The Worlds Greatest Speeches

by Lewis Copeland, Lawrence W. Lamm, Stephen J. McKenna

This collection of speeches gives an insight into the minds of great leaders and personalities like Socrates, Che Guevara, Martin Luther, Napoleon, Victor Hugo, M.K. Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mother Teresa, Winston Churchill, Muhammad Iqbal, Swami Vivekananda, Nelson Mandela, and many others. These speeches lifted hearts in dark times, gave hope in despair, refined the characters of men, inspired brave feats, gave courage to the weary, honored the dead, and changed the course of history.

Genres: History, Reference, Nonfiction, Politics, Philosophy, Essays, Communication

655 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

Reviews

[T. Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not all speeches were note worthy in my opinion, but the ones I chose to read in full were extraordinary and made me smile. In times such as the ones we live in now where people just seem to be alot colder and distant, and indifferent; I thought about society during the times when some of these words were spoken for the first time and I felt humbled and hopeful to know that in the middle of darkness and chaos there were people who still found the words to inspire and connect with others and bring the best of humanity out into the forefront. I haven't heard a good speech in a long while now but until I do I'll reread some best ones I found within these pages.

[Patrick Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book 20 years ago and was really hoping there would be a new edition out by now. A plethora of historically important speeches on a wide range of topics, and I would like to see what from our own era gets included in such a compendium.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so I haven't read all these speeches. But I remember doing a presentation of Red Jacket's speech and thinking that it was a very eloquent attack on whitey. Which I'm all for. Because Manifest Destiny was stupid, and white people needed to be told to stop it (even if they didn't listen). Also, I think I read a few other ones and thought they were interesting. I should probably (re-)read this if I actually want to review it.

[Roumodip Chatterjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely delighted to have come across this inspiring book. The speeches contain the pain, the excitement of the speakers on point which the readers can even feel while reading. I liked the speeches by Indian personalities especially, maybe it's because of my origin and roots.

[North Landesman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent for any teachers looking to assign short, excellent, speeches for students to recite.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perspective from behind the curtain, although, speeches should not be read but heard.

[Em · Rating 1 out of 5]

Compilation of some of the greatest oratory gems from ancient Greece to WWII. It sucks that most of the speeches are from West Europe and United States. Not a lot from Eastern Europe...or the rest of the world for that matter. So it's not complete, but it definitely is entertaining to flip through. The words as they spoke them; it definitely has a weight to it.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this collection of Speeches and still do, but was disappointed to find recently that at least one was edited heavily. Whole paragraphs were taken out of the Eugene Debs speech from 1919. I am currently reading another book that contained the whole speech and they edited out some really good stuff. Now I wonder how much all the other speeches were edited.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best collection I've ever read and also not verbatim, which is just a cop-out. I listened to Martin Luther King's speech and read along and there were differences. That was not professional; I could have done a better job.

Still, some broad stuff that I am glad to have read.

[subrahmanyam p v b · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked some 30 of 292 speeches.. brief but powerful...

From Patrick Henry's Give me freedom or Give me Death, To MLK's I have a dream, i really loved reading them all.

To revisit again and read others when I can again.. For now marking it read.

[Jason Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great words by some great men, though they may not have known it at the time.

[Stratos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Σπουδαίο βιβλίο. Οποιος γνωρίζει Αγγλικά να το πάρει, είναι πραγματικά μια όαση στην πλημμύρα των βιβλίων

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over 95% of the 293 speeches were of interest.

[Mills College Library]

815 C782w 1973