Two Fingers

The new minister's sermons were so dull that the congregation voted to give him his notice. "May I have one more chance?" he pleaded. "If you're not satisfied with my sermon next Sunday, I'll leave."

To everyone's surprise, the following Sunday's sermon was interesting and inspiring. The congregation not only voted to retain the pastor but to increase his salary. A church leader said to him: "That was the finest sermon I ever heard. But there's one thing I couldn't figure out. Just as you were about to speak, you raised two fingers of your right hand. Was there a significance to that gesture?"

"Yes," replied the minister. "Those were the quotation marks."