books on great speeches

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Nonfiction Books » History Books » Contemporary History (1945-)

The best speeches of all time, recommended by clarence b jones.

Behind the Dream by Clarence B Jones

Which were the best speeches ever made? Clarence B Jones , lawyer, friend and adviser to Martin Luther King Jr—and contributor to the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech—chooses his top five, and explains what is that makes these famous speeches so good.

Interview by Anna Blundy

Franklin D Roosevelt’s inaugural address, 4 March 1933 by Various authors

John F Kennedy’s inaugural address, 20 January 1961 by Various authors

Laurence Olivier’s Oscar Acceptance Speech (1979) by YouTube video

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, 28 August 1963 by Martin Luther King Jr

Nelson Mandela’s inaugural address as President of South Africa, 10 May 1994 by David Elliot Cohen

10 of the Most Famous and Inspirational Speeches from History

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

What makes a great and iconic speech? There are numerous examples of brilliant orators and speechmakers throughout history, from classical times to the present day. What the best speeches tend to have in common are more than just a solid intellectual argument: they have emotive power, or, for want of a more scholarly word, ‘heart’. Great speeches rouse us to action, or move us to tears – or both.

But of course, historic speeches are often also associated with landmark, or watershed, moments in a nation’s history: when Churchill delivered his series of wartime speeches to Britain in 1940, it was against the backdrop of a war which was still in its early, uncertain stages. And when Martin Luther King stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, he was addressing a crowd who, like him, were marching for justice, freedom, and civil rights for African Americans.

Let’s take a closer look at ten of the best and most famous speeches from great moments in history.

Abraham Lincoln, ‘ Gettysburg Address ’ (1863).

The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history, yet it was extremely short – just 268 words, or less than a page of text – and Abraham Lincoln, who gave the address, wasn’t even the top billing .

The US President Abraham Lincoln gave this short address at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on 19 November 1863. At the time, the American Civil War was still raging, and the Battle of Gettysburg had been the bloodiest battle in the war, with an estimated 23,000 casualties.

Lincoln’s speech has been remembered while Edward Everett’s – the main speech delivered on that day – has long been forgotten because Lincoln eschewed the high-flown allusions and wordy style of most political orators of the nineteenth century. Instead, he addresses his audience in plain, homespun English that is immediately relatable and accessible.

Sojourner Truth, ‘ Ain’t I a Woman? ’ (1851).

Sometimes known as ‘Ar’n’t I a Woman?’, this is a speech which Sojourner Truth, a freed African slave living in the United States, delivered in 1851 at the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio. The women in attendance were being challenged to call for the right to vote.

In her speech, Sojourner Truth attempts to persuade the audience to give women the vote . As both an ex-slave and a woman, Sojourner Truth knew about the plight of both groups of people in the United States. Her speech shows her audience the times: change is coming, and it is time to give women the rights that should be theirs.

John Ball, ‘ Cast off the Yoke of Bondage ’ (1381).

The summer of 1381 was a time of unrest in England. The so-called ‘Peasants’ Revolt’, led by Wat Tyler (in actual fact, many of the leaders of the revolt were more well-to-do than your average peasant), gathered force until the rebels stormed London, executing a number of high-ranking officials, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor, Simon Sudbury.

Alongside Tyler, the priest John Ball was an important leading figure of the rebellion. His famous couplet, ‘When Adam delved and Eve span, / Who was then the gentleman?’ sums up the ethos of the Peasants’ Revolt: social inequality was unheard of until men created it.

Winston Churchill, ‘ We Shall Fight on the Beaches ’ (1940).

Winston Churchill had only recently assumed the role of UK Prime Minister when he gave the trio of wartime speeches which have gone down in history for their rhetorical skill and emotive power. This, for our money, is the best of the three.

Churchill gave this speech in the House of Commons on 4 June 1940. Having brought his listeners up to speed with what has happened, Churchill comes to the peroration of his speech : by far the most famous part. He reassures them that if nothing is neglected and all arrangements are made, he sees no reason why Britain cannot once more defend itself against invasion: something which, as an island nation, it has always been susceptible to by sea, and now by air.

Even if it takes years, and even if Britain must defend itself alone without any help from its allies, this is what must happen. Capitulation to the Nazis is not an option. The line ‘if necessary for years; if necessary, alone’ is sure to send a shiver down the spine, as is the way Churchill barks ‘we shall never surrender!’ in the post-war recording of the speech he made several years later.

William Faulkner, ‘ The Agony and the Sweat ’ (1950).

This is the title sometimes given to one of the most memorable Nobel Prize acceptance speeches: the American novelist William Faulkner’s acceptance of the Nobel Prize for Literature at Stockholm in 1950.

In his speech, Faulkner makes his famous statement about the ‘duty’ of writers: that they should write about ‘the human heart in conflict with itself’, as well as emotions and themes such as compassion, sacrifice, courage, and hope. He also emphasises that being a writer is hard work, and involves understanding human nature in all its complexity. But good writing should also remind readers what humankind is capable of.

Emmeline Pankhurst, ‘ The Plight of Women ’ (1908).

Pankhurst (1858-1928) was the leader of the British suffragettes, campaigning – and protesting – for votes for women. After she realised that Asquith’s Liberal government were unlikely to grand women the vote, the Women’s Social and Political Union, founded by Pankhurst with her daughter Christabel, turned to more militant tactics to shift public and parliamentary opinion.

Her emphasis in this speech is on the unhappy lot most women could face, in marriage and in motherhood. She also shows how ‘man-made’ the laws of England are, when they are biased in favour of men to the detriment of women’s rights.

This speech was given at the Portman Rooms in London in 1908; ten years later, towards the end of the First World War, women over 30 were finally given the vote. But it would be another ten years, in 1928 – the year of Pankhurst’s death – before the voting age for women was equal to that for men (21 years).

Franklin Roosevelt, ‘ The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself ’ (1933).

This is the title by which Roosevelt’s speech at his inauguration in 1933 has commonly become known, and it has attained the status of a proverb. Roosevelt was elected only a few years after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 which ushered in the Great Depression.

Roosevelt’s famous line in the speech, which offered hope to millions of Americans dealing with unemployment and poverty, was probably inspired by a line from Henry David Thoreau, a copy of whose writings FDR had been gifted shortly before his inauguration. The line about having nothing to fear except fear itself was, in fact, only added into the speech the day before the inauguration took place, but it ensured that the speech went down in history.

Marcus Tullius Cicero, ‘ Among Us You Can Dwell No Longer ’ (63 BC).

Of all of the great classical orators, perhaps the greatest of all was the Roman statesman, philosopher, and speechmaker, Cicero (whose name literally means ‘chickpea’).

This is probably his best-known speech. At the Temple of Jupiter in Rome, Cicero addressed the crowd, but specifically directed his comments towards Lucius Catiline, who was accused of plotting a conspiracy to set fire to the capital and stage and insurrection. The speech was considered such a fine example of Roman rhetoric that it was a favourite in classrooms for centuries after, as Brian MacArthur notes in The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches .

Queen Elizabeth I, ‘ The Heart and Stomach of a King ’ (1588).

Queen Elizabeth I’s speech to the troops at Tilbury is among the most famous and iconic speeches in English history. On 9 August 1588, Elizabeth addressed the land forces which had been mobilised at the port of Tilbury in Essex, in preparation for the expected invasion of England by the Spanish Armada.

When she gave this speech, Elizabeth was in her mid-fifties and her youthful beauty had faded. But she had learned rhetoric as a young princess, and this training served her well when she wrote and delivered this speech (she was also a fairly accomplished poet ).

She famously tells her troops: ‘I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too’. She acknowledged the fact that her body was naturally less masculine and strong than the average man’s, but it is not mere physical strength that will win the day. It is courage that matters.

Martin Luther King, ‘ I Have a Dream ’ (1963).

Let’s conclude this selection of the best inspirational speeches with the best-known of all of Martin Luther King’s speeches. The occasion for this piece of oratorical grandeur was the march on Washington , which saw some 210,000 men, women, and children gather at the Washington Monument in August 1963, before marching to the Lincoln Memorial. King reportedly stayed up until 4am the night before he was due to give the speech, writing it out.

King’s speech imagines a collective vision of a better and more equal America which is not only shared by many Black Americans, but by anyone who identifies with their fight against racial injustice, segregation, and discrimination.

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16 public speaking books you need to read

• James Haynes
• August 12, 2022

Table of Contents

Introduction.

Starting a speaking business is exhilarating and rewarding… and very stressful. Being a public speaker isn’t easy, and if you’re like most people you’ve probably looked for public speaking tips to help you become a better speaker.

These 16 public speaking books — now updated in 2024 with four new resources! — listed below can help you learn how to become a public speaker, how to improve your public speaking skills, and how to develop a talk for an audience. Books on public speaking are plentiful, but these ones have stood out, some over decades, as great guides and resources for your public speaking career.

Find Out Exactly How Much You Could Make As a Paid Speaker

Use The Official Speaker Fee Calculator to tell you what you should charge for your first (or next) speaking gig — virtual or in-person! 

Want to learn how to become a better public speaker? Read on for 16 public speaking books that you need to read. (Book descriptions from Amazon)

1. The Successful Speaker by Grant Baldwin (2020)

We’d be remiss not to mention this one! Do you have a message you want to get out into the world? Have you ever dreamed of speaking for a living? Is there something you have to say, but you just aren’t sure what to do next? The Successful Speaker is a proven, easy-to-follow guide to helping you do just that.

Whether you want to speak at your next board meeting or community gathering, start making some extra money on the side, or become a full-time professional speaker, Grant Baldwin knows how to get you from here to there. Why? Because he’s done it himself and has coached over 2,000 speakers.

In The Successful Speaker, you will learn the five-step road map to start and scale a speaking business from the ground up, including

– how to hone your message and know exactly who it’s for – the preparation process to help your next speech move an audience to action – what it takes to establish yourself as an in-demand expert – practical steps to finding and booking paid speaking gigs – how to know when it’s time to grow your impact and income

In each chapter, you will get specific action steps and case studies from professional speakers to put you on the fast track to booking gigs, getting paid, and building your speaking platform.

2. How to Develop Self-Confidence and Influence People by Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie (1976)

Drawing on Dale Carnegie’s years of experience as a business trainer, this book will show you how to overcome the natural fear of public speaking , to become a successful speaker, and even learn to enjoy it.

His invaluable advice includes ways to:

-Develop poise -Gain self-confidence -Improve your memory -Make your meaning clear -Begin and end a presentation effectively

Interested in going deeper in the mechanics of how to give a talk? Here are 25 tips to help you become a better speaker.

3. Ted Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris Anderson (2017)

Since taking over leadership of TED in 2001, Chris Anderson has worked with all the TED speakers who have inspired us the most. In this book, he shares insights from such favorites as Sir Ken Robinson, Salman Khan, Monica Lewinsky, and more— everything from how to craft your talk’s content to how you can be most effective on stage.

Want to learn more about TED Talks? Check out our blog post on how to get and give a TED Talk here!

4. How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling (2022)

Over the past twenty-five years, the directors of The Moth have worked with people from all walks of life—including astronauts, hairdressers, rock stars, a retired pickpocket, high school students, and Nobel Prize winners—to develop true personal stories that have moved and delighted live audiences and listeners of The Moth’s Peabody Award–winning radio hour and podcast. A leader in the modern storytelling movement, The Moth inspires thousands of people around the globe to share their stories each year.

Now, with  How to Tell a Story , The Moth will help you learn how to uncover and craft your own unique stories, like Moth storytellers Mike Birbiglia, Rosanne Cash, Hasan Minhaj, Betty Reid Soskin, John Turturro, and more.

Whether your goal is to make it to the Moth stage, deliver the perfect wedding toast, wow clients at a business dinner, give a moving eulogy , ace a job interview, be a hit at parties, change the world, or simply connect more deeply to those around you, stories are essential.

Wondering how do you tell stories that stick long after you’ve finished speaking? Have a listen to our podcast on how to tell stories that stick with Kindra Hall.

5. How to Win an Argument: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Persuasion by James May (2016)

6. speak with no fear by mike acker (2019).

It can easily seem like everyone is a gifted speaker when you watch TED talks or compare yourself to skilled co-workers giving presentations. But you don’t have to get caught up in the costly comparison trap. Instead, you can take action to improve your ability and to overcome your fear.

Through this book  you will learn 7 strategies  you can begin today. These strategies will give you a new perspective, they will prepare you, and they will give you actions to practice. As you implement these strategies, your fear will begin to fade.

THE SEVEN STRATEGIES 1. Uncover & Clean the Wound 2. Imagine the Worst 3. You Be You 4. Speak to One 5. It’s Not About You 6. Channel The Power 7. Be in the Moment

Are you struggling to develop a stage presence? Check out this article on how to overcome fear of public speaking.

7. Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking by Mehdi Hasan (2023)

Win Every Argument shows how anyone can communicate with confidence, rise above the tit for tats on social media, and triumph in a successful and productive debate in the real world.

Arguments are everywhere―and especially given the fierce debates we’re all embroiled in today, everyone wants to win. In this riveting guide to the art of argument and rhetoric, Hasan shows you how. As a journalist, anchor, and interviewer who has clashed with politicians, generals, spy chiefs, and celebrities from across the world, Hasan reveals his tricks of the trade for the first time.

