Some of my favorite speechesI think that speech is a very powerful form of rhetoric. I love persuasion and speech has its way of sneaking into the hearts of people so that they are moved to act. Below are some speeches that have moved me to act and influenced my thinking. Some religious, some secular, all empowering.
If I had to say I had a favorite movie, this would be it, and this is a powerful speech. I love the way he is under the threat of this powerful judge who could send him to prison for life and yet, there is something that wells up deep inside that just causes him to forget the dishonest statement that his corrupt lawyer gave him to read. If you haven't seen the movie, I recommend it, and this speech will be even more powerful knowing the character development, but it's still one of my favorite scenes and illustrations of standing up for what is right no matter the cost. This is a speech that has constantly inspired me to be a better person and a harder worker. Watch it if you want to hit the dirt and work harder! This is just classic. JFK. Good principles This one is also classic American. I love MLK. This is the last speech the Bruce R. McConkie gave before he died of cancer and is a powerful speech about the power of what happened in Gethsemane. Very powerful speech if you are Christian and believe that the propitiation of Jesus of Nazareth really was the most important and influential event of all history. That as Isaiah said: "the chastisement of our peace was upon him" and that he came that we might have life more abundantly. This one is part of a speech given called Profile of a Prophet where a Mormon lawyer debated with a judge whether or not Joseph Smith really "fit the bill" for an actual prophet like Moses or Abraham or Isaiah. I especially enjoy the part about how translating the Book of Mormon is a superhuman task. (See from 5:40 - 8:35). This speech shows the amazing brilliance of Gandhi as he tried to spread the idea of non-violence. Celebrate what's right with the world. You'll have more passion and energy in life. |
Quotes"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about."
- Charles Kingsley "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." -Goethe "Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with." - Mark Twain “One of the great tragedies we witness almost daily is the tragedy of men of high aim and low achievement. Their motives are noble. Their proclaimed ambition is praiseworthy. Their capacity is great. But their discipline is weak. They succumb to indolence. Appetite robs them of will." -Gordon B. Hinckley (Ensign 1979 May) "Every human being must be valued according to what he is good for. For none of us, no not one, is perfect. And were we to love none who have imperfections, this world would be a desert for our love" -Thomas Jefferson "You have power that you never imagined. You can do things that you never dreamed you could do. The only limitations you have are the limitations of your own mind." -Darwin P. Kingsley "If you fail 999 times, and succeed once, You're in!" -Charles Kettering "If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell" -'Jack' Lewis "I miss 100% of the shots I never take" -Wayne Gretzky "I saw an angel in the stone and I carved to set him free" -Michaelangelo "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson “The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is something that our minds cannot grasp, whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly: this is religiousness. In this sense, and in this sense only, I am a devoutly religious man." -Einstein "If men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun. . . . Life has never been normal. . . . Humanity . . . wanted knowledge and beauty now, and would not wait for the suitable moment that never comes. . . . The insects have chosen a different line: they have sought first the material welfare and security of the hive, and presumably they have their reward. Men are different. They propound mathematical theorems in beleaguered cities, conduct metaphysical arguments in condemned cells, make jokes on scaffolds, discuss the last new poem while advancing to the walls of Quebec, and comb their hair at Thermophylae. This is not a panache; it is our nature. -C.S. Lewis [The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses (New York: Macmillan, 1980), pp. 21–22] "This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." -George Bernard Shaw Speeches/ChaptersHere are just a few of my favorite speeches that are not on Youtube! *Many of them DO have MP3 files you can listen to, but you can't link to the files from here so just look them up on speeches.byu.edu if you want to listen to some of them.
Everyone is Ignorant, Only in Different Subjects Eliot Butler Visions and Ideals James Allen Education for Real Life Henry Eyring* If I Were You What Would I Do? Gordon B. Hinckley* (HIGHLY recommend listening to this one) Stand Up for Truth Gordon B. Hinckley* (HIGHLY recommend listening to this one) The Inexhaustible Gospel Neal A. Maxwell* Grounded, Rooted, Established and Settled Neal A. Maxwell* Hope C.S. Lewis (from Mere Christianity) |
