Patrick Henry did not always wear fine silk shirts and shoes with silver buckles. He grew up running barefoot and fidgeting in schoolrooms, anxious to be outside fishing or hunting. He became a lawyer because he loved to listen to arguments, but it took him a while to argue successfully. Patrick Henry bumbled and mumbled through some early cases, but when the issue was freedom, suddenly he became an impressive, dramatic speaker who inspired crowds with the cry of "Give me liberty, or give me death!"