Whether you are making a presentation at work or debating current political issues with a friend, Mehdi Hasan will teach you how to sharpen your speaking skills to make the winning case.

8. How Your Story Sets You Free by Heather Box and Julian Mocine-McQueen (2019)

Everyone has a story to tell. Sharing that story can change you, your community, or even the world. But how do you start?

Discover the tools to unlock your truth and share it with the world: Storytelling coaches Heather Box and Julian Mocine-McQueen reveal how to embrace the power of personal storytelling in a series of easy steps. You’ll learn how to share your experiences and invaluable knowledge with the people who need it most, whether it be in a blog post, a motivational speech, or just a conversation with a loved one. How Your Story Sets You Free is the path to finding the spark that ignites the fire and reminds you just how much your story matters.

Personal storytelling is insanely powerful when done well. For more tips here, check out this new podcast episode with Ravi Rajani on how to create and share powerful stories!

9. How to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler (1983)

With over half a million copies in print of his classic How to Read a Book  in print, intellectual, philosopher, and academic Mortimer J. Adler set out to write an accompanying volume on speaking and listening, offering the impressive depth of knowledge and accessible panache that distinguished his first book.

In  How to Speak, How to Listen , Adler explains the fundamental principles of communicating through speech, with sections on such specialized presentations as the sales talk, the lecture, and question-and-answer sessions and advice on effective listening and learning by discussion.

10. Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte (2010)

Presentations are meant to inform, inspire, and persuade audiences. So why then do so many audiences leave feeling like they’ve wasted their time? All too often, presentations don’t resonate with the audience and move them to transformative action.

Nancy Duarte created the slides in Al Gore’s Oscar winning  An Inconvenient Truth. In this book, she unpacks how to apply visual media to your talk. Her book Resonate helps you make a strong connection with your audience and lead them to purposeful action. The author’s approach is simple: building a presentation today is a bit like writing a documentary. Using this approach, you’ll convey your content with passion, persuasion, and impact.

11. The Public Speaking Bible: A Survival Guide for Standing on Stage by Marcus Alexander (2020)

The Public Speaking Bible; a Survival Guide for Standing on Stage is a depository of essential speaker’s knowledge designed to further your career whether you aim to be a full time speaker, undertake management roles or simply wish to improve your voice and stage presence. All the tips within come via the author and guest performers, adding up to a combined three hundred years of essential speakers’ know-how.

Within this bible:

Technical advice: how to effortlessly project your voice, audience manipulation, crowd control, body language, hand gestures and more.

Additionally: a frank approach for overcoming stage fright, a foolproof recipe for memorising a speech, how to overcome a sore throat and using the physics of sound to your advantage.

Business advice: how to price your speech, approaching agencies, talking overseas, understanding unique selling points, the most complete list of global public speakers’ agencies and more.

12. How To Talk To Anybody :14 Speaking Techniques To Instantly Connect With Anyone by Ryan Harrison (2022)

How many opportunities, relationships, and experiences have you missed out on because you didn’t know how to talk to people with confidence and skill?

Well, from now on, you will know exactly what to say and how to say it in a way that makes people open their eyes with surprise and delight as you talk. You’ll capture the attention of everyone you engage with. Your words will have impact and influence, and your opinion will make a difference.

The author – Ryan Harrison – has spent 30 years studying linguistics and communication and has distilled his knowledge into these 3 books.

13. Confessions of a Public Speaker by Scott Berkun (2009)

In this hilarious and highly practical book, author and professional speaker Scott Berkun reveals the techniques behind what great communicators do, and shows how anyone can learn to use them well. For managers and teachers — and anyone else who talks and expects someone to listen —  Confessions of a Public Speaker  provides an insider’s perspective on how to effectively present ideas to anyone. It’s a unique, entertaining, and instructional romp through the embarrassments and triumphs Scott has experienced over 15 years of speaking to crowds of all sizes.

With lively lessons and surprising confessions, you’ll get new insights into the art of persuasion — as well as teaching, learning, and performance — directly from a master of the trade.

Highlights include:

• Berkun’s hard-won and simple philosophy , culled from years of lectures, teaching courses, and hours of appearances on NPR, MSNBC, and CNBC
• Practical advice , including how to work a tough room, the science of not boring people, how to survive the attack of the butterflies, and what to do when things go wrong
• The inside scoop  on who earns $30,000 for a one-hour lecture and why
• The worst — and funniest — disaster stories  you’ve ever heard (plus countermoves you can use)

Filled with humorous and illuminating stories of thrilling performances and real-life disasters,  Confessions of a Public Speaker is inspirational, devastatingly honest, and a blast to read.

14. Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds by Carmine Gallo (2015)

Public speaking coach and bestselling author Carmine Gallo has broken down hundreds of TED talks and interviewed the most popular TED presenters to reveal the nine secrets of all successful TED presentations. Gallo’s step-by-step method makes it possible for anyone to deliver a presentation that is engaging, persuasive, and memorable.

Many people have a fear of public speaking or are insecure about their ability to give a TED-worthy presentation. Carmine Gallo’s top 10  Wall Street Journal  Bestseller  Talk Like TED will give them the tools to communicate the ideas that matter most to them, the skill to win over hearts and minds, and the confidence to deliver the talk of their lives.

15. Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln by James Hume (2002)

Ever wish you could captivate your boardroom with the opening line of your presentation, like Winston Churchill in his most memorable speeches? Or want to command attention by looming larger than life before your audience, much like Abraham Lincoln when, standing erect and wearing a top hat, he towered over seven feet? Now, you can master presentation skills, wow your audience, and shoot up the corporate ladder by unlocking the secrets of history’s greatest speakers.

Author, historian, and world-renowned speaker James C. Humes—who wrote speeches for five American presidents—shows you how great leaders through the ages used simple yet incredibly effective tricks to speak, persuade, and win throngs of fans and followers. Inside, you’ll discover how Napoleon Bonaparte mastered the use of the pregnant pause to grab attention, how Lady Margaret Thatcher punctuated her most serious speeches with the use of subtle props, how Ronald Reagan could win even the most hostile crowd with carefully timed wit, and much, much more.

16. Unleash the Power of Storytelling: Win Hearts, Change Minds, Get Results by Rob Biesenbach (2018)

Unleash the Power of Storytelling offers a practical roadmap to crafting and delivering more powerful, persuasive stories that you can use to get more of what you want out of your career and your life.

Taking a fun, no-nonsense approach, Unleash the Power of Storytelling will teach you:

•The hard science behind why stories work •A simple three-part structure for telling any story •The role of emotion in fueling great stories •How to cut the clutter and focus your story on the essentials •How and where to find great stories •Tips for delivering your stories in the most effective way possible

Want to learn how to create your own underdog Rocky story? Have a listen to our podcast with Clint Pulver, who used his story to build powerful relationships with speakers he admires and respects, and how he created his own board of directors as a result.

Ready to Get Your First (Or Next) Paid Speaking Gig?

Download our free 26-page guide and get the 14 exact steps you can follow to book a paid speaking gig right now!

Are 16 books not enough for you? Check out our podcast archive for more tips and lessons on public speaking. Still want more? Satiate your desire to learn more about public speaking by checking out The Speaker Lab blog here.  Happy reading!

• Last Updated: March 6, 2024

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100 Best Speech Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best speech books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

How to Win Friends & Influence People

Dale Carnegie | 5.00

Dustin Moskovitz Seek to be understood. (Source)

Scott Adams [Scott Adams recommends this book on his "Persuasion Reading List."] (Source)

Daymond John I love all the Dale Carnegie books. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

This Is Water

Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life

David Foster Wallace | 4.71

We Should All Be Feminists

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | 4.68

Very Good Lives

The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination

J. K. Rowling, Joel Holland | 4.61

Sujan Patel Harry Potter nerds and business buffs alike will devour J.K. Rowling's Very Good Lives. The story draws from a commencement speech Rowling gave at Harvard University, and inspiration from her own life and failures. Entrepreneurs will love how she explains the benefits of failure and the crucial importance of imagination. This is the book for those who are facing the grim realities of being broke... (Source)

The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow, et al | 4.61

Gabriel Coarna I read "The Last Lecture" because I had seen Randy Pausch give this talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo (Source)

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales

Oliver Sacks | 4.58

Suzanne O'Sullivan I didn’t choose neurology because of it but the way Oliver Sacks writes about neurology is very compelling. (Source)

Tanya Byron This is a seminal book that anyone who wants to work in mental health should read. It is a charming and gentle and also an honest exposé of what can happen to us when our mental health is compromised for whatever reason. (Source)

Bradley Voytek I can’t imagine one day waking up and not knowing who my wife is, or seeing my wife and thinking that she was replaced by some sort of clone or robot. But that could happen to any of us. (Source)

Make Good Art

Neil Gaiman | 4.51

The Gettysburg Address

Abraham Lincoln, Michael McCurdy | 4.41

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak | 4.41

Lydia Ruffles The (Source)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Jean-Dominique Bauby, Jeremy Leggatt | 4.37

Don't have time to read the top Speech books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

• Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
• Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
• Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.

Hooway for Wodney Wat

Helen Lester, Lynn Munsinger | 4.36

Congratulations, By the Way

Some Thoughts on Kindness

George Saunders | 4.35

The official TED guide to public speaking

Howard Hughes | 4.35

Chris Anderson In Apollo week, a great book recommendation: this more than a story of a computer--it's about the first shot in the man vs machine battles (should astronauts be pilots or "spam in a can"?) that foreshadowed today's debates about drones & self driving cars https://t.co/CidYughKHz (Source)

Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey

Marcus Garvey and Bob Blaisdell | 4.31

Art Matters

Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddel | 4.31

The Brain that Changes Itself

Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science

Norman Doidge | 4.29

Carol Dweck For me it was exciting to read this book because while my research shows a growth mindset is really good for you, this book shows that a growth mindset also has a strong basis in modern neuroscience. It illustrates, though fascinating case histories and descriptions of recent research, the amazing power of the brain to change and even to reorganise itself with practice and experience. (Source)

Naveen Jain I think the book that I really, really enjoy was, "The Brain That Changes Itself." It's all about neuroplasticity, you'd really love that book. (Source)

Bogdana Butnar I don't have favourite books. I equate a favourite something with wanting to do it over and over again and I've never wanted to read a book too many times. I have favourite authors and I have books that changed me in significant ways because they moved me or taught me something or changed my view of the world. So, here's some of those books... (Source)

Thirteen Reasons Why

Jay Asher | 4.29

In Conclusion, Don't Worry About It

Lauren Graham | 4.29

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury | 4.27

Timothy Ferriss This classic work on state censorship remains as relevant in today’s world of digital delights as it was when published in the black-and-white world of 1953. In a futuristic American city, firefighter Guy Montag does not put out blazes; instead, he extinguishes knowledge and promotes ignorance by conducting state decreed book burnings. After an elderly woman chooses a fiery death with her books... (Source)

Ryan Holiday I’m not sure what compelled me to pick Fahrenheit 451 back up but I’m so glad I did because I was able to see the book in a very different context. Bradbury’s message (made explicit in his 50th Anniversary Afterword) is much less a warning against government control and much more about a road to hell paved by people attempting to rid the world of offensive speech and conflicting ideas. In a world... (Source)

I Have a Dream

Writings and Speeches That Changed the World

Martin Luther King | 4.25

Clarence B Jones The ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, the portion that is most talked about, was totally spontaneous and extemporaneous. It wasn’t written. (Source)

Farnsworth's Classical English Style

Ward Farnsworth | 4.25

The Source of Self-Regard

Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations

Toni Morrison | 4.25

Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death

Patrick Henr | 4.23

A Testament of Hope

The Essential Writings and Speeches

Martin Luther King and James M. Washington | 4.22

Here, in the only major one-volume collection of his writings, speeches, interviews, and autobiographical reflections, is Martin Luther King Jr. on non-violence, social policy, integration, black nationalism, the ethics of love and hope, and more.

Where Is the Mango Princess?

A Journey Back from Brain Injury

Cathy Crimmins | 4.21

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Kadir Nelson | 4.21

The Reason I Jump

The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

Naoki Higashida, KA Yoshida, David Mitchell | 4.21

Patrick Larkin @cultofpedagogy Read that last summer. What an amazing book. Such a unique insight into #autism. (Source)

Rachel Miner One the best things in the world is the feeling of having recommended a book to someone which they love. What an amazing thing to have the opportunity to share whole worlds with each other! Loving getting to to share the joy of reading on @goodreads https://t.co/DiKTPiJsfc https://t.co/cvzdlyODJ2 (Source)

My Stroke of Insight

A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey

Jill Bolte Taylor | 4.20

Maya Zlatanova [One of the books that had the biggest impact on Maya.] (Source)

John Lewis, Andrew Aydin | 4.20

Tim Cook “It is a very unique way to present what is probably the most important story of my entire lifetime,” said when introducing Congressman Lewis at Apple HQ. “My hope is that everyone reads this, and I would love to see the day that it is required reading in every school." (Source)

My Sister's Keeper

Jodi Picoult | 4.20

Ginny L. Yttrup | 4.19

Three Little Words

Ashley Rhodes-Courter | 4.19

The Historic Presidency of Barack Obama - 2,920 Days

Mark Greenberg | 4.18

My Miraculous Escape from a Life Locked Inside My Own Body

Martin Pistorius | 4.17

The American Spirit

Who We Are and What We Stand For

David McCullough | 4.17

Laurie Halse Anderson | 4.16

Women & Power

A Manifesto

Mary Beard | 4.16

Girl in Pieces

Kathleen Glasgow | 4.15

The Art of Public Speaking

Dale Carnegie | 4.14

The Mind's Eye

Oliver W. Sacks | 4.14

The End of White World Supremacy

Four Speeches

Malcolm X | 4.14

Schuyler's Monster

A Father's Journey with His Wordless Daughter

Robert Rummel-Hudson | 4.13

The Lovely Bones

Alice Sebold | 4.13

Alice Sebold's haunting and heartbreaking debut novel, The Lovely Bones , unfolds from heaven, where "life is a perpetual yesterday" and where Susie narrates and keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, as well as her brazen killer and the sad detective working on her case. As Sebold fashions it,...

