As an entrepreneur, public speaking is a must. You will be asked to speak in front of groups, clients and prospects on a regular basis. These speeches don’t have to be daunting though! Check out these top speech quotes to help get you motivated. They are sure to inspire you and give you the boost you need to give your best speech yet. From Winston Churchill’s famous words of encouragement to Maya Angelou’s reminder that everyone has a story, these quotations will make you feel empowered and ready to take on any audience.

The best speech quotes

1. It’s better to say nothing than spend 1, 000 words or an hour speech saying nothing. Get to the point. — Richard Branson

2. Free speech is meant to protect unpopular speech. Popular speech, by definition, needs no protection. — Neal Boortz

3. Tell X that speech is not dirty silence Clarified. It is silence made still dirtier. — Wallace Stevens

4. There are laws to protect the freedom of the press’s speech, but none that are worth anything to protect the people from the press — Mark Twain

5. Remember this: a story that must be told never forgives silence. Speech is the mouth’s debt to a story. — Okey Ndibe, Arrows of Rain

6. Rude am I in my speech, And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace. — William Shakespeare

7. Speech belongs half to the speaker, half to the listener. — Michel de Montaigne

8. Unfortunately, the problem of the free speech argument is that you have to defend people you can’t stand. — Salman Rushdie

9. I’m not in the speech making business. I’m not in the seminar business. I’m not in the writing book business. I’m in the changing lives business. — Zig Ziglar

10. He would come in and say he changed his mind––which was a gilded figure of speech, because he didn’t have any. — mark twain

11. What we love usually manages to get into our conversation. What is down in the well of the heart will come up in the bucket of the speech. — Vance Havner

12. I’m standing here, holding a half a lemon in my hand. I’m speechless, I’m excited . . . I’m a wreck. Caleb wants to be where I am. — Simone Elkeles

13. Music is the literature of the heart — it commences where speech ends.

14. I am speechless: what can I answer?I put hand on my mouth.I have said too much already — now I will speak no more.

15. A story is told as much by silence as by speech. — Susan Griffin

16. Language as well as the faculty of speech was the immediate gift of God. — Noah Webster

17. How absurd men are! They never use the liberties they have, they demand those they do not have. They have freedom of thought, they demand freedom of speech. — Soren Kierkegaard

18. Eloquent speech is not from lip to ear, but rather from heart to heart. — William Jennings Bryan

19. Music is well said to be the speech of angels. — Thomas Carlyle

20. The Bible has a lot to say about our mouths, our lips, our tongues, for our speech betrays us. What is down in the well will come up in the bucket.–VANCE HAVNER — Sharon Jaynes

21. Direct and easy communications–freedom of speech in all forms and in its broadest sense–has become vital to the very survival of a civilized humanity. — Walt Disney

22. Silence is deep as Eternity speech shallow as Time. — Thomas Carlyle

23. Eloquent speech is not from lip to ear, but rather from heart to heart. — William Jennings Bryan

24. Private religious speech can’t be discriminated against. It has to be treated equally with secular speech. — Samuel Alito

25. Music is well said to be the speech of angels. — Thomas Carlyle

26. I’m really proud of this Supreme Court and the way they’ve been dealing with the issue of First Amendment political speech. — Mitch Mcconnell

27. When the heart sees injustice it turns to the perspective of oneness.It feels no need to produce a big speech to overcome its enemies.In silence it finds its peace. — Raphael Zernoff

28. Mentioning Jesus in your speech: Small government. Doing what Jesus asked: Big government. — Stephen Colbert

29. Wanna know the secret to nailing a great speech? It’s simple––don’t trust words. — Stephen David Hurley, Cease & Desist

30. Silence is deep as Eternity speech shallow as Time. — Thomas Carlyle

31. After all, if freedom of speech means anything, it means a willingness to stand and let people say things with which we disagree, and which do weary us considerably. — Zechariah Chafee

32. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.’ [Stanford University commencement speech, 2005] — Steve Jobs

33. Speech one may regret, Silence no sorrow begets, Humility be born before honour, Soft answer turns wrath’s corner — Munindra Misra, PT. Kanhaiya Lal Misra–My Father

34. The United States is a land of free speech. Nowhere is speech freer–not even here where we sedulously cultivate it even in its most repulsive form. — Winston Churchill

35. Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood. — William Penn

36. I wondered why humans were even given the gift of speech at all. We no longer needed it — we’ve forgotten to talk about anything. We only waste it.

37. Spanish–how shall I say this?–is likePortuguese spoken with a speech impediment. — Sol Luckman, Snooze: A Story of Awakening

38. Free speech is life itself. — Salman Rushdie

39. Why, in a country of free speech, are there phone bills? — Steven Wright

40. Now, from a 50–minute speech, a 10–second statement is taken and played on loop 24 hours, that said, there should definitely be courtesy. — Narendra Modi

41. Before you write–remember that every speech has something of ‘you’ in the writing. Don’t take that away when you write. Be yourself. Be comfortable in your own skin. — Phil Collins

42. Fair speech may hide a foul heart. — J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers

43. In the faculty of speech man excels the brute; but if thou utterest what is improper, the brute is they superior. — Saadi

44. In thoughts, be wise. In speech, be cautious. In sentiment, be positive. In actions, be prudent. — Matshona Dhliwayo

45. Laughter is, after speech, the chief thing that holds society together. — Max Eastman

46. As any custom is disused, the words that expressed it must perish with it; as any opinion grows popular, it will innovate speech in the same proportion as it alters practice. — Samuel Johnson

47. A good speech is like a miniskirt––long enough to over all the vital parts, short enough to entice and captivate listeners. — Naa Shalman

48. Even speech was for them was a debased form of silence — how much more futile is poetry which is a debased form of speech.

49. When I heard Martin Luther King’s speech, ‘I Have a Dream, ‘ I reflected on the fact that much of the success of that movement was driven by the unity of the church. — Tony Evans

50. Lebanese freedom of speech : You get to say whatever you like as long as the authorities approve of it… Hilarious. — Ziad K. Abdelnour, Ending Syria’s Occupation Of Lebanon: The U.S. Role

Conclusion

In conclusion, speech is an incredibly powerful tool that can be used for both good and bad. We should use our words wisely and use them to inspire and uplift those around us. Quotes about speech are a wonderful way to remind us of the power of our words. Whether you are trying to motivate yourself or a loved one, these quotes can give you the words you need to make a positive difference in the world.