When was the last time you listened to a speech and thought to yourself, “Wow, that was a great speech!” Such speeches are rare nowadays, especially ones destined for historical significance. Perhaps this is because the necessary personal characteristics are so rare among our leaders: the courage to speak honestly, a sense of duty or destiny, a willingness to share painful truths, a meaningful hope for a better future amidst terrible times.
Instead of great oratory, we get dopey campaign speeches, which contain nothing but platitudes, lies, and moronic slogans. Worst of all are the ones given with the inane array of cheering audience members stupidly placed behind the speaker. These displays are ridiculous contrivances, each and every one. They’re meant as a visual substitute for the speaker’s lack of substance. We get these vapid speeches because we voters keep electing and reelecting the morons who give them.
What makes a great speech? It’s articulated profundity, whether it’s realized at that moment or not; it’s succinctly capturing the mood of an important moment and setting the stage for an as yet unrealized better future; it’s one that calls on us to face a terrible reality. A great speech exhibits a leader’s fortitude, statesmanship, or dignity—or in one of the below speeches, the potential for all of these, but which was tragically turned away from. A great speech is a harsh truth that is finally said out loud. Any of these concepts can play their part.
Here are nine speeches worth reading or listening to. A high school civics or history class would do well to study these and discuss accordingly. Whether you agree with them or not, do not be afraid to expose yourself to the words of others. Such a fear is the cowardice of the Woke, and they’re fools for it.
1.Abraham Lincoln: “Gettysburg address” (November 19, 1863). The gold standard of brevity and profundity. A speech doesn’t have to be long to be great. This speech is less than 275 words long. President Lincoln came to the site of a bloody battle the Union Army had won against the Confederate Army. While a nation was at war with itself, a president showed true dignified leadership.
Text: November 19, 1863: Gettysburg Address | Miller Center
Video: Greatest Speech in American History (Abe Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address) – YouTube
2.Queen Elizabeth II: Speech promising to fulfill her duty (April 21, 1947). Here is dignity and a sense of duty from someone cursed by heredity responsibility. In light of her recent death after years of service to her people, it makes one realize the magnitude of her commitment and left me wondering if monarchies are more a prison sentence than a privilege.
Text: A speech by the Queen on her 21st Birthday, 1947 | The Royal Family
Video: The Crown: Princess Elizabeth’s 21st Birthday Speech (1947) | British Pathé – YouTube
3.President Eisenhower: “Military-industrial complex” (January 17, 1961). A warning that goes unheeded to this day to all of our detriment. This is why we have forever wars, manufactured enemies to keep the military machine stoked, and a bloated military budget. If he were to give this speech today, he’d be accused of being a conspiracy nut, science denier, or a Russian apologist.
Text: President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Farewell Address (1961) | National Archives
Video: Eisenhower Farewell Address (Best Quality) – ‘Military Industrial Complex’ WARNING – YouTube
4. John F. Kennedy: “Moon by 1969” (September 12, 1962). An inspiring goal made profound by the fate of the speaker and the eventual achievement of an audacious aspiration. He embraced this goal not as a platitude, but with a sincere attempt to actually achieve it. And we did. More than sixty years have passed since this speech, and we seemingly can’t go back to the Moon.
Text: John F. Kennedy Speech | Rice University
Video: John F. Kennedy Moon Speech (1962) – YouTube
5. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “I have a dream” (August 28, 1963). A dream that is today well advanced but is actively undermined by today’s Woke fools and their inherent racism. If Dr. King were alive today, the Woke would likely call him a white supremacist or Uncle Tom. How dare he want a colorblind society that judges people on their character rather than the color of their skin!
Text: Transcript of Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech : NPR
Video: Martin Luther King – I Have A Dream Speech – August 28, 1963 – YouTube
6. Robert Mugabe: Speech upon taking office (April 17, 1980). White rule finally ended in Rhodesia. This speech showed promising reconciliation and a bright future for the newly renamed Zimbabwe. Sadly, things quickly went sideways, and the country became an oppressive kleptocracy. The country went from being the breadbasket of Africa to its basket case. For those who like to play racial politics, this speech serves as a cautionary tale. Another African, Kwasi Wiredu, spoke wisely about the end of colonial rule on the continent: “It was not our purpose to rid the country of the colonial regime in order to substitute an African tyranny.” Mr. Mugabe’s speech illustrates that a man can quickly fail the vision of his own words.
Text: His Excellency Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe’s First Speech in 1980 | mandeyashelton (wordpress.com)
7. Ronald Reagan: “Tear down this wall” (June 12, 1987). An audacious demand from the Great Communicator himself. The Berlin Wall and communism fell throughout the world shortly afterwards.
Text: Ronald Reagan’s Berlin “Tear Down This Wall!: Speech – 1987 – The National Center
Video: “Berlin Wall” Speech – President Reagan’s Address at the Brandenburg Gate – 6/12/87 – YouTube
8. Bill Clinton: Speech on enforcing immigration laws (January 25, 1995). Immigration laws and their enforcement should not be a partisan issue. It’s what adults and responsible governments do. He’d be accused of being a racist and xenophobe if he gave this speech today.
Text and video: Bill Clinton on Illegal Immigration in 1995 State of the Union Address – The Thinking Conservative
9. Vladimir Putin: Speech on Western inflation (June 17, 2022). An enemy explaining the truth about our economic situation, which we don’t admit to ourselves. Perhaps Mr. Putin should be our treasury secretary.
Text and audio: Vladimir Putin speech.
Bonus — Jimmy Dore’s take: Jimmy’s take on Putin speech.
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