Words: Violet
Just in case we haven’t said it enough already, Gentlemen, Merry Christmas! We certainly hope that by now, you’re just the right (or wrong – depending on how you look at it) side of tipsy. The chocolates, and various liquors are circulating the room and at least one elderly relative is snoring loudly in an arm chair.
With the Queens speech over for another year, we take a look at a few our favorite, and most inspiring speeches to date. So sit back, take another sip of whisky and feel inspired…
2005 Steve Jobs – Stanford Commencement Address
First up, if there was ever a graduation speech we wish we had sat through – it would have been this one. Sentimental, moving and insightful, the late, great Steve Job’s talks us through simple life lessons, with words of wisdom such a ‘trust in your gut, destiny, whatever…Sometimes life is gonna hit you head with a brick…don’t loose faith. Love what you do. Don’t settle. You’ll know when you find it.” and “Have belief that the dots will connect somewhere down the path.”
1940, Charlie Chaplin – Final Speech in The Great Dictator
His first ever speaking role, Charlie Chaplin delivers the motivational words that draw this film to an end. The speech ending the Great Dictator has outlived its original use as a stand against dictators such as Hitler and Mussolini, and still today stands as a speech against hatred and violence, towards a more kinder, loving society. As touching today as it was in 1940.
1963 Martin Luther King – I Have a Dream
Yes, we know it’s an obvious choice, but what kind of people would we be if it weren’t included in this list? No introduction needed, simply sit back and listen.,
2008 Barack Obama – Inaugural Acceptance Speech
Obama’s rhetoric is something that all great leaders can but merely dream of. Taking simple words, an important message with historical context to inspire an entire nation (even world if you think of how many people viewed the speech in total). His power to inspire is undeniable, and this speech was merely the first of many that have since come.
1990 Baz Luhrmann – Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen
Last up, it had to be Baz. Ok, so it may not be a speech like the rest on this list, but we just couldn’t publish this list without it! It simply wouldn’t seem right. Adapted from a column originally written by Mary Schmich in 1997. Between encouraging us to wear sunscreen, Baz Lurman (better known as iconic filmmaker), imparts five minutes of the most influential and motivational advice you might just ever remember.
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