Is python really slow?

[Paul Rubin]

Python, Perl, and PHP are all roughly comparable in speed.  C is much
faster than any of them.  Perl and PHP, like Python, include mechanisms
for adding C extensions for when you want something to run fast.

Yes, you should learn C, but you'll find it's much more hassle to get
things done in C than in Python.  So Pythoneers like to write the 
framework of their program in Python, and use C for the parts that are
speed critical.