The power of a good speech

Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you: what makes a great speech? We live in an era of oratory: anyone can get up on their soapbox, whether virtual or in real life, and hold forth on the issues of the day. Yet, truly great orators - those who can fill the hearts and minds of a crowd - are few and far between.

The greatest speeches of history have one thing in common: authenticity. The speaker believes in their message, to the core of their being. True, the art of persuasion also depends on elements like pitch and tone, pace and rhythm. But these alone can't create the magical moment when the speaker brings us together in a shared emotion.

Great speeches change the world. Back in 1963, Martin Luther King told America: "I have a dream." A century on from the abolition of slavery, black Americans were still living under apartheid. King said he would not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream". Rich with biblical and spiritual treasures, his speech is considered to be the greatest of all time.

Here's a selection of ten of the best speeches made in English, chosen by the Spotlight team.

Amanda Gorman: "The hill we climb"

Washington, DC, US - 20 January 2021

When Joe Biden officially became US president, a self-described "skinny Black girl descended from slaves" took to the podium to read out a mission statement for the nation. Amanda Gorman's poem, "The hill we climb", reminds us to think of the purest, highest ideals of democracy, setting the tone for a new political era. She spoke of the need to "lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us". "If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy," she said, her words ringing with youthful idealism. With her charismatic delivery, the 22-year-old had got the attention not only of the nation, but of the world.

Emmeline Pankhurst: "Freedom or death"

Hartford, US - 13 November 1913

Emmeline Pankhurst was ready to fight so that women could have their say at the ballot box. Fresh out of prison, weak from hunger strikes, this mother of three crossed the Atlantic to argue her case, describing herself "as a soldier who has temporarily left the field of battle". Intellectual and sharp, her words go straight to the point. Women, she said, were "human beings". She gave the British government a choice - they could give women freedom or they could give them death. Pankhurst died in 1928, just a month before women were finally given equal voting rights to men.

Martin Luther King: "I've seen the promised land"

Memphis, US - 3 April 1968

The preacher and civil rights leader is best known for his "I have a dream" speech. But his prophetic final speech, delivered five years later, showed the true measure of the man. King knew that "sick white brothers" were out to get him. He sensed that his end was nearing, but it didn't matter because he'd "been to the mountaintop". "And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land," he said. "I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land." He was assassinated the next day.

Mahatma Gandhi: "Let no one commit a wrong in anger"

Ahmedabad, India - 11 March 1930

In 1930, the British introduced a law forcing Indians to buy British salt instead of making their own. Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the Indian National Congress, responded by leading a 241-mile protest march through what is today's state of Gujarat. On the eve of the march, he asked his followers to stick to his philosophy of non-violent resistance. "Let no one commit a wrong in anger," he said. "I have faith in the righteousness of our cause and the purity of our weapons." The British imprisoned 60,000 protesters, which only served to create more support for Indian independence.

Greta Thunberg: "The real power belongs to the people"

Katowice, Poland - 3 December 2018

As the world entered an existential crisis, a Swedish schoolgirl with plaits told global politicians to save the planet before it was too late. "You are not mature enough to tell it like it is," she said, with barely concealed disdain. "Even that burden you leave to us children." She went on: "Our civilization is being sacrificed for the opportunity of a very small number of people to continue making enormous amounts of money." Change was coming, whether global leaders liked it or not.

Abraham Lincoln: "All men are created equal"

Gettysburg, US - 19 November 1863

Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is remarkable for its location - one of the bloodiest battlefields of the American Civil War - and for its brevity. In fewer than 300 words, the speech refers to democratic ideals that have echoed down the ages. In the first sentence, we learn that "all men are created equal". In the last, that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth". It is said that Lincoln wrote his simple but powerfully arranged words on the train ride to Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania.

Winston Churchill:"This was their finest hour"

London, England - 18 June 1940

Winston Churchill's speeches inspired the nation as the Nazi war machine advanced through Europe. The most famous is his rallying call to "fight on the beaches", delivered to the House of Commons in 1940. Two weeks later, he had an even starker message, warning of "the abyss of a new dark age". His masterstroke was to give the fight an almost transcendental resonance, telling the nation that it would be remembered as "their finest hour". Churchill was said to rewrite his speeches over and over again - and this speech was no exception: the original is covered in red and blue ink.

Barack Obama: "Yes, we can"

Chicago, US - 4 November 2008

Barack Obama is the perfect orator. Take his victory speech, a message of hope and optimism that draws on the nation's rich history to illustrate the best of American can-do culture. Obama's vision of the American dream went right back to the source, to the ideals of "democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope", rallying the nation with an emphatic, "Yes, we can", in five successive paragraphs. Seven years later, a very different era was ushered in when Donald Trump launched his presidential bid with, "Wow. Whoa."

John F. Kennedy: "Ask not what your country can do for you"

Washington, DC, US - 20 January 1961

JFK continues to influence America's collective consciousness. Much of this is due to his inaugural speech, which contained the immortal reversal of phrase: "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." The line summed up the idealism of this handsome young president. It referred to a sense of civic duty that would lead directly to the creation of the Peace Corps, instilling young Americans with a desire to go out and do good in the world. Less than three years later, JFK was assassinated.

On 21 February 2023, Joe Biden made a fiery speech in Warsaw, Poland, to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A device he used was repetition, to give emphasis: "Kyiv stands strong! Kyiv stands proud. It stands tall. And most important, it stands free!" He continued: "We did respond. We would be strong. We would be united. And the world would not look the other way."