Alice Sebold's haunting and heartbreaking debut novel, The Lovely Bones , unfolds from heaven, where "life is a perpetual yesterday" and where Susie narrates and keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, as well as her brazen killer and the sad detective working on her case. As Sebold fashions it, everyone has his or her own version of heaven. Susie's resembles the athletic fields and landscape of a suburban high school: a heaven of her "simplest dreams," where "there were no teachers.... We never had to go inside except for art class.... The boys did not pinch our backsides or tell us we smelled; our textbooks were Seventeen and Glamour and Vogue ."

The Lovely Bones works as an odd yet affecting coming-of-age story. Susie struggles to accept her death while still clinging to the lost world of the living, following her family's dramas over the years like an episode of My So-Called Afterlife . Her family disintegrates in their grief: her father becomes determined to find her killer, her mother withdraws, her little brother Buckley attempts to make sense of the new hole in his family, and her younger sister Lindsey moves through the milestone events of her teenage and young adult years with Susie riding spiritual shotgun. Random acts and missed opportunities run throughout the book--Susie recalls her sole kiss with a boy on Earth as "like an accident--a beautiful gasoline rainbow." Though sentimental at times, The Lovely Bones is a moving exploration of loss and mourning that ultimately puts its faith in the living and that is made even more powerful by a cast of convincing characters. Sebold orchestrates a big finish, and though things tend to wrap up a little too well for everyone in the end, one can only imagine (or hope) that heaven is indeed a place filled with such happy endings. --Brad Thomas Parsons

Make Trouble

John Waters | 4.13

Madness, Rack, and Honey

Collected Lectures

Mary Ruefle | 4.12

Virginia Woolf

The Complete Works

Virginia Woolf | 4.12

No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference

Greta Thunberg | 4.11

The history-making, ground-breaking speeches of Greta Thunberg, the young activist who has become the voice of a generation

'Everything needs to change. And it has to start today'

In August 2018 a fifteen-year-old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, decided not to go to school one day. Her actions ended up sparking a global movement for action against the climate crisis, inspiring millions of pupils to go on strike for our planet, forcing governments to listen, and earning her a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

This book brings you Greta in her own words, for the first...

This book brings you Greta in her own words, for the first time. Collecting her speeches that have made history across Europe, from the UN to mass street protests, No One Is Too Small to Make A Difference is a rallying cry for why we must all wake up and fight to protect the living planet, no matter how powerless we feel. Our future depends upon it.

Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences

Nancy Duarte | 4.11

Brian Burkhart But the book which really hit home was “Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences,” by Nancy Duarte. It’s interesting, I didn’t agree with her methodology or like much of what I read. It was too complex and not realistic for people to use in everyday life. That said, it did help confirm to me that I was onto something. It was a different kind of validation than Godin—that the... (Source)

Wintergirls

Laurie Halse Anderson | 4.11

More Than Words

Helping Parents Promote Communication and Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Fern Sussman | 4.11

His Words for Our Times

Robert F. Kennedy, C. Richard Allen, Edwin O Guthman | 4.10

Cameron Kasky “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope...” -RFK Honored to celebrate the release of a book about this incredibly inspiring man. https://t.co/RoAZU8Zc17 (Source)

Speech-Language Pathology Assistants

A Resource Manual

Jennifer A. Ostergren | 4.10

50 Masterpieces you have to read before you die Vol

Joseph Conrad | 4.10

Vince Vawter | 4.10

PUBLIC SPEAKING - Speaking like a Professional

How to become a better speaker, present yourself convincingly and increase your self-confidence through successful communication

Julius Loewenstein | 4.09

If This Isn't Nice, What Is? (Even More) Expanded Third Edition

The Graduation Speeches and Other Words to Live By

Kurt Vonnegut | 4.08

The Speeches & Writings of Abraham Lincoln

A Library of America Boxed Set

Abraham Lincoln | 4.08

We Were Liars

E. Lockhar | 4.08

My Toddler Talks

Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child's Language Development

Kimberly Scanlon | 4.08

Stella Díaz Has Something to Say

Angela Dominguez | 4.08

Speech to Print Workbook

Language Exercises for Teachers

Louisa Cook Moats Ed.D. and Dr. Bruce Rosow Ed.D. | 4.07

My Name is Rachel Corrie

Rachel Corrie, Alan Rickman, Katharine Viner | 4.07

Play It As It Lays

Joan Didion, David Thomson | 4.07

David Maraniss The book has a bleak aspect to it, in terms of marital relations. (Source)

Game Change

Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime

John Heilemann, Mark Halperin | 4.07

An Advanced Review of Speech-Language Pathology

Preparation for the Praxis SLP and Comprehensive Examination

Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin • M. N. Hegde • Glen M. Tellis | 4.07

On Our Way Home from the Revolution

Reflections on Ukraine

Sonya Bilocerkowycz | 4.07

Six Memos for the Next Millenium

Italo Calvino | 4.07

The Wisdom of the Native Americans

Including The Soul of an Indian and Other Writings of Ohiyesa and the Great Speeches of Red Jacket, Chief Joseph, and Chief Seattle

Kent Nerburn | 4.06

The Nobel Lecture In Literature, 1993

Toni Morrison | 4.06

The Complete Book of Speech Communication

A Workbook of Ideas and Activities for Students of Speech and Theatre

Carol Marrs and Lafe Locke | 4.05

Anatomy of the Voice

Theodore Dimon Jr | 4.04

Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric

Ward Farnsworth | 4.04

Great Speeches by Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass | 4.04

The King's Speech

How One Man Saved the British Monarchy

Mark Logue, Peter Conradi | 4.03

Barry Lyga | 4.03

Thank You for Arguing

What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion

Jay Heinrichs | 4.03

Angela Pham The attendees in the altMBA program actually influenced me the most in my book purchases: Robin Flaherty persuaded me to buy Thank You For Arguing. (Source)

Self-Reliance and Other Essays

Ralph Waldo Emerson | 4.03

A Sky Without Eagles

Jack Donovan | 4.03

Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better

Pema Chödrön | 4.03

Lend Me Your Ears

Great Speeches in History

William Safire | 4.03

Speech to Print

Language Essentials for Teachers

Louisa Cook Moats Ed.D. | 4.03

The Secret Speech

Tom Rob Smith | 4.02

Long Story Short

The Only Storytelling Guide You'll Ever Need

Margot Leitman | 4.02

The View from the Cheap Seats

Selected Nonfiction

Neil Gaiman | 4.02

Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat

The Great Speeches

Winston Churchill and David Cannadine | 4.02

The American Patriot's Handbook

The Writings, History, and Spirit of a Free Nation

George Grant | 4.02

Speeches and Writings 1859–1865

Abraham Lincoln | 4.01

The English Grammar Workbook for Adults

A Self-Study Guide to Improve Functional Writing

Michael DiGiacomo | 4.01

Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro | 4.01

Assume the Worst

The Graduation Speech You'll Never Hear

Carl Hiaasen, Roz Chast | 4.01

Brad Feld I started with a short book by Carl Hiaasen. I’m a fan of his fiction, so this caught my eye in Explore Booksellers (the local Aspen bookstore where we always load up whenever we come here.) It was cynically wonderful, and great advice. (Source)

The World's Great Speeches

Lewis Copeland, Lawrence W. Lamm, et al. | 4.01

American Speeches

Political Oratory from the Revolution to the Civil War

Ted Widmer | 4.01

The Speech Teacher's Handbook

A Parent's Guide to Speech & Language

Molly Dresner | 4.01

Let's Get Talking

A Speech-Language Therapy Companion for a Child's First Functional Words

Mehreen Kakwan | 4.01

Lust For Life

Sylvester McNutt iii | 4.01

To Repair the World

Paul Farmer Speaks to the Next Generation

Paul Farmer | 4.01

Talking with Your Toddler

75 Fun Activities and Interactive Games that Teach Your Child to Talk

Teresa Laikko and Laura Laikko | 4.00

Can You Drink a Dinosaur?

A Yes/No Book for Young Talkers

Cara Tambellini Danielson and Mary Tambellini | 4.00

American Political Speeches

Terry Golway, Richard Beeman | 4.00

Jeffrey D Sachs This is my favourite speech from President Kennedy so I think it is always worth reading! But it is a very, very important speech in our history because of its demonstration of statecraft in the finest and most important way. The speech was given in the shadow of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The world was perilously close to nuclear war and we needed an active approach to break through. So President... (Source)

Figures Of Speech Used In the Bible Explained and Illustrated

E. W. Bullinger | 4.00

Great Speeches

History's Greatest Speeches - The Complete Collection

• By: Jesus Christ, Frederick Douglass, Eleanor Roosevelt, and others
• Narrated by: full cast
• Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
• Overall 3.5 out of 5 stars 5
• Performance 3.5 out of 5 stars 4
• Story 3 out of 5 stars 4

The most profound and important speeches ever delivered are here collected in this anthology, featuring some of the most influential figures in world history. From ancient times to the American Revolution, from the days before slaves had been emancipated (or women had the vote) to as recently as this past century, Fort Raphael Publishing has gathered some of the most important and iconic speeches ever delivered and presents them here - with a biographical background for each speaker - in this complete collection.

• 3 out of 5 stars

Some great speeches

• By J. R. Bowers on 02-16-23
• By: Jesus Christ , Frederick Douglass , Eleanor Roosevelt , et al.
• Series: History's Greatest Speeches
• Release date: 10-28-21
• Language: English
• 3.5 out of 5 stars 5 ratings

The most profound and important speeches ever delivered are here collected in this anthology, featuring some of the most influential figures in world history....

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Regular price: $19.46 or 1 credit

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Think and Grow Rich

• By: Napoleon Hill
• Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
• Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 31,793
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 26,001
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 25,853

Think and Grow Rich is the number-one inspirational and motivational classic for individuals who are interested in furthering their lives and reaching their goals by learning from important figures in history. The text read in this audiobook is the original 1937 edition written by Napoleon Hill and inspired by Andrew Carnegie - and while it has often been reproduced, no updated version has ever been able to compete with the original.

• 4 out of 5 stars

Classic Book, 21st Century Version Better

• By Razvan Rogoz on 12-29-12
• Release date: 10-16-07
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 31,793 ratings
• Think and Grow Rich is the number-one inspirational and motivational classic for individuals who are interested in furthering their lives and reaching their goals....

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Great Speeches in History

• By: Socrates, Martin Luther
• Narrated by: Norman Rodway, Samuel West
• Length: 2 hrs and 34 mins
• Overall 3.5 out of 5 stars 42
• Performance 3.5 out of 5 stars 16
• Story 3.5 out of 5 stars 16

Fighting for justice, for freedom of speech, and sometimes even for their own lives, some of history's most significant figures demonstrate the finest resources of language in the service of the most dramatic issues of their day.

Historical Rather than Great

• By Xueshu on 12-06-03
• By: Socrates , Martin Luther
• Narrated by: Norman Rodway , Samuel West
• Release date: 12-26-99
• 3.5 out of 5 stars 42 ratings
• From Socrates to Charles I, Danton to Lincoln - here are some of history's most significant figures with their most important speeches....

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• The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking
• By: Chris Anderson
• Narrated by: Chris Anderson, Tom Rielly, Kelly Stoetzel
• Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,269
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,862
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,837

Since taking over TED in the early 2000s, Chris Anderson has shown how carefully crafted short talks can be the key to unlocking empathy, stirring excitement, spreading knowledge, and promoting a shared dream. Done right, a talk can electrify a room and transform an audience's worldview. Done right, a talk is more powerful than anything in written form.

• 5 out of 5 stars

One of the VERY Best!

• By C. Freeman on 05-08-16
• Narrated by: Chris Anderson , Tom Rielly , Kelly Stoetzel
• Release date: 05-03-16
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,269 ratings
• Since taking over TED in the early 2000s, Chris Anderson has shown how carefully crafted short talks can be the key to unlocking empathy....

Regular price: $20.00 or 1 credit

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How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps

• By: Ben Shapiro
• Narrated by: Ben Shapiro
• Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 4,624
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 4,055
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 4,023

From Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States to the New York Times ' 1619 project, the modern Left views American history through the lens of competing oppressions, replacing the traditional understanding that all Americans are part of a shared journey toward the perfection of universal ideals. Their attacks on the values that built our nation, from the rights to free speech and self-defense to the importance of marriage and faith communities, are insidious because they replace each of them with nothing beyond an increased reliance on the government.

