The Power Of The Word

There are most powerful and inspiring speeches!

“I Have A Dream,” Martin Luther King Jr.

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., during the “March on Washington,” where King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

“I Am Prepared To Die,” Nelson Mandela

“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal, which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

One of the most memorable speeches in modern history comes from Nelson Mandela, the man who fought tirelessly against South African apartheid. His revolutionary work led to his wrongful arrest in 1962 on charges of treason and inciting the public to strike against the government.

Mandela was sentenced to life in prison and delivered this incredible three-hour speech in defense of his aggressive actions against his government’s racist policies during his trial in Rivonia on April 20, 1964.

“Quit India,” Mahatma Gandhi

“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.”

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.

John F. Kennedy, “Inauguration Address”

"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."

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.