I have often noticed this--who you are and what your importance is--an importance which everybody is willing to recognise if you will only assume it.

You have the privileges of your position, which you don't sufficiently value, but you have, also, the responsibilities of it, which I am afraid you are inclined to shirk.

You haven't got the large view; you haven't the sense of patriotism.