A necessary call for unity

• By Brian Sachetta on 07-21-20
• Release date: 07-21-20
• 5 out of 5 stars 4,624 ratings

The number one New York Times best-selling author and leading conservative voice examines how the left's assault on history, language, and culture is destroying the truths that bring Americans together....

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His Greatest Speeches

• How Lincoln Moved the Nation
• By: Diana Schaub
• Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
• Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 7
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 7
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 7

Abraham Lincoln, our greatest president, believed that our national character was defined by three key moments: the writing of the Constitution, our declaration of independence from England, and the beginning of slavery on the North American continent.

Excellent Analysis

• By Anonymous User on 05-10-23
• Release date: 11-30-21
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

Abraham Lincoln, our greatest president, believed that our national character was defined by three key moments: the writing of the Constitution, our declaration of independence from England, and the beginning of slavery on the North American continent....

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The Art of Speeches and Presentations

• The Secrets of Making People Remember What You Say
• By: Philip Collins
• Narrated by: Nigel Carrington
• Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 82
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 72
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 71

Whether you like it or loathe it, public speaking is something many of us have to do. Be it presentations to colleagues or speeches to a room full of near-strangers, we all want to shine…or at least get through it with our dignity intact. Luckily Philip Collins, former Chief Speech Writer to Tony Blair, knows exactly what’s needed to give a storming speech. The secret, according to Philip, is content. Too many of us focus on how we’re presenting, and don’t spend enough time thinking about what we’re presenting. The secret to memorable, polished speeches is to think more about the material you’re sharing.

Thoroughly Enjoyable and Educational Romp

• By Marcus Chacos on 01-08-22
• Release date: 12-20-12
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 82 ratings
• Whether you like it or loathe it, public speaking is something many of us have to do....

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History's Greatest Speeches: Black Voices

• By: Nelson Mandela, Ida B. Wells, Thurgood Marshall, and others
• Narrated by: Rochelle Young, Will Chris, Casaundra Freeman, and others
• Length: 2 hrs and 6 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 5
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 5
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 5

The struggle for human rights, emancipation, civil rights, social justice, voting rights, and freedom from discrimination and tyranny is captured here in this volume of speeches by some of the most influential and brilliant Black orators in history.

• By: Nelson Mandela , Ida B. Wells , Thurgood Marshall , Sojourner Truth , Booker T. Washington , Mary E. Church Terrell , W.E.B. Du Bois
• Narrated by: Rochelle Young , Will Chris , Casaundra Freeman , Devereau Chumrau , Rosney Mauger , AK Murtada , Amir Abdullah
• Release date: 05-18-21
• 5 out of 5 stars 5 ratings

The struggle for human rights, emancipation, civil rights, social justice, voting rights, and freedom from discrimination and tyranny is captured here in this volume of speeches by some of the most influential and brilliant Black orators in history....

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History's Greatest Speeches - Volume I

• By: Oliver Cromwell, George Washington
• Narrated by: Rochelle Young, Kevin Theis, Darren Stephens, and others
• Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 1
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 1
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 1

The immersive audio experience presented here - complete with sound effects, music, and atmospherics - allows the listener to feel as if they were in attendance when these speeches were first delivered. The orations are performed by a select group of amazing actors who uniquely capture the essence, power, and complexity of these magnificent addresses, universally acknowledged as some of the greatest speeches in world history.

• By: Oliver Cromwell , George Washington
• Narrated by: Rochelle Young , Kevin Theis , Darren Stephens , Sara Nichols , Ronald Keaton , Charles Constant
• Series: History's Greatest Speeches , Book 1
• Release date: 01-28-21
• 4 out of 5 stars 1 rating

The immersive audio experience presented here - complete with sound effects, music, and atmospherics - allows the listener to feel as if they were in attendance when these speeches were first delivered....

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Lincoln's Greatest Speech

• The Second Inaugural
• By: Ronald C. White Jr.
• Narrated by: Raymond Todd
• Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 125
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 108
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 108

After four years of unspeakable horror and sacrifice on both sides, the Civil War was about to end. On March 4, 1865, at his second inauguration, President Lincoln did not offer the North the victory speech it yearned for; nor did he blame the South solely for the sin of slavery. Calling the whole nation to account, Lincoln offered a moral framework for peace and reconciliation. Eventually this "with malice toward none" address would be accepted and revered as one of the greatest in the nation's history.

Ronald White gets Lincoln right

• By Ronnie Brown on 12-04-18
• Release date: 12-19-08
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 125 ratings
• On March 4, 1865, at his second inauguration, President Lincoln did not offer the North the victory speech it yearned for; nor did he blame the South solely for the sin of slavery....

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Great Speeches by Frederick Douglass

• By: Frederick Douglass
• Narrated by: Walter Baron
• Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
• Overall 0 out of 5 stars 0
• Performance 0 out of 5 stars 0
• Story 0 out of 5 stars 0

"Great Speeches by Frederick Douglass" is a pivotal collection showcasing Frederick Douglass's eloquence, determination, and leadership in advocating for the abolition of slavery and civil rights.

• Release date: 04-24-24
• Not rated yet

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The Great Dissent

• How Oliver Wendell Holmes Changed His Mind and Changed the History of Free Speech in America
• By: Thomas Healy
• Narrated by: Danny Campbell
• Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 261
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 232
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 233

Free speech as we know it comes less from the First Amendment than from a most unexpected source: Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. A lifelong skeptic, he disdained all individual rights, including the right to express one's political views. But in 1919, it was Holmes who wrote a dissenting opinion that would become the canonical affirmation of free speech in the United States.

How a 78 year old man can learn & change his mind

• By Jean on 09-23-13
• Release date: 08-26-13
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 261 ratings
• No right seems more fundamental to American public life than freedom of speech. Yet well into the 20th century, that freedom was still an unfulfilled promise....

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Great Speeches and Soliloquies

• By: William Shakespeare
• Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale, Estelle Kohler
• Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 17
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 7
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 7

Many of Shakespeare's greatest and best-loved speeches are brought together in this superb collection, performed by outstanding artists who bring to vivid life words which are an integral part of our language, our culture and our everyday lives.

Outstanding performances

• By Timoteo on 01-09-18
• Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale , Estelle Kohler
• Release date: 10-26-00
• 4 out of 5 stars 17 ratings
• Many of Shakespeare's greatest and best-loved speeches are brought together in this superb collection, performed by outstanding artists who bring to vivid life words...

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The King's Speech

• How One Man Saved the British Monarchy
• By: Mark Logue, Peter Conradi
• Narrated by: Simon Vance
• Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 1,108
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 845
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 844

At the urging of his wife, Elizabeth, the Duke of York (known to the royal family as "Bertie") began to see speech therapist Lionel Logue in a desperate bid to cure his lifelong stammer. Little did the two men know that this unlikely friendship - between a future monarch and a commoner born in Australia - would ultimately save the House of Windsor from collapse.

As enjoyable as the film, and then some.

• By Howard on 02-28-11
• By: Mark Logue , Peter Conradi
• Release date: 02-14-11
• 4 out of 5 stars 1,108 ratings
• At the urging of his wife, Elizabeth, the Duke of York (and the future king) began to see speech therapist Lionel Logue in a desperate bid to cure his lifelong stammer....

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History's Greatest Speeches, Volume VI

• By: Theodore Roosevelt, Booker T. Washington, John Brown
• Narrated by: Joe Lauck, Linda Kimbrough, Casaundra Freeman, and others
• Length: 2 hrs and 30 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 1
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 1

The most profound and important speeches ever delivered are here collected in this anthology, featuring some of the most influential figures in world history. From ancient times to the American Revolution to as recently as this past century, Fort Raphael Publishing has collected some of the most important and iconic speeches of all time and recorded them for this series.

• By: Theodore Roosevelt , Booker T. Washington , John Brown
• Narrated by: Joe Lauck , Linda Kimbrough , Casaundra Freeman , Robert Koon , Will Chris , Ted Koch , Lawrence Theis , Chris Tiffany , Paul Stroili
• Release date: 06-14-21
• 5 out of 5 stars 1 rating

Napoleon Hill's Greatest Speeches: An Official Publication of The Napoleon Hill Foundation

• By: Napoleon Hill, Napoleon Hill Foundation
• Narrated by: Rich Germaine
• Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 32
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 27
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 27

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in: Character , Featured , Knowledge of Men

Brett & Kate McKay • August 24, 2020 • Last updated: August 25, 2021

The 35 Greatest Speeches in History

These famous speeches lifted hearts in dark times, gave hope in despair, refined the characters of men, inspired brave feats, gave courage to the weary, honored the dead, and changed the course of history.

How did we compile this list?

Great oratory has three components: style, substance, and impact.

Style: A great speech must be masterfully constructed. The best orators are masters of both the written and spoken word, and use words to create texts that are beautiful to both hear and read.

Substance: A speech may be flowery and charismatically presented, and yet lack any true substance at all. Great oratory must center on a worthy theme; it must appeal to and inspire the audience’s finest values and ideals.

Impact: Great oratory always seeks to persuade the audience of some fact or idea. The very best speeches change hearts and minds and seem as revelatory several decades or centuries removed as when they were first given.

And now for the speeches.

Contents [ hide ]

• 1. Theodore Roosevelt, "Duties of American Citizenship"
• 2. Winston Churchill, "We Shall Fight on the Beaches"
• 3. Lou Gehrig, "Farewell to Baseball Address"
• 4. Demosthenes, "The Third Philippic"
• 5. Chief Joseph, "Surrender Speech"
• 6. John F. Kennedy, "Inauguration Address"

7. Ronald Reagan, "Address to the Nation on the Challenger"

8. "speech of alexander the great", 9. william wilberforce, "abolition speech", 10. theodore roosevelt, "the man with the muck-rake", 11. franklin delano roosevelt, "first inaugural address", 12. charles de gaulle, "the appeal of 18 june", 13. socrates, "apology", 14. george washington, "resignation speech", 15. mahatma gandhi, "quit india", 16. winston churchill, "their finest hour", 17. william faulkner, "nobel prize acceptance speech", 18. dwight d. eisenhower, "farewell address", 19. marcus tullius cicero, "the first oration against catiline", 20. ronald reagan, "remarks at the brandenburg gate", 21. pericles, "funeral oration", 22. general douglas macarthur, "farewell address to congress", 23. theodore roosevelt, "strength and decency", 24. abraham lincoln, "2nd inaugural address", 25. patrick henry, "give me liberty or give me death", 26. ronald reagan, "40th anniversary of d-day".

• 27. John F. Kennedy, "The Decision to Go to the Moon"

28. Frederick Douglass, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"

29. general douglas macarthur, "duty, honor, country", 30. theodore roosevelt, "citizenship in a republic", 31. winston churchill, "blood, sweat, and tears", 32. franklin delano roosevelt, "pearl harbor address to the nation", 33. jesus christ, "the sermon on the mount", 34. martin luther king jr., "i have a dream", 35. abraham lincoln, "the gettysburg address", 1. theodore roosevelt,  “duties of american citizenship”.

January 26, 1883; Buffalo , New York

Given while serving as a New York assemblyman, TR's address on the "Duties of American Citizenship" delved into both the theoretical reasons why every man should be involved in politics and the practical means of serving in that capacity. Roosevelt chided those who excused themselves from politics because they were too busy; it was every man's duty to devote some time to maintaining good government.

Worthy Excerpt:

Of course, in one sense, the first essential for a man's being a good citizen is his possession of the home virtues of which we think when we call a man by the emphatic adjective of manly. No man can be a good citizen who is not a good husband and a good father, who is not honest in his dealings with other men and women, faithful to his friends and fearless in the presence of his foes, who has not got a sound heart, a sound mind, and a sound body; exactly as no amount of attention to civil duties will save a nation if the domestic life is undermined, or there is lack of the rude military virtues which alone can assure a country's position in the world. In a free republic the ideal citizen must be one willing and able to take arms for the defense of the flag, exactly as the ideal citizen must be the father of many healthy children. A race must be strong and vigorous; it must be a race of good fighters and good breeders, else its wisdom will come to naught and its virtue be ineffective; and no sweetness and delicacy, no love for and appreciation of beauty in art or literature, no capacity for building up material prosperity can possibly atone for the lack of the great virile virtues. But this is aside from my subject, for what I wish to talk of is the attitude of the American citizen in civic life. It ought to be axiomatic in this country that every man must devote a reasonable share of his time to doing his duty in the Political life of the community. No man has a right to shirk his political duties under whatever plea of pleasure or business; and while such shirking may be pardoned in those of small cleans it is entirely unpardonable in those among whom it is most common--in the people whose circumstances give them freedom in the struggle for life. In so far as the community grows to think rightly, it will likewise grow to regard the young man of means who shirks his duty to the State in time of peace as being only one degree worse than the man who thus shirks it in time of war. A great many of our men in business, or of our young men who are bent on enjoying life (as they have a perfect right to do if only they do not sacrifice other things to enjoyment), rather plume themselves upon being good citizens if they even vote; yet voting is the very least of their duties, Nothing worth gaining is ever gained without effort. You can no more have freedom without striving and suffering for it than you can win success as a banker or a lawyer without labor and effort, without self-denial in youth and the display of a ready and alert intelligence in middle age. The people who say that they have not time to attend to politics are simply saying that they are unfit to live in a free community.

Read full text of speech here .

2. Winston Churchill,  “We Shall Fight on the Beaches”

June 4, 1940 ; House of Commons, London

Winston Churchill, one of the greatest orators of the 20th century, was interestingly enough, like Demosthenes and other great orators before him, born with a speech impediment which he worked on until it no longer hindered him. One would never guess this from hearing Churchill's strong and reassuring voice, a voice that would buoy up Britain during some of her darkest hours.

During the Battle of France, Allied Forces became cut off from troops south of the German penetration and perilously trapped at the Dunkirk bridgehead. On May 26, a wholesale evacuation of these troops, dubbed "Operation Dynamo," began. The evacuation was an amazing effort-the RAF kept the Luftwaffe at bay while thousands of ships, from military destroyers to small fishing boats, were used to ferry 338,000 French and British troops to safety, far more than anyone had thought possible. On June 4, Churchill spoke before the House of Commons, giving a report which celebrated the "miraculous deliverance" at Dunkirk, while also seeking to temper a too rosy of view of what was on the whole a "colossal military disaster."

I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty's Government-every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation. The British Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength. Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.

Check out my podcast with Churchill biographer Andrew Roberts .

3. Lou Gehrig, “Farewell to Baseball Address”

July 4, 1939; Yankee Stadium

It seemed as if the luminous career of Lou Gehrig would go on forever. The Yankee's first baseman and prodigious slugger was nicknamed the Iron Horse for his durability and commitment to the game. Sadly, his record for suiting up for 2,130 consecutive games came to an end when at age 36, Gehrig was stricken with the crippling disease that now bears his name. On July 4, 1939, the Yankees held a ceremony to honor their teammate and friend. They retired Gehrig's number, spoke of his greatness, and presented him with various gifts, plaques, and trophies. When Gehrig finally addressed the crowd, he did not use the opportunity to wallow in pity. Instead, he spoke of the things he was grateful for and what a lucky guy he was.

Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert - also the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow - to have spent the next nine years with that wonderful little fellow Miller Huggins - then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology - the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy! Sure, I'm lucky. When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift, that's something! When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies, that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles against her own daughter, that's something. When you have a father and mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body, it's a blessing! When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed, that's the finest I know. So I close in saying that I might have had a tough break - but I have an awful lot to live for!

4. Demosthenes,  “The Third Philippic”

342 B.C.; Athens, Greece

Demosthenes, master statesman and orator, loved his city-state of Athens. He cherished its way of life and abundant freedoms. And he believed in standing strong against anyone who might attempt to infringe on these privileges. This passion, unfortunately, was seldom shared by his fellow Athenians. While Philip the II of Macedon made bolder and bolder incursions into the Greek peninsula, the Athenian people seemed stuck in an apathetic stupor. For years, Demosthenes employed his powerful oratorical skills in attempts to awaken his fellow citizens from sleep to the realization of the imminent danger Philip posed. When Philip advanced on Thrace, the Athenians called an assembly to debate whether or not to finally heed the great orator's advice. Demosthenes was sick of his brethren taking liberty and the Athenian way of life for granted and he boldly called upon them to rise up and take action. After his rousing speech, the assembly all cried out, "To arms! To arms!"

It is this fate, I solemnly assure you, that I dread for you, when the time comes that you make your reckoning, and realize that there is no longer anything that can be done. May you never find yourselves, men of Athens, in such a position! Yet in any case, it were better to die ten thousand deaths, than to do anything out of servility towards Philip [or to sacrifice any of those who speak for your good]. A noble recompense did the people in Oreus receive, for entrusting themselves to Philip's friends, and thrusting Euphraeus aside! And a noble recompense the democracy of Eretria, for driving away your envoys, and surrendering to Cleitarchus! They are slaves, scourged and butchered! A noble clemency did he show to the Olynthians, who elected Lasthenes to command the cavalry, and banished Apollonides! It is folly, and it is cowardice, to cherish hopes like these, to give way to evil counsels, to refuse to do anything that you should do, to listen to the advocates of the enemy's cause, and to fancy that you dwell in so great a city that, whatever happens, you will not suffer any harm.

5. Chief Joseph, “Surrender Speech”

October 5, 1877; Montana Territory

In 1877, the military announced that the Chief Joseph and his tribe of Nez Perce had to move onto a reservation in Idaho or face retribution. Desiring to avoid violence, Chief Joseph advocated peace and cooperation. But fellow tribesmen dissented and killed four white men. Knowing a swift backlash was coming, Joseph and his people began to make their way to Canada, hoping to find amnesty there. The tribe traveled 1700 miles, fighting the pursuing US army along the way. In dire conditions, and after a five day battle, Chief Joseph surrendered to General Nelson A. Miles on Oct. 5, 1877 in the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana Territory, a mere 40 miles from the Canadian border. The Chief knew he was the last of a dying breed, and the moment of surrender was heartbreaking.

Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our Chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Ta Hool Hool Shute is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are - perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my Chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.

6. John F. Kennedy,  “Inauguration Address”

January 20, 1961; Washington, D.C.

Young, handsome, with a glamorous family in tow, John F. Kennedy embodied the fresh optimism that had marked the post-war decade. On January 20, 1961, Kennedy took the oath of office as the 35th President of the United States. The youngest president in United States history, he was the first man born in the 20th century to hold that office. Listening to his inaugural address, the nation felt that a new era and a "new frontier" were being ushered in.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort? In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility -- I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Listen to the speech.

January 28, 1986; Washington, D.C.

On January 28, 1986, millions of Americans, many of them schoolchildren watching from their classroom desks, tuned in to see 7 Americans, including Christa McAuliffe, a 37 year old schoolteacher and the first ever "civilian astronaut," lift off in the space shuttle Challenger. Just 73 seconds later, the shuttle was consumed in a fireball. All seven aboard perished. These were the first deaths of American astronauts while in flight, and the nation was shocked and heartbroken by the tragedy. Just a few hours after the disaster, President Ronald Reagan took to the radio and airwaves, honoring these "pioneers" and offering comfort and assurance to a rattled people.

We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for 25 years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers. And I want to say something to the school children of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them...... The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honoured us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'

Check out our podcast with Ronald Regan biographer Bob Sptiz.

326 B.C.; Hydaspes River, India

In 335 B.C., Alexander the Great began his campaign to recapture former Greek cities and to expand his empire. After ten years of undefeated battles, Alexander controlled an empire that included Greece, Egypt, and what had been the massive Persian Empire.

That wasn't enough for Xander. He decided to continue his conquest into India. But after ten years of fighting and being away from home, his men lacked the will to take part in another battle, especially against an opponent like King Porus and his army. Alexander used the talent for oration he had developed while studying under Aristotle to infuse his men with the motivation they needed to continue on, to fight and to win.

I could not have blamed you for being the first to lose heart if I, your commander, had not shared in your exhausting marches and your perilous campaigns; it would have been natural enough if you had done all the work merely for others to reap the reward. But it is not so. You and I, gentlemen, have shared the labour and shared the danger, and the rewards are for us all. The conquered territory belongs to you; from your ranks the governors of it are chosen; already the greater part of its treasure passes into your hands, and when all Asia is overrun, then indeed I will go further than the mere satisfaction of our ambitions: the utmost hopes of riches or power which each one of you cherishes will be far surpassed, and whoever wishes to return home will be allowed to go, either with me or without me. I will make those who stay the envy of those who return.

Check out the AoM podcast about the life of Alexander the Great.

May 12, 1789; House of Commons, London

When William Wilberforce, a member of the British Parliament, converted to Christianity, he began to earnestly seek to reform the evils he found within himself and the world around him. One of the glaring moral issues of the day was slavery, and after reading up on the subject and meeting with anti-slavery activists, Wilberforce became convinced that God was calling him to be an abolitionist. Wilberforce decided to concentrate on ending the slave trade rather than slavery itself, reasoning that the abolition of one would logically lead to the demise of the other. On May 12, 1789, Wilberforce made his first speech on the abolition of the slave trade before the House of Commons. He passionately made his case for why the trade was reprehensible and needed to cease. Wilberforce introduced a bill to abolish the trade, but it failed, a result he would become quite familiar with in the ensuing years. Yet Wilberforce never gave up, reintroducing the bill year after year, and the Slave Trade Act was finally passed in 1807.

When I consider the magnitude of the subject which I am to bring before the House-a subject, in which the interests, not of this country, nor of Europe alone, but of the whole world, and of posterity, are involved: and when I think, at the same time, on the weakness of the advocate who has undertaken this great cause-when these reflections press upon my mind, it is impossible for me not to feel both terrified and concerned at my own inadequacy to such a task. But when I reflect, however, on the encouragement which I have had, through the whole course of a long and laborious examination of this question, and how much candour I have experienced, and how conviction has increased within my own mind, in proportion as I have advanced in my labours;-when I reflect, especially, that however averse any gentleman may now be, yet we shall all be of one opinion in the end;-when I turn myself to these thoughts, I take courage-I determine to forget all my other fears, and I march forward with a firmer step in the full assurance that my cause will bear me out, and that I shall be able to justify upon the clearest principles, every resolution in my hand, the avowed end of which is, the total abolition of the slave trade.

April 14, 1906; Washington, D.C.

Theodore Roosevelt was president during the Progressive Era, a time of great enthusiasm for reform in government, the economy, and society. TR himself held many progressive ideals, but he also called for moderation, not extremism. The "Man with a Muck-rake" in Pilgrim's Progress never looked heavenward but instead constantly raked the filth at his feet. TR thus dubbed the journalists and activists of the day who were intent on exposing the corruption in society as "muckrakers." He felt that they did a tremendous amount of good, but needed to mitigate their constant pessimism and alarmist tone. He worried that the sensationalism with which these exposes were often presented would make citizens overly cynical and too prone to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

To assail the great and admitted evils of our political and industrial life with such crude and sweeping generalizations as to include decent men in the general condemnation means the searing of the public conscience. There results a general attitude either of cynical belief in and indifference to public corruption or else of a distrustful inability to discriminate between the good and the bad. Either attitude is fraught with untold damage to the country as a whole. The fool who has not sense to discriminate between what is good and what is bad is well-nigh as dangerous as the man who does discriminate and yet chooses the bad. There is nothing more distressing to every good patriot, to every good American, than the hard, scoffing spirit which treats the allegation of dishonesty in a public man as a cause for laughter. Such laughter is worse than the crackling of thorns under a pot, for it denotes not merely the vacant mind, but the heart in which high emotions have been choked before they could grow to fruition.

March 4, 1933; Washington, D.C.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt handily beat incumbent Herbert Hoover in the 1932 presidential election. The country was deep into the Great Depression, and the public felt that Hoover did not fully sympathize with their plight and was not doing enough to alleviate it. No one was quite clear on what FDR's plan was, but as in today's election season, "change" was enough of an idea to power a campaign. In his First Inaugural Address, Roosevelt sought to buoy up the injured psyche of the American people and present his case for why he would need broad executive powers to tackle the Depression.

I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our Nation impels. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.

Read the full text here .

June 18, 1940; London

In June of 1940, it was clear that France was losing their country to the German invasion. Refusing to sign an armistice, Prime Minister Paul Reynaud was forced to resign. He was succeeded by Marshal Philippe Petain who made clear his intention to seek an accommodation with Germany. Disgusted with this decision, General Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French Forces, escaped to England on June 15. De Gaulle asked for, and obtained permission from Winston Churchill to make a speech on BBC radio. De Gaulle exhorted the French to not give up hope and to continue the fight against the German occupation and the Vichy Regime.

But has the last word been said? Must hope disappear? Is defeat final? No! Believe me, I who am speaking to you with full knowledge of the facts, and who tell you that nothing is lost for France. The same means that overcame us can bring us victory one day. For France is not alone! She is not alone! She is not alone! She has a vast Empire behind her. She can align with the British Empire that holds the sea and continues the fight. She can, like England, use without limit the immense industry of the United States. This war is not limited to the unfortunate territory of our country. This war is not over as a result of the Battle of France. This war is a worldwide war. All the mistakes, all the delays, all the suffering, do not alter the fact that there are, in the world, all the means necessary to crush our enemies one day. Vanquished today by mechanical force, in the future we will be able to overcome by a superior mechanical force. The fate of the world depends on it.

399 B.C.; Athens

Socrates is perhaps the greatest teacher in the history of the Western world. He wandered around Athens engaging in dialogues with his fellow citizens that focused on discovering the truth of all things . He taught his pupils that the "unexamined life is not worth living."

The Athenians saw Socrates as a threat, especially to the Athenian youth. Socrates acquired quite a following among the young men of Athens. He taught these impressionable minds to question everything, even Athenian authority. Eventually, Socrates was arrested and put on trial for corrupting the youth, not believing the gods, and creating new deities.

The "Apology" is Socrates' defense to these charges. Instead of crying and pleading for mercy, Socrates accepts his charges and attempts to persuade the jury with reason. He argued that it was his calling from the gods to seek knowledge and that it was through his questions he uncovered truth. To not fulfill his calling would be blasphemy. In the end, Socrates lost and was sentenced to death by hemlock. Socrates accepted this fate willingly and without grudge against his condemners, thus dying as a martyr for free thinking.

