Known sourcecanonical
"You 'd scarce expect one of my age To speak in public on the stage; And if I chance to fall below Demosthenes or Cicero, Don't view me with a critic's eye, But pass my imperfections by. Large streams from little fountains flow, Tall oaks from little acorns grow."
David Everett / Lines written for a School Declamation.
Lines written for a School Declamation.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain