What do you think?
Rate this book
The Best Motivational Speeches of All Times
Leaders can motivate and inspire through communications. Great leaders are charismatic and articulate, and they use these attributes to rally the troops.
The following is a collection of the best motivational speeches, inspirational words, sure to motivate you when you need it most by the greatest leaders of our time.
Authors: Bill Gates, Rick Rigsby, Denzel Washington, Jim Carrey, J. K. Rowling, Matthew McConaughey, Steve Jobs, Admiral William H. McRaven, Tony Robbins
Narrators: Bill Gates, Rick Rigsby, Denzel Washington, Jim Carrey, J. K. Rowling, Matthew McConaughey, Steve Jobs, Admiral William H. McRaven, Tony Robbins
ENGLISH
(UNABRIDGED)
3H 57M
The following is a collection of the best motivational speeches, inspirational words, sure to motivate you when you need it most by the greatest leaders of our time.
Authors: Bill Gates, Rick Rigsby, Denzel Washington, Jim Carrey, J. K. Rowling, Matthew McConaughey, Steve Jobs, Admiral William H. McRaven, Tony Robbins
Narrators: Bill Gates, Rick Rigsby, Denzel Washington, Jim Carrey, J. K. Rowling, Matthew McConaughey, Steve Jobs, Admiral William H. McRaven, Tony Robbins
ENGLISH
(UNABRIDGED)
3H 57M
Audiobook
Published December 7, 2020
12 people are currently reading
643 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
December 25, 2022
This is an audiobook comprised of original recordings from commencement speeches. Several of the speeches are very good. Here are YouTube links for your benefit. You can skip the book and go straight to the source material. For the Jim Carrey one in particular, you will need the video.
The speeches:
Bill Gates: https://youtu.be/zPx5N6Lh3sw
Denzel Washington: https://youtu.be/vpW2sGlCtaE
William McCraven: https://youtu.be/pxBQLFLei70
Matthew McConaughey: https://youtu.be/3QWQKrJkR9A
JK Rowling: https://youtu.be/wHGqp8lz36c
Jim Carrey: https://youtu.be/V80-gPkpH6M
Steve Jobs: https://youtu.be/UF8uR6Z6KLc
Rick Rigsby: https://youtu.be/lw-5f4QN1zs
Tony Robbins: (couldn’t find this one)
These are definitely not the best motivational speeches “of all time” so the title is inaccurate. But they’re not bad as far as motivational listens go.
The speeches:
Bill Gates: https://youtu.be/zPx5N6Lh3sw
Denzel Washington: https://youtu.be/vpW2sGlCtaE
William McCraven: https://youtu.be/pxBQLFLei70
Matthew McConaughey: https://youtu.be/3QWQKrJkR9A
JK Rowling: https://youtu.be/wHGqp8lz36c
Jim Carrey: https://youtu.be/V80-gPkpH6M
Steve Jobs: https://youtu.be/UF8uR6Z6KLc
Rick Rigsby: https://youtu.be/lw-5f4QN1zs
Tony Robbins: (couldn’t find this one)
These are definitely not the best motivational speeches “of all time” so the title is inaccurate. But they’re not bad as far as motivational listens go.
March 25, 2021
Not the “best” by any measure. A few are exceptional (Bill Gates, Rick Rigsby). One is surprisingly good (Jim Carrey).
But most felt like I wandered into a mediocre self-help bookstore populated with cliches and obvious ideas and one or two really terrible talks.
Also be aware: These are commencement speeches. Not a deal-breaker, as a listener/reader. But a few of the speakers seemed a little too self-conscious about that.
But most felt like I wandered into a mediocre self-help bookstore populated with cliches and obvious ideas and one or two really terrible talks.
Also be aware: These are commencement speeches. Not a deal-breaker, as a listener/reader. But a few of the speakers seemed a little too self-conscious about that.
February 18, 2021
Every single one of these speaches was beautiful and inspirational....
....and Matthew Mcconaughey, he was unbearable.
The audio quality sucked a little at times and I doubt that these are the best speeches ever, but I can still recommend it.
....and Matthew Mcconaughey, he was unbearable.
The audio quality sucked a little at times and I doubt that these are the best speeches ever, but I can still recommend it.
February 16, 2021
Nice uplifting audiobook. Some speeches are really beautiful - Bill Gates and JK Rowling are 2 examples.
November 3, 2022
Saying “best” is subjective but I did really enjoy this Audible.
January 27, 2024
Really great to listen to, but some of the audio was wonky.
September 15, 2025
My hoopla recording wasn’t very good so I feel like I missed some key messages.
February 20, 2025
If you can get past Bill Gates in the beginning, the rest of the book was riveting. If you can’t make it through Dr William Gates, just start at the 36 minute mark 😁
Definitely a must read!
Definitely a must read!
February 5, 2021
This was just lovely. I listened to the audiobook version and enjoyed hearing each speaker speak their word. So many nuggets of inspiration and positivity were packed into this book!
March 13, 2021
I don’t think I would consider these the “best”. Good certainly and a couple were moving, but I think there is better content out there.
February 6, 2021
The Best Motivational Speeches of All Times by Bill Gates and others
(Audiobook published by Author's Republic, December 7, 2020)
4.5 Stars.
Author's Republic offers live audio recordings of nine speeches, each inspirational, instructive, witty, self-deprecating and exceptional in their own way, with varying qualities of recording. Excerpts are from the speeches; comments are my own.
1. Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation and philanthropist. "Harvard's Most Successful Dropout" Speech at the Harvard Commencement Exercises, Harvard Square, 2007. (4.5)
Excerpt:
2. Dr. Rick Rigsby, former Texas A&M professor, character coach and chaplain for the Texas A&M football team. "Lessons From a Third Grade Dropout" speech given at the 2017 Commencement Exercises, California State University, Maritime Academy. "To whom much is given, much is required." (5.0)
3. Everyone's favorite actor Denzel Washington's "Fall Forward" speech, University of Pennsylvania, 2011 . “If You Don’t Fail, You’re Not Even Trying.” (5.0)
4. Jim Carrey, comedian, actor, on the "Power of Faith". Maharishi International University of Management, 2014, Fairfax, Iowa. (4.5)
5. Author J. R. Rowling, Harvard University, 2008, on the eve of the release of the seventh and penultimate book of the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". (5.0)
A mostly serious and sobering but inspirational speech centered on two themes, (1) the benefits of failure, and (2) the importance of the imagination. She also talked about her own graduation, her parents, her own failures, of the events building up to her career as an author, and of her work at Amnesty International.
6. Matthew McConaughey's "Thirteen Life Lessons" speech at the University of Houston, Class of 2015. (5.0)
7. Tech pioneer, co-founder of Apple Steve Jobs' "Three Stories from My Life" speech, to the 114th graduating class at Stanford University, 2005. (5.0)
He talked about being a adopted child, how he was diagnosed with cancer and how "being fired from Apple was the best thing that ever happened to me".
8. “If you want to make a difference in the world, start by making your bed.”
That was the premise of a commencement speech delivered by Admiral William H. McRaven at the University of Texas at Austin in 2014, on lessons to be learned from U.S. Navy Seal training. (4.5)
9. Tony Robbins, author, coach, motivational speaker, and philanthropist. "Why We Do What We Do" speech at the TED Talks conference, 2014. (3.75)
In an infomercial sort of way, he talked about his voyage from shoe salesman to global therapist, and of his work at Feeding America.org.
He inserted quips about his time being up, "a few more seconds", "ten seconds", - giving the impression of being in a hurry, paid for his time.
Of the nine orators, quite possibly the only one expected to be paid to give a speech. And the least inspirational at that.
-----
Rising up from adversity, from failure.
Overall, an exceptional listening experience.
N.B. The is the first book and new edition I've ever added to Goodreads.
(Audiobook published by Author's Republic, December 7, 2020)
4.5 Stars.
Author's Republic offers live audio recordings of nine speeches, each inspirational, instructive, witty, self-deprecating and exceptional in their own way, with varying qualities of recording. Excerpts are from the speeches; comments are my own.
1. Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation and philanthropist. "Harvard's Most Successful Dropout" Speech at the Harvard Commencement Exercises, Harvard Square, 2007. (4.5)
Excerpt:
"...I’ve been waiting more than 30 years to say this: “Dad, I always told you I’d come back and get my degree.
I want to thank Harvard for this timely honor. I’ll be changing my job next year … and it will be nice to finally have a college degree on my resume.
I applaud the graduates today for taking a much more direct route to your degrees. For my part, I’m just happy that the Crimson has called me “Harvard’s most successful dropout.”
I guess that makes me valedictorian of my own special class … I did the best of everyone who failed..."
2. Dr. Rick Rigsby, former Texas A&M professor, character coach and chaplain for the Texas A&M football team. "Lessons From a Third Grade Dropout" speech given at the 2017 Commencement Exercises, California State University, Maritime Academy. "To whom much is given, much is required." (5.0)
"...I have four degrees. My brother is a judge. We’re not the smartest ones in our family.
It’s a third grade dropout daddy, a third grade dropout daddy who was quoting Michelangelo, saying to us boys, “I won’t have a problem if you aim high and miss, but I’m gonna have a real issue if you aim low and hit.”
3. Everyone's favorite actor Denzel Washington's "Fall Forward" speech, University of Pennsylvania, 2011 . “If You Don’t Fail, You’re Not Even Trying.” (5.0)
"...Thomas Edison conducted 1,000 failed experiments. Did you know that? I didn’t either, because 1,001 was the light bulb.
Fall forward!
Every failed experiment is one step closer to success. You’ve got to take risks. And I’m sure you’ve probably heard that before.
But I want to talk about why it’s so important.
I’ve got three reasons and then you can pick up your iPhones.
First… you will fail at some point in your life. Accept it. You will lose. You will embarrass yourself. You will suck at something. There is no doubt about it..."
4. Jim Carrey, comedian, actor, on the "Power of Faith". Maharishi International University of Management, 2014, Fairfax, Iowa. (4.5)
"...Oh, and why not take a chance on faith as well? Take a chance on faith, not religion, but faith. Not hope, but faith. I don’t believe in hope. Hope is a beggar. Hope walks through the fire and faith leaps over it.
You are ready and able to do beautiful things in this world. And after you walk through those doors today, you will only ever have two choices, love or fear. Choose love, and don’t ever let fear turn you against your playful heart..."
5. Author J. R. Rowling, Harvard University, 2008, on the eve of the release of the seventh and penultimate book of the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". (5.0)
A mostly serious and sobering but inspirational speech centered on two themes, (1) the benefits of failure, and (2) the importance of the imagination. She also talked about her own graduation, her parents, her own failures, of the events building up to her career as an author, and of her work at Amnesty International.
"...Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it.
So I think it fair to say that by any conventional measure, a mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless.
The fears that my parents had had for me, and that I had had for myself, had both come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew..."
6. Matthew McConaughey's "Thirteen Life Lessons" speech at the University of Houston, Class of 2015. (5.0)
"...Number one, and this should come up on the jumbotron, life’s not easy. Is it up there. Life is not easy. It is not. Don’t try to make it that way. Life’s not fair. It never was, it isn’t now, and it won’t ever be. Do not fall into the trap, the entitlement trap of feeling like you’re a victim. You are not. Get over it and get on with it. And yes, most things are more rewarding when you break a sweat to get them back. Fact.
Number two. I love this one. Unbelievable is the stupidest word in the dictionary. Should never come out of our mouths..."
7. Tech pioneer, co-founder of Apple Steve Jobs' "Three Stories from My Life" speech, to the 114th graduating class at Stanford University, 2005. (5.0)
He talked about being a adopted child, how he was diagnosed with cancer and how "being fired from Apple was the best thing that ever happened to me".
"...The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption..."
...
"...Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and sans serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But 10 years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts..."
8. “If you want to make a difference in the world, start by making your bed.”
That was the premise of a commencement speech delivered by Admiral William H. McRaven at the University of Texas at Austin in 2014, on lessons to be learned from U.S. Navy Seal training. (4.5)
9. Tony Robbins, author, coach, motivational speaker, and philanthropist. "Why We Do What We Do" speech at the TED Talks conference, 2014. (3.75)
In an infomercial sort of way, he talked about his voyage from shoe salesman to global therapist, and of his work at Feeding America.org.
He inserted quips about his time being up, "a few more seconds", "ten seconds", - giving the impression of being in a hurry, paid for his time.
Of the nine orators, quite possibly the only one expected to be paid to give a speech. And the least inspirational at that.
-----
Rising up from adversity, from failure.
Overall, an exceptional listening experience.
N.B. The is the first book and new edition I've ever added to Goodreads.
September 19, 2025
The Audible collection The Best Motivational Speeches of All Time brings together an impressive lineup of voices—from business leaders to entertainers—sharing wisdom that has inspired millions. While it’s a solid compilation, I’d rate it 3 out of 5 for a couple of reasons: the audio quality is inconsistent, and since most of these speeches are readily available on YouTube, some listeners may find better versions there.
That said, a few speeches really stood out to me:
• J.K. Rowling: Her Harvard commencement address is a gem. She talks candidly about the value of failure, how it taught her resilience, and how imagination is not just for children, but a vital force for empathy and change. It’s both humble and deeply encouraging.
• Jim Carrey: His message blends humor with heart. He emphasizes that fear often disguises itself as practicality, and that you can fail at what you don’t want—so you might as well take a chance on what you do want. His speech is equal parts entertaining and thought-provoking.
This collection is worthwhile if you want a one-stop shop of motivational highlights, but the uneven sound quality and the fact that you can access these speeches for free online keep it from being a four or five-star experience.
Erik Qualman
The Focus Project: The Not So Simple Art of Doing Less
That said, a few speeches really stood out to me:
• J.K. Rowling: Her Harvard commencement address is a gem. She talks candidly about the value of failure, how it taught her resilience, and how imagination is not just for children, but a vital force for empathy and change. It’s both humble and deeply encouraging.
• Jim Carrey: His message blends humor with heart. He emphasizes that fear often disguises itself as practicality, and that you can fail at what you don’t want—so you might as well take a chance on what you do want. His speech is equal parts entertaining and thought-provoking.
This collection is worthwhile if you want a one-stop shop of motivational highlights, but the uneven sound quality and the fact that you can access these speeches for free online keep it from being a four or five-star experience.
Erik Qualman
The Focus Project: The Not So Simple Art of Doing Less
September 29, 2024
One star just for Matthew McConaughey's iconic speech, which I plan to return to again and again. Another star for Rick Rigsby's emotional speech on finding wisdom in unlikely places and rock bottom being a great place to build upon. Another Steve Jobs and William McRaven's speeches that made direct, emotional points that brought clarity and purpose to the exercise.
Half of this consisted in privileged people keeping themselves in check, telling one another not to be dicks with their money. It was as depressing as it was uplifting an experience. Glad I got this through Spotify Premium, so whoever put this together didn't get a dime of my hard-earned money.
Half of this consisted in privileged people keeping themselves in check, telling one another not to be dicks with their money. It was as depressing as it was uplifting an experience. Glad I got this through Spotify Premium, so whoever put this together didn't get a dime of my hard-earned money.
November 26, 2023
Audio book I listened to while taking kids back to university. It wasn’t terrible. The biggest surprise for me was how much I really enjoyed Jim Carrey’s speech and how little I enjoyed Matthew McConaughey’s speech. I really thought it would be the other way around. At a time when I am really questioning what I should be doing I did hear some inspiring thoughts within most of these speeches. If you have a few hours to kill in the car it isn’t a bad listen.
January 8, 2023
Writing 4
Story line 3
Characters 4
Impact 4
Entertainment 3
I listened to the audio version of these speeches, which I purchased from Audible. The audio quality is terrible, hard to believe it’s sold on Audible…
The content is inspirational. You must listen to one (possibly two) speeches at a time or messages become redundant.
Story line 3
Characters 4
Impact 4
Entertainment 3
I listened to the audio version of these speeches, which I purchased from Audible. The audio quality is terrible, hard to believe it’s sold on Audible…
The content is inspirational. You must listen to one (possibly two) speeches at a time or messages become redundant.
June 18, 2023
This is a compilation of many fantastic speeches in audiobook form. I took something from each one and thoroughly enjoyed hearing them in the voice of the speakers. The audio quality is not great in a few of the speeches and you can probably find them all on YouTube, but to listen to them back to back was really enjoyable.
January 21, 2025
2025 - #4 . Audiobook. The book provides a great opportunity to sample some impactful speakers and speeches. Every reader will have their own view of the impact/ quality of the speeches/ speakers. While they were all interesting in their own way there were only three in my opinion of sufficient quality to be included in a book of this nature - Bill Gates, JKRowling and Steve Jobs
September 15, 2021
These are NOT the best motivational speeches of all time, but they were interesting. For the best motivational speeches of all time look to Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr, or JFK to name a few.
July 2, 2023
Most of these commencement speeches were good. It's bittersweet hearing Steve Jobs say his cancer is cured. And I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books, but JK Rowling's speech to Harvard was a lot of fun despite not getting some of the humor.
October 25, 2023
Resulta muy revelador escuchar lo que "celebridades", "personas en eminencia" o "famosos" consideran importante últimamente. Lo que se considera motivación, meta y éxito. Da para muchas buenas pláticas con los hijos...
April 7, 2024
I’d give it another star if its title was “best college commencement speeches by celebrities in the last twenty years.” But using words like “of all times” and then failing to sample any speeches from the 20th century or earlier is suspicious.
December 9, 2025
Who was on the selection committee?!?! Denzel Washington, Rick Rigsby, and Steve Jobs were the absolutely highlights of this audiobook for me. I am irritated that the featured speakers were mostly men, with JK Rowling (*side eye*) being the only woman featured.
January 16, 2021
Pretty good. I thought a couple of the speeches were a little dry but overall pretty good.
January 18, 2021
The audiobook version is their actual speeches.
January 19, 2021
Great choice of words of wisdom from a wide variety of celebrated men and women in the late 20th century. I suppose the title "Some of the Best" would be more appropriate to me.
March 4, 2021
Jim Carrey, Rick Rigsby, and Admiral William H. McRaven were my favorites!
May 19, 2021
Dr. Rick Rigsby’s speech was my favourite! Truly inspiring and touching!
This audio book was a very nice part of my morning walks for the last week or so. I would listen to it again.
This audio book was a very nice part of my morning walks for the last week or so. I would listen to it again.
July 6, 2021
I didnt go to my commencement ceremony so this was a nice celebration for me!
July 7, 2021
These are college commencement speeches and due to that specific topic, get somewhat repetitive. Not sure these are the 'best motivational speeches' I've ever heard but I did find them entertaining.
October 31, 2021
This book should have been called Best Commencement Speeches of All Times (and even that would be generous). There were some gems in there, but there were some duds too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews