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Stan Lee, the legendary comic creator, shares the origin story of Spider-Man and advises aspiring professionals to believe in their ideas and not let others discourage their dreams.
Present simple for timeless truths and advice — Lee uses the simple present to give general advice that applies beyond the moment: "if you have an idea that you genuinely think is good, don't let some idiot talk you out of it." This is natural in motivational speaking.
Past simple narrative with present reflection — Lee shifts between describing what happened ("I thought, 'What can I come up with now?'") and reflecting on its meaning now ("So I tore it up"), which creates immediacy: "I ran into my publisher's office and I told him. This was my reaction."
Conditional structures (if + present/future) — Used throughout for advice and hypotheticals: "if you have an idea that you genuinely think is good... if there is something that you feel is good... if you can take pride in it... you can look at it and say, 'I did that.'"
This is a motivational speech by Stan Lee at UCLA Extension, where he recounts the true story of how Spider-Man was created—from spotting a fly on the wall that inspired the wall-crawling power, to facing his publisher's harsh rejection ("That is the worst idea I have ever heard"), to ultimately seeing Spider-Man become a massive success when it appeared in the final issue of a dying magazine. The narrative unfolds naturally and conversationally, making it an excellent shadowing resource. Lee's delivery is warm, measured, and conversational rather than formally scripted. He speaks at a natural pace with frequent pauses, self-corrections ("No, I'm lying to you... I probably said it'll be groovy"), and humorous asides that make the speech feel authentic and easy to follow.
This material is ideal for B1 learners who want to practice listening to and repeating natural English speech patterns, colloquial expressions, and storytelling techniques. The vocabulary is accessible—everyday words mixed with a few more sophisticated terms—and the anecdotal structure helps maintain comprehension. Shadowing this speech will help learners develop fluency in casual speaking, improve their ability to follow extended narratives, and pick up natural expressions and hesitations that characterize genuine spoken English. The underlying message about perseverance and self-belief adds emotional engagement, making practice more motivating.
get it out of my system — to deal with something that has been bothering or occupying your mind so you can stop thinking about it; "I couldn't get Spider-Man out of my system."
kill a magazine — to stop publishing a magazine; to end its run; "we were about to kill a magazine... it wasn't selling well."
don't let idiots talk you out of it — don't allow foolish people to persuade you to abandon or give up on your idea.
do your thing — do what you want to do, follow your own path; "Just do your thing. Do it as well as you."
give it your best shot — try as hard as you can, make your best effort; "Whatever you do, give it your best shot."
win a prize — succeed or be recognized for something; "that doesn't mean every single thing you think is good is going to win a prize."
save that for the next award — keep that story or information for a future occasion; "I'll save that for the next award you give me."