Some one will say: Yes, Socrates, but cannot you hold your tongue, and then you may go into a foreign city, and no one will interfere with you? Now I have great difficulty in making you understand my answer to this. For if I tell you that to do as you say would be a disobedience to the God, and therefore that I cannot hold my tongue, you will not believe that I am serious; and if I say again that daily to discourse about virtue, and of those other things about which you hear me examining myself and others, is the greatest good of man, and that the unexamined life is not worth living, you are still less likely to believe me.

Check out our article on the philosophy of Plato . 

December 23, 1784; Annapolis, Maryland

As the Revolutionary War drew to a close, there was much speculation that George Washington, then Major General and Commander-in-Chief, would follow in the footsteps of former world leaders by making a grab for supreme power. Some even wished he would do so, hoping he would become the king of a new nation. Yet Washington knew that such a move would wither the fragile beginnings of the new republic. Looking to the Roman general Cincinnatus an exemplar, Washington rejected the temptations of power and resigned his position as Commander-in-Chief. Choosing the right is almost never easy, and as Washington read his speech in front of the Continental Congress, the great statesman trembled so much that he had to hold the parchment with two hands to keep it steady. "The spectators all wept, and there was hardly a member of Congress who did not drop tears. His voice faltered and sunk, and the whole house felt his agitations." When finished, Washington bolted from the door of the Annapolis State House, mounted his horse, and galloped away into the sunset.

While I repeat my obligations to the Army in general, I should do injustice to my own feelings not to acknowledge in this place the peculiar Services and distinguished merits of the Gentlemen who have been attached to my person during the War. It was impossible the choice of confidential Officers to compose my family should have been more fortunate. Permit me Sir, to recommend in particular those, who have continued in Service to the present moment, as worthy of the favorable notice and patronage of Congress. I consider it an indispensable duty to close this last solemn act of my Official life, by commending the Interests of our dearest Country to the protection of Almighty God, and those who have the superintendence of them, to his holy keeping. Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theater of Action; and bidding an Affectionate farewell to this August body under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my Commission, and take my leave of all the employments of public life.

Check out my podcast about the self-education of George Washington.

August 8, 1942; India

While the battle for freedom and democracy raged across the world, the people of India were engaged in their own fight for liberty. For almost a century, India had been under the direct rule of the British crown, and many Indians had had enough. Mahatma Gandhi and the National Indian Congress pushed for a completely non-violent movement aimed at forcing Britain to "Quit India." Gandhi, pioneer of the tactics of non-violent civil disobedience, called for their use on August 8, 1942 with the passing of the Quit India Resolution demanding complete independence from British rule.

I believe that in the history of the world, there has not been a more genuinely democratic struggle for freedom than ours. I read Carlyle's French Resolution while I was in prison, and Pandit Jawaharlal has told me something about the Russian revolution. But it is my conviction that inasmuch as these struggles were fought with the weapon of violence they failed to realize the democratic ideal. In the democracy which I have envisaged, a democracy established by non-violence, there will be equal freedom for all. Everybody will be his own master. It is to join a struggle for such democracy that I invite you today. Once you realize this you will forget the differences between the Hindus and Muslims, and think of yourselves as Indians only, engaged in the common struggle for independence.

June 18, 1940; House of Commons, London

On May 10, 1940, the Germans began their invasion of France. On June 14 Paris fell. In a matter of days, France would surrender and England would stand as Europe's lone bulwark against the twin evils of Fascism and Nazism. At this critical moment, Churchill gave his third and final speech during the Battle of France, once again imparting words meant to bring hope in this dark hour.

What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'

Check out my podcast about how Churchill led during the Blitz.

December 10, 1950; Stockholm, Sweden

A true master of the written word, William Faulkner did not often make public his gift for the spoken variety. So there was some interest as to what he would say when accepting the Nobel Peace Prize for his "powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel." The year was 1950, the Soviet Union had tapped the potential of the atomic bomb, and the atmosphere in the the United States crackled with the fear of them using it. Faulkner challenged poets, authors, and all mankind to think beyond the questions of "When will I be blown up?" and instead continue to "create out of the materials of the human spirit something which did not exist before."

I decline to accept the end of man. It is easy enough to say that man is immortal because he will endure: that when the last ding-dong of doom has clanged and faded from the last worthless rock hanging tideless in the last red and dying evening, that even then there will still be one more sound: that of his puny inexhaustible voice, still talking. I refuse to accept this. I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.

January 17, 1961; Washington, D.C.

The 1950's were a time of ever increasing military spending, as the United States sought to fight communism abroad and prevent it at home. As President Dwight D. Eisenhower left office, more than half of the federal budget was allocated for defense purposes. Eisenhower, former General of the Army, was certainly not opposed to the use of military power to keep the peace. Still, he saw fit to use his "Farewell Address" to warn the nation of the dangers posed by the "military-industrial complex," referring to the relationship between the armed forces, the government, and the suppliers of war materials. Eisenhower was wary of the large role defense spending played in the economy, and understood the political and corporate corruption that could result if the public was not vigilant in checking it.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex . The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

63 BC; Rome

Lucius Sergius Catilina (Catiline to his friends) was a very jealous man. Having once run against Cicero for the position of consul and lost, he became determined to win the next election by any devious method necessary. Plan A was to bribe people to vote for him, and when that didn't work, he decided to go for bust and simply knock Cicero off on election day. This plan was ferreted out by the ever vigilant Cicero, the election was postponed, and the Senate established marital law. When the election finally was held, the murderer-cum-candidate was surprisingly trounced at the polls. Now it was time for Catiline's Plan C: raise an army of co-conspirators, create insurrection throughout Italy, overthrow the government, and slice and dice as many Senators as they could get their coo -ky hands on. But Cicero was again one step ahead and discovered the plan. He called the Senate together for a meeting at the Temple of Jupiter in the Capitol, an orifice only used in times of great crisis. Catiline, who seriously didn't know when he was not welcome, decided to crash the party. With his archenemy in attendance, Cicero began his Catiline Orations, a series of speeches covering how he saved Rome from rebellion, the guilt of Catiline, and the need to whack he and his cronies.

I wish, O conscript fathers, to be merciful; I wish not to appear negligent amid such danger to the state; but I do now accuse myself of remissness and culpable inactivity. A camp is pitched in Italy, at the entrance of Etruria, in hostility to the republic; the number of the enemy increases every day; and yet the general of that camp, the leader of those enemies, we see within the walls-aye, and even in the senate-planning every day some internal injury to the republic. If, O Catiline, I should now order you to be arrested, to be put to death, I should, I suppose, have to fear lest all good men should say that I had acted tardily, rather than that any one should affirm that I acted cruelly. But yet this, which ought to have been done long since, I have good reason for not doing as yet; I will put you to death, then, when there shall be not one person possible to be found so wicked, so abandoned, so like yourself, as not to allow that it has been rightly done. As long as one person exists who can dare to defend you, you shall live; but you shall live as you do now, surrounded by my many and trusty guards, so that you shall not be able to stir one finger against the republic; many eyes and ears shall still observe and watch you, as they have hitherto done, tho you shall not perceive them.

June 12, 1987; Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

Since the end of World War II, Germany had been a divided country, the West free and democratic, the East under authoritarian communist control. When President Reagan took office, he was committed not only to uniting that country, but to bringing down the entire "Evil Empire." While the importance of Reagan's role in successfully doing so is endlessly debated, it beyond dispute that he exerted some influence in bringing the Cold War to an end. There is no more memorable and symbolic moment of this influence then when Reagan stood at the Berlin wall, the most visible symbol of the "Iron Curtain," and challenged Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!"

We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

Listen to speech.

431 BC; Athens

Pericles, master statesman, orator, and general, was truly, as Thuciydies dubbed him, "the first citizen of Athens." Pericles was a product of the Sophists and had been personally tutored by the great philosopher Anaxagoras. His study with the Sophists made Pericles a highly persuasive orator. Through his speeches, he galvanized Athenians to undertake an enormous public works project that created hundreds of temples, including the Pantheon.

Pericles' gift of oration was put to the test during the epic battles of the Peloponnesian War, a civil war between Athens and Sparta. His speeches inspired Athenians to fight to become the number one power in Greece. In February of 431 B.C., Athens had their annual public funeral to honor all those who died in war. Pericles was asked to give the traditional funeral oration. Rather than focus his speech on enumerating the conquests of Athens' fallen heroes, Pericles instead used his funeral oration to laud the glory of Athens itself and inspire the living to make sure the soldiers had not died in vain.

Over 2,000 years later, Pericles' funeral oration inspired Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address." Like Pericles, Lincoln was a leader during a time of civil war. Like Pericles, Lincoln focused on exhorting the living to live their lives in a way that would make the sacrifice of fallen warriors worthwhile.

So died these men as became Athenians. You, their survivors, must determine to have as unfaltering a resolution in the field, though you may pray that it may have a happier issue. And not contented with ideas derived only from words of the advantages which are bound up with the defense of your country, though these would furnish a valuable text to a speaker even before an audience so alive to them as the present, you must yourselves realize the power of Athens, and feed your eyes upon her from day to day, till love of her fills your hearts; and then, when all her greatness shall break upon you, you must reflect that it was by courage, sense of duty, and a keen feeling of honor in action that men were enabled to win all this, and that no personal failure in an enterprise could make them consent to deprive their country of their valor, but they laid it at her feet as the most glorious contribution that they could offer.

April 19, 1951, Washington; D.C.

During the Korean War, General MacArthur and President Truman clashed over the threat posed by the Chinese People's Liberation Army and their incursion into Korea. MacArthur continually pressed Truman for permission to bomb bases in Manchuria, believing the war needed to be extended in area and scope. Truman refused the General's requests, arguing that directly drawing China into the war would arouse the Soviet Union to action. MacArthur continued to press his case, and Truman, accusing the General of insubordination, made the decision to relieve MacArthur of his command. After serving for 52 years and in three wars, the General's military career was over. MacArthur returned to the United States and gave this farewell address to Congress.

I am closing my 52 years of military service. When I joined the Army, even before the turn of the century, it was the fulfillment of all of my boyish hopes and dreams. The world has turned over many times since I took the oath on theplain at West Point, and the hopes and dreams have long since vanished, but I still remember the refrain of one of the most popular barrack ballads of that day which proclaimed most proudly that "old soldiers never die; they just fade away." And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Good Bye.

Roosevelt was an advocate of having many children and making sure the next generation would continue to uphold the great virtues of civilization. He was always concerned that young men not be coddled or cowardly, and grow up to live rugged, strenuous, and thoroughly manly lives. But he also strongly believed that being ruggedly manly and being refined in mind and spirit were not incompatible and should in fact go hand and hand. In this speech, he exhorts young men to pursue virtuous manliness. Amen, brother, amen.

It is peculiarly incumbent upon you who have strength to set a right example to others. I ask you to remember that you cannot retain your self-respect if you are loose and foul of tongue, that a man who is to lead a clean and honorable life must inevitably suffer if his speech likewise is not clean and honorable. Every man here knows the temptations that beset all of us in this world. At times any man will slip. I do not expect perfection, but I do expect genuine and sincere effort toward being decent and cleanly in thought, in word, and in deed. As I said at the outset, I hail the work of this society as typifying one of those forces which tend to the betterment and uplifting of our social system. Our whole effort should be toward securing a combination of the strong qualities with those qualities which we term virtues. I expect you to be strong. I would not respect you if you were not. I do not want to see Christianity professed only by weaklings; I want to see it a moving spirit among men of strength. I do not expect you to lose one particle of your strength or courage by being decent. On the contrary, I should hope to see each man who is a member of this society, from his membership in it become all the fitter to do the rough work of the world; all the fitter to work in time of peace; and if, which may Heaven forfend, war should come, all the fitter to fight in time of war. I desire to see in this country the decent men strong and the strong men decent, and until we get that combination in pretty good shape we are not going to be by any means as successful as we should be. There is always a tendency among very young men and among boys who are not quite young men as yet to think that to be wicked is rather smart; to think it shows that they are men. Oh, how often you see some young fellow who boasts that he is going to "see life," meaning by that that he is going to see that part of life which it is a thousandfold better should remain unseen!

March 4, 1865; Washington, D.C.

The Union's victory was but a month away as Abraham Lincoln began his second term as president of a bitterly ruptured United States. Like the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln keeps this speech only as long as needful. While there are those who still debate whether the Civil War was truly fought over slavery or not, Lincoln certainly believed so. To him, slavery was a great national sin, and the blood shed during the war was the atoning sacrifice for that evil.

He does not relish the prospect of coming victory; instead, he appeals to his countrymen to remember that the war was truly fought between brothers. When the war was over and the Confederacy forced to return to the Union, Lincoln was prepared to treat the South with relative leniency. He did not believe secession was truly possible, and thus the South had never truly left the Union. Reconstruction would not mean vengeance, but the return home of a terribly errant son.

Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

March 23, 1775; Richmond , VA

For a decade, revolutionary sentiments had been brewing in Virginia and Patrick Henry had always been in the thick of it, stirring the pot. Henry became particularly enflamed by the Stamp Act of 1764, which prompted him to give his so-called "treason speech," spurring the Burgesses to pass the Virginia Resolves banning the act. Tensions between the colonies and the Crown continued to build, and in 1775, Massachusetts patriots began making preparations for war. Henry believed that Virginia should follow suit. At a meeting held in St. John's Church in Richmond, Henry presented resolutions to make ready Virginia's defenses. Seeking to persuade his fellow delegates of the urgency of his message, he gave a rousing and memorable speech, climaxing is that now famous line, "Give me liberty of give me death!"

