"I certainly have not the talent which some people possess," said Darcy, "of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done."
"My fingers," said Elizabeth, "do not move over this instrument in the masterly manner which I see so many women’s do. They have not the same force or rapidity, and do not produce the same expression. But then I have always supposed it to be my own fault – because I would not take the trouble of practising."
– Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 31. We learn from Darcy that he is shy and is not comfortable with having to converse with strangers. But Elizabeth is having none of his excuses. She suggests that his manners are bad and he is a poor conversationalist, because he doesn’t take the time to improve his conversational skills. She compares it to her piano playing, saying her performance is poor because she doesn’t practice enough.