The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable -- and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come! It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, "Peace! Peace!" -- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!

June 6, 1984; Pointe du Hoc, France

What the Army Rangers did on D-Day at Pointe Du Hoc is a tale every man worth his salt should be familiar with. Pointe du Hoc was a sheer 100 foot cliff located in-between Omaha and Utah beaches. Perched atop the cliff sat six casemates capable of being manned, armed, and taking out the men on the beaches. As the Germans fired upon them, the Rangers scaled the cliff using ropes and ladders, found the guns (which had been moved from the casemates) and destroyed them. Without reinforcements for two days, the Rangers alone held their position and fended off German counterattacks. These skirmishes proved deadly; only 90 of the original 225 Ranger landing force survived.

On the 40 th anniversary of D-Day, President Reagan gave a moving tribute to these men, many of whom were present at the occasion.

These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war. Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your 'lives fought for life...and left the vivid air signed with your honor'... Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith, and belief; it was loyalty and love. The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God we have not lost it -- that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

27. John F. Kennedy, " The Decision to Go to the Moon"

May 25, 1961; Houston, TX

On April 12, 1961, the Soviets launched the first man into space. Khrushchev used this triumph as prime evidence of communism's superiority over decadent capitalism. Embarrassed, the United States feared it was falling behind the Soviet Union and losing the "space race." After consulting with political and NASA officials, Kennedy decided it was time for America to boldly go where no man had gone before by putting a man on the moon. The feat would not only catapult the nation over the Soviet Union, but also allow man to more fully explore the mysteries of space. And this mission would be accomplished by the end of the 1960's. When was the last time a president had the cajones to publicly issue a straightforward, ambitious goal and set a timeline for its success?

There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

July 5, 1852; Rochester, NY

Frederick Douglass, former slave, abolitionist, and engineer on the underground railroad, was a popular speaker on the anti-slavery circuit. He traveled thousands of miles each year, giving hundreds of speeches. Yet the money he earned from lecturing was not enough to become financially comfortable, and he and his family struggled. Douglass was disillusioned by the repercussions of the Fugitive Slave Act, and his abolitionist leanings grew more strident and bold. If the citizens of Rochester, New York had expected to be flattered by Douglass when they asked him to speak on the Fourth, they were soon disavowed of that idea. Douglass took the opportunity to defiantly point out the ripe hypocrisy of a nation celebrating their ideals of freedom and equality while simultaneously mired in the evil of slavery. While the speech surely made even the most liberal audience members squirm; nonetheless, the crowed let loose in "universal applause" when Douglass finished.

I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you this day rejoice are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. Youmay rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak today?

Read what books had the biggest influence on Frederick Douglass.

May 12, 1962; West Point, New York

General Douglas MacArthur, General of the Army and a man who fought in three wars, knew something of "Duty, Honor, Country." In 1962, MacArthur was in the twilight of his life and came to West Point to accept the Sylvanus Thayer Award and participate in his final cadet roll call. His address reflects upon and celebrates the brave and courageous men who came before, men he personally led, men who embodied "Duty, Honor, Country."

There are many great speeches in this list, but I hope you will pause to read the entirety of this one. Picking an excerpt was quite difficult, as so many of the passages are inspiring. A must read for all men.

You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense. From your ranks come the great captains who hold the nation's destiny in their hands the moment the war tocsin sounds. The Long Gray Line has never failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor, Country . This does not mean that you are war mongers. On the contrary, the soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers: "Only the dead have seen the end of war." The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished, tone and tint. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears, and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen vainly, but with thirsty ears, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll. In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. But in the evening of my memory, always I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country .

April 23, 1910; Paris , France

At the end of Theodore Roosevelt's second term in office, he set out to tour Africa and Europe, hoping to allow his successor, President Taft, to step into the enormous shoes TR had left and become his own man. After a safari in Africa, he traveled throughout Europe. While in France, he was invited to speak at the historic University of Paris. Roosevelt used the opportunity to deliver a powerful address on the requirements of citizenship, the characteristics which would keep democracies like France and the United States robust and strong. This speech is famous for the "man in the arena" quote, but the entire speech is an absolute must read.

Let the man of learning, the man of lettered leisure, beware of that queer and cheap temptation to pose to himself and to others as a cynic, as the man who has outgrown emotions and beliefs, the man to whom good and evil are as one. The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer. There are many men who feel a kind of twister pride in cynicism; there are many who confine themselves to criticism of the way others do what they themselves dare not even attempt. There is no more unhealthy being, no man less worthy of respect, than he who either really holds, or feigns to hold, an attitude of sneering disbelief toward all that is great and lofty, whether in achievement or in that noble effort which, even if it fails, comes to second achievement. A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticise work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life's realities - all these are marks, not as the possessor would fain to think, of superiority but of weakness. They mark the men unfit to bear their part painfully in the stern strife of living, who seek, in the affection of contempt for the achievements of others, to hide from others and from themselves in their own weakness. The rôle is easy; there is none easier, save only the rôle of the man who sneers alike at both criticism and performance. It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

May 13, 1940; House of Commons, London

Winston Churchill's first speech to the House of Commons as Britain's new Prime Minister got off to an auspicious start. His welcome to that assembly was quite tepid, while outgoing PM Neville Chamberlain was enthusiastically applauded (the world did not yet know just how disastrous his appeasement policies would prove and did not trust Churchill). But Churchill's first speech, the first of three powerful oratories he gave during the Battle of France, would prove that England was in more than capable hands. A seemingly unstoppable Hitler was advancing rapidly across Europe, and Churchill wasted no time in calling his people to arms. While TR had actually been the first to utter the phrase, "blood, sweat and tears," it was Churchill's use of these words that would leave an inedible and inspiring impression upon the world's mind.

Worthy Excerpt

I say to the House as I said to ministers who have joined this government, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many months of struggle and suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I say it is to wage war by land, sea, and air. War with all our might and with all the strength God has given us, and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs - Victory in spite of all terrors - Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.

December 8, 1941; Washington, D.C.

The attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, shocked the United States to its core, outraging a nation that had hoped to stay out of the mounting turmoil in Asia and Europe. Overnight, the country united in desire to enter the war. The day after the attacks, FDR addressed the nation in a brief, but electrifying speech, declaring war on Japan and giving assurance that the United States would attain victory.

Be sure to listen to the audio of the speech. Imagine every American family, rattled and worried, listening around the radio to what their president would say. They knew their whole world was about to change forever. Listen to the reaction of Congress as they applaud and cheer FDR's words. The emotion is so very real and palatable; it truly transports you back to that critical moment in time.

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives: yesterday, December 7, 1941- a date which will live in infamy -the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan..... But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us. Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger. With confidence in our armed forces-with the unbounding determination of our people-we will gain the inevitable triumph-so help us God.

33 A.D.; Jerusalem

Whether one believes that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God or simply a wise teacher, it is impossible to deny the impact of perhaps the world's most famous speech: The Sermon on the Mount. No speech has been more pondered, more influential, or more quoted. It introduced a prayer now familiar the world over and uttered in trenches, churches, and bedsides around the globe. It introduced a code of conduct billions of believers have adopted as their lofty, if not not always attainable, goal. While much of the sermon has roots in Jewish law, the advice given in the Beatitudes represented a dramatic and radical departure from the eye for an eye system of justice known in the ancient world. The standards of behavior outlined in the sermon have given believers and non-believers alike plenty to contemplate and discuss in the two thousand years since it was given.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

See Matthew Chapter 5-7 for full text.

August 28, 1963; Washington, D.C.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" is hands down one of the greatest, if not the greatest, pieces of oratory in American history. King's charisma, skills in rhetoric, and passion, place him in a league of his own. A century after slavery ended, a century after African-Americans were promised full equality, black children were being hosed down in the streets, spat upon, bused to separate schools, turned away from restaurants, and denied treatment as full human beings. In this midst of this egregious track record, Dr. King voiced a clear, compelling message of hope, a dream that things would not always be as they were, and that a new day was coming.

Many people have seen excerpts of the speech, but a surprisingly number of adults my age I have never sat down and watched the speech in its entirety. I challenge you to do just that. It is just as electrifying and moving today as it was in 1963.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification - one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father's died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!"

Listen to the speech here .

November 19, 1863; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

272 words. 3 minutes long. Yet, the Gettysburg Address is unarguably one of the greatest pieces of rhetoric in American history. Dr. J Rufus Fears (one of the great modern orators) argues that the Gettysburg Address, along with the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, form the three founding documents of American freedom. And I have to agree.

The Battle of Gettysburg left 8,000 men dead. The bodies were too numerous to bury properly and many were at first placed in shallow graves. Weeks after the battle, heads and arms were sticking up through the ground and the smell of rotting flesh was sickening.

Money was raised for a proper reburial, and it was decided that the new cemetery should be dedicated, to sweeten the air of Gettysburg, to solemnize this place of death. As was traditional, a great orator, in this case, Edward Everett, was asked to give a solemn and grand speech as a memorial to the fallen men. Lincoln was asked 2 months later, almost as a causal afterthought. He was to add a few remarks to Everett's, a function much like the man with the ceremonial scissors who cuts the ribbon. Legends has it that Lincoln's remarks were the product of pure inspiration, penned on the back of an envelope on the train chugging its way to the soon-to-be hallowed grounds of Gettysburg.

On the day of the dedication, Everett kept the crowd enthralled for a full two hours. Lincoln got up, gave his speech, and sat down even before the photographer had finished setting up for a picture. There was a long pause before anyone applauded, and then the applause was scattered and polite.

Not everyone immediately realized the magnificence of Lincoln's address. But some did. In a letter to Lincoln, Everett praised the President for his eloquent and concise speech, saying, "I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."

And of course, in time, we have come to fully appreciate the genius and beauty of the words spoken that day. Dr. Fears argues that Lincoln's address did more than memorialize the fallen soldiers at Gettysburg; it accomplished nothing short of transforming the entire meaning of the Civil War. There were no details of the battle mentioned in the speech, no mentioning of soldier's names, of Gettysburg itself, of the South nor the Union, states rights nor secession. Rather, Lincoln meant the speech to be something far larger, a discourse on the experiment testing whether government can maintain the proposition of equality. At Gettysburg, the Constitution experienced a transformation. The first birth has been tainted by slavery. The men, of both North and South, lying in the graves at Gettysburg had made an atoning sacrifice for this great evil. And the Constitution would be reborn, this time living up to its promises of freedom and equality for all.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate - we cannot consecrate - we cannot hallow - this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

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5 Fun Children's Books for Practicing the /l/ Sound

Reading with your child is a wonderful way to bond and support their language development. If your little one is learning the /l/ sound or /l/-blends , there are many engaging books that can help them work on these sounds while enjoying quality time with you.

Try practicing the /l/ sound with these children’s books

When it comes to learning speech sounds , daily practice will ensure your child makes the most progress. And reading together is an easy way to practice the /l/ sound!

Here, we’re sharing a list of children’s books that focus on the /l/ sound in fun and imaginative ways, including our speech therapists' favorites. Your child can read aloud or repeat the /l/ words after you say them. You can even turn it into a game by asking them to clap or raise their hand every time they hear a word with “l.”

In addition to practicing speech sounds, when you read aloud and talk with your child about the stories, you'll be giving them a valuable opportunity to grow their general language skills.

If you don’t own the recommended books, you don’t have to buy them! Check your local library, or search for a read-aloud version on YouTube. Let’s dive in and discover some great books to read with your child!

1. Is Your Mama a Llama? 

The classic book Is Your Mama a Llama? is a great place to start. The word “llama” is repeated 13 times throughout the book, making it a perfect choice for a child practicing /l/ at the beginning of words.

This book also includes words with the /l/ sound in the middle of the word (“polite l y,” “rea ll y,” “certain l y,” and “si ll y”) and words ending with the /l/ sound (“a ll ,” “fee l ,” and “sea l ”). 

2. The Very Lonely Firefly 

If your child is working on /l/-blends, this one is a great choice for them! The Very Lonely Firefly includes plenty of practice words: fl ew, fire fl y, fl ashed, fl ickering, fl ashlight, gl owing, re fl ecting, fl ooding, spar kl ing, gl ittering, and fl ashing. 

It also includes these words beginning with the /l/ sound: “ l ittle,” “ l onely,” “ l ightbulb,” “ l ight(ing),” “ l antern,” and “ l ook(ing).” 

3. Goodnight Moon 

Goodnight Moon is a classic story to read while cuddled up at night. The repetitive language gives your child plenty of opportunities to practice their target speech sounds.

/l/: te l ephone, ba ll oon, l itt l e, bow l , l ady, l ight 

/l/-blend: cl ocks 

4. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This classic Eric Carle book offers children lots of practice with /l/ and /l/-blend words. Check out all these /l/ words (but try not to get hungry!):

/l/: l ight, l itt l e, l ay, l eaf, caterpi ll ar, l ook, sti ll , choco l ate, pick l e, sa l ami, l o ll ipop, waterme l on, fe l t, bui l t, sma ll , ca ll ed, nibb l ed, ho l e, beautifu l

/l/-blends: pl ums, sl ice, butter fl y 

5. Green Eggs and Ham

There are plenty of /l/ words in this silly, rhyming story. Here’s just one example: “I do not l ike green eggs and ham. I do not l ike them, Sam-I-am.”

Practicing speech at home leads to faster progress

When children are working on their speech articulation, home practice is essential. Consistency is the key to improving speech sounds, and practicing regularly at home allows your child to strengthen their skills outside of therapy sessions. 

Reading books with your child is a fun, easy way to add speech sound practice to your daily routine. By using books that contain a variety of /l/ and /l/-blend words, you’re giving your child lots of chances to hear and produce these sounds in context.

To motivate your child to practice, focus on making the experience relaxed and positive. Celebrate your child’s successes, and encourage them to try their best without putting too much pressure on them. Use games , props, or other playful activities related to the books you read to make practice feel like a fun adventure. 

You can also offer your child choices in which books they want to read or which characters they want to pretend to be. This gives them a sense of control and ownership over their practice. Remember, the goal is to help your child build their skills in a supportive and enjoyable way!

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Bloody Yorkshire: 10 Must-Read British Crime Series Set in God’s Own Country

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Yorkshire has long been one of the best parts of England, and it's home to some of the best scenery and nicest people you'll ever meet. It's also a wonderful setting for a good murder mystery. In this post, we take a look at some of the many great crime series that bring the region to life…and death.

David J. Gatward's DCI Harry Grimm Series

Gatward's DCI Harry Grimm crime novels are set in the picturesque Yorkshire Dales, a region known for its rugged landscapes, tight-knit communities, and historic charm. The series follows DS Harry Grimm, a gruff, no-nonsense detective who's transferred from Bristol to a quiet village in the Yorkshire Dales. Despite the idyllic setting, the area is overflowing with dark secrets and sinister undercurrents.

Oh, and there's cheese. With cake. Don't worry if that sounds weird right now. Like Grimm, you'll get used to it.

Start Here : Kindle | Audiobook | Paperback  

Frances Brody's Kate Shackleton Mysteries

Set in 1920s Yorkshire, these light mysteries follow the adventures of investigator Kate Shackleton, a young war widow with a sharp mind and a keen sense of justice. The series beautifully captures the post-World War I era, with all its unique social changes and challenges. Brody excels in character development, and different volumes in the series explore a variety of Yorkshire communities and landscapes.

REginald Hill's Dalziel & Pascoe Series

Many people will know this one primarily from the TV series starring Warren Clarke and Colin Buchanan, but if you haven't read the books, you're in for a treat. This critically-acclaimed series follows the detecting partnership of the gruff and unconventional DS Andrew Dalziel and the calmer, more intellectual DI Peter Pascoe. The books move from struggling industrial towns to lovely rural villages, and the cases are often dark and complex. Hill does a wonderful job of capturing the contrasting the area's natural beauty against the struggles of change and decline.

JR Ellis's Yorkshire Murder Mysteries

This Yorkshire-based series follows DS Andrew Carter as he joins the Harrogate Division of West Riding Police, where he works alongside DCI Jim Oldroyd to investigate crimes throughout the area. A Yorkshire resident for most of his life, author John Ellis does an excellent job of recreating Yorkshire on the page, and his characters are strong and memorable. 

David Mark's DS McAvoy Novels

Set in Hull, David Mark's novels follow DS Aector McAvoy, an empathetic and physically imposing detective who handles all sorts of dark and often disturbing crimes. The harsh realities of life in Hull, from its working-class neighborhoods to its historical undercurrents, play a significant role in shaping the tone of the novels. It's also worth noting that the first book in the series was a spring 2013 Richard and Judy book club selection (which is sort of like the British version of Oprah or Reese Witherspoon's book selections, but on a smaller scale).

Chris Nickson's Tom Harper Mysteries

Set in 19th century Leeds, this series follows DI Tom Harper as he struggles to solve serious crimes in a rapidly growing and changing city. Industry is booming, but it's creating a whole new set of problems for the city and its inhabitants – and of course, murder is never far off. This is one of those great series which falls somewhere in between on the cosy/gritty spectrum, and the use of description and choice of setting makes it especially immersive.

Bella Ellis's Brontë Sisters Mysteries

This unique series imagines the famous literary sisters—Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë—as amateur sleuths solving crimes in the Yorkshire moors. Set in the 1840s, it blends historical fiction with light mystery, making for a fun reading experience that isn't too dark or traumatising.

JM Dalgliesh's Dark Yorkshire Crime Novels

If you enjoy a detective with a few demons, you'll love DI Nathaniel Caslin in JM Dalgliesh's Dark Yorkshire series. Caslin is work-shy, drug-addicted, and quite fond of alcohol, so his career is in a state of freefall when the books open. IT gets better from there, but it's not like addiction is a thing solved quickly and easily. The books are intense and certainly not for everyone, but they make excellent use of the occasionally bleak Yorkshire landscapes. 

Start Here : Kindle | Audiobook | Paperback

Helen Cox's Kitt Hartley Yorkshire Mysteries

Finishing the list on a lighter note, this series follows librarian Kitt Hartley, whose life is pretty pleasant until DI Halloran swings by her job to tell her that her best friend Evie is a suspect in a murder enquiry. Evie's ex-boyfriend was found stabbed through the heart with a fountain pen – which, given how wimpy fountain pen nibs and fees actually are, seems like kind of an unlikely thing for most women to pull off. And thus, an amateur detective is born. 

The early books are set primarily in and around York, but some of the later novels visit places like Durham, Whitby, and even Scotland.

Lee Brook's West Yorkshire Crime Thrillers

Set near Leeds in West Yorkshire, these gritty crime novels follow DI George Beaumont, a detective who competently navigates the dark underbelly of the area, dealing with some of the city's most horrific crimes. The books remind us that Yorkshire is more than rolling farmland and historic towns and quaint seaside villages – there are diverse urban areas, too, and the cases in those areas are decidedly less cosy than some of the other series on this list. 

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Home » News » Tragedy on Trial: Emmett Till’s story still resonates

Tragedy on Trial: Emmett Till’s story still resonates

By Ken Paulson, published on August 13, 2024

Carolina Academic Press

The story of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American who was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of flirtatious behavior toward a white woman, has been told many times, in books, documentaries and recently in the 2022 film  Till.

There’s something particularly compelling, though, in being able to read the long-unavailable criminal-trial transcripts in the case. They’re at the core of Professor Ronald K.L. Collins’ new book,  Tragedy on Trial: The Story of the Infamous Emmett Till Murder Trial  (Carolina Academic Press), which uses the testimony to give readers an illuminating understanding of the flow and drama of this historic trial.

Collins was a colleague of mine at the First Amendment Center for a number of years and I’ve long respected his work, including his pivotal book  The Trials of Lenny Bruce: The Fall and Rise of an American Icon,  written with David Skover.  It also substantially drew on trial testimony. 

The First Amendment Center was also where I had my first meaningful exposure to the Till story. In the late ‘90s, center founder John Seigenthaler brought Emmett’s mother Mamie Till-Mobley to Vanderbilt University for a program at our offices. There we heard firsthand about her determination to have the public see her son’s open casket in order to fully grasp this horrific crime. She spent decades helping to shine a light on racial injustice. 

The crime has been well-documented. Emmett, a Chicago teen visiting his uncle, was abducted by white men, including Roy Bryant, husband of Carolyn Bryant, who had complained about Till’s conduct. Till’s disfigured body was found in the Tallahatchie River days later. Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milan were charged with murder.

After a brief trial and a 67-minute deliberation (including a soft-drink break), the all-white-male jury acquitted the defendants. Outrage over the verdict spread across the U.S. and Emmett’s murder became a touchstone of the civil rights movement. 

Tragedy on Trial  brings new dimensions to our collective understanding of the case. Among the takeaways:

• Although many tend to view the acquittal as inevitable, there was in fact a good-faith prosecution of the defendants. Prosecutors argued that the murder was premeditated, beginning with the defendants’ demand in the middle of the night that the young man be turned over to them. Once they had him in custody, the argument went, they had a duty not to harm him. 
• District Attorney Gerald Chatham was credited with a powerful call for conviction.
• As Collins notes, James Hicks, a reporter for the black newspaper  Cleveland Call and Post , observed that by “every courtroom standard, the Mississippi-born district attorney made a great case for the dead colored youth.”
• The defense lawyers largely maintained that there was no evidence linking their clients to the crime and that there was a question of whether the body found in the river was Till’s. Collins also shares the astonishingly cynical and racist arguments of defense lawyer John W. Whitten Jr., who suggested the entire case was in fact a conspiracy by outsiders.
• “This claim was yet another attempt to sway the jury that the real culprits in all of this were not the defendants, but a cadre of others hell bent on annihilating the southern way of life,” Collins writes.
• There was to be no justice for Emmett Till. After the trial, a grand jury was empaneled to consider kidnapping indictments, for which there was abundant evidence. After just about three hours, the grand jury declined to indict.
• After the trial, freelance reporter William Bradford Huie enticed Milan and Roy Bryant to admit to killing Till without specifically admitting guilt, which required paying a fee to the men and their law firm, as well as misleading manipulation of the narrative. That included the assertion that just the two men were involved, whereas evidence points to a larger pool of suspects. The widely read  Look Magazine  purchased and published Huie’s flawed story in 1956, and the article also reached millions in the pages of  Reader’s Digest . In recent years, some state legislatures have engaged in heavy-handed tactics to discourage any classroom discussion of past and ongoing racial injustice. The argument is generally that we don’t want to make young white people feel uncomfortable about the actions of prior generations.  Collins’ revealing book offers a vibrant reminder that the racist murder of a 14-year-old in Mississippi just 69 years ago is undeniably relevant to 14-year-olds today. If it makes them uncomfortable that a great-grandfather may have had racist beliefs, so be it. If it makes them determined not to allow racial injustice in the future, even better.  Ken Paulson is the director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University . The Free Speech Center newsletter offers a digest of First Amendment- and news media-related news every other week. Subscribe for free here:  https://bit.ly/3kG9uiJ

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George Clooney’s Impassioned Speech About Princess Diana’s Death Started His Friendship With Brad Pitt

Step aside, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon : Another pair of Hollywood leading men are taking center stage in the latest issue of GQ . While discussing their upcoming Apple action-comedy film, Wolfs, George Clooney and Brad Pitt reflected on the origins of their decades-long friendship.

“We’ve been friends for a long time,” Clooney told the publication. “And it’s fun because we also check in on each other every once in a while, which is an important part of this. Things get complicated in life and you always have to make sure everybody’s okay.”

Pitt and Clooney have costarred in films including Ocean’s Eleven and its two sequels, as well as Joel and Ethan Coen ’s 2008 comedy, Burn After Reading. But their onscreen rapport also extends off-screen. “I’ll call George on numerous occasions when things get bumpy,” Pitt said, explaining that Clooney, as another global celebrity, “is going to understand something that no one else is going to understand, that we don’t even have to speak about. There’s a comfort in that. There’s another smaller tribe that erupts from that because of the pressures and the struggles that one will have in their own life.”

Speaking of the dark side of fame: It was Clooney’s impassioned 1997 speech following the death of Princess Diana that initially drew Pitt to him. “When George first stood out to me is really when Princess Diana died in the crash, and George got up to speak about it,” Pitt told GQ.

At the time, Clooney spoke before a group of reporters at the Screen Actors Guild office in Los Angeles—and pointed a finger at the press for its role in Diana’s death. “Princess Di is dead, and who should we see about that? The driver of the car? The paparazzi? Or the magazines and papers who purchase these pictures and make bounty hunters out of photographers?” he said. “If you weren’t hiding behind the profession of journalism, you would be an accomplice to a crime, and you would go to jail.”

More than 20 years later, Clooney similarly defended Meghan Markle against media scrutiny. “She’s a woman who is seven months pregnant, and she is being pursued and vilified and chased in the same way that Diana was, and it’s history repeating itself,” he said in 2019. “And we’ve seen how that ends.”

In the GQ cover story, Clooney referenced what Diana endured, saying that he and Pitt have “been in Paris in those same chases.” “It’s a horrible feeling,” Pitt said. “It’s really invasive to know people are out there and they’re hiding in the bushes. It’s really a shitty, shitty feeling,” he continued. “And so George got up and commented on that after Princess Diana. And that’s when I saw: This guy’s got something that the rest of us don’t. Like, I saw the leader in that moment.”

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Writing Great Speeches: Professional Techniques You Can Use (Part of the Essence of Public Speaking Series) 1st Edition

Authored by an academically trained linguist and former university professor who is also a highly successful and experienced professional speechwriter, this volume shows students the author's personal methods for reaching an audience and achieving the desired result or purpose. From the beginning stages of deciding what to say to applying the finishing touches to the script, Perlman's clear and eloquent voice leads readers through the various stages of writing and delivering an effective speech. His original professional techniques for acquiring “quick credibility” and writing a “listenable” speech round out his highly effective strategies for creating successful speeches.

• ISBN-10 0205273009
• ISBN-13 978-0205273003
• Edition 1st
• Publisher Pearson
• Publication date September 9, 1997
• Language English
• Dimensions 0.7 x 5.4 x 8.4 inches
• Print length 224 pages
• See all details

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From the back cover, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pearson; 1st edition (September 9, 1997)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0205273009
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0205273003
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 5.4 x 8.4 inches
• #733 in Public Speaking Reference
• #772 in Speech
• #6,131 in Fiction Writing Reference (Books)

About the author

Alan m. perlman.

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