Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches In HistoryWilliam Safire The definitive compendium of classic and modern oratory expanded—with a new preface on what makes a speech "great." An instant classic when it was first published a decade ago and now enriched by seventeen new speeches, Lend Me Your Ears contains more than two hundred outstanding moments of oratory. It is selected, arranged, and introduced by William Safire, who honed his skills as a presidential speechwriter. He is considered by many to be America's most influential political columnist and most elegant explicator of our language. Covering speeches from Demosthenes to George W. Bush, this latest edition includes the words of Cromwell to the "Rump Parliament," Orson Welles eulogizing Darryl F. Zanuck, General George Patton exhorting his troops before D-Day, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaking on Bush v. Gore. A new section incorporates speeches that were never delivered: what Kennedy was scheduled to say in Dallas; what Safire wrote for Nixon if the first moon landing met with disaster; and what Clinton originally planned to say after his grand jury testimony but swapped for a much fiercer speech. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 72
Page 27
... idea is to appear to be ad - libbing while not rambling off on tangents . The speaker maintains eye contact with the audience in a room that has not been darkened . He has before him a single , large index card with a dozen or so ...
... idea is to appear to be ad - libbing while not rambling off on tangents . The speaker maintains eye contact with the audience in a room that has not been darkened . He has before him a single , large index card with a dozen or so ...
Page 32
... idea closely related to occasion is " forum , " from the Roman place of speechifying . When I was writing speeches in the White House , I had a perfect forum : the Oval Office , which is now a permanent television set . Using this ...
... idea closely related to occasion is " forum , " from the Roman place of speechifying . When I was writing speeches in the White House , I had a perfect forum : the Oval Office , which is now a permanent television set . Using this ...
Page 33
... idea and phrased it more forcefully . If I'd felt I had to use a direct quo- tation , I should have found a dramatic context . Richard Nixon , closeted in a small room off the Oval Office , used to tell his speechwriters , " Never give ...
... idea and phrased it more forcefully . If I'd felt I had to use a direct quo- tation , I should have found a dramatic context . Richard Nixon , closeted in a small room off the Oval Office , used to tell his speechwriters , " Never give ...
Page 49
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Contents
IV | 41 |
V | 47 |
VI | 48 |
VII | 51 |
VIII | 56 |
IX | 59 |
X | 61 |
XI | 63 |
CXXIX | 533 |
CXXX | 535 |
CXXXI | 537 |
CXXXII | 543 |
CXXXIII | 545 |
CXXXIV | 547 |
CXXXV | 549 |
CXXXVI | 551 |
XII | 67 |
XIII | 71 |
XIV | 74 |
XV | 79 |
XVI | 83 |
XVII | 89 |
XVIII | 91 |
XIX | 93 |
XX | 95 |
XXI | 96 |
XXII | 101 |
XXIII | 103 |
XXIV | 107 |
XXV | 110 |
XXVI | 111 |
XXVII | 113 |
XXVIII | 116 |
XXIX | 120 |
XXX | 121 |
XXXI | 130 |
XXXII | 133 |
XXXIII | 136 |
XXXIV | 143 |
XXXV | 146 |
XXXVI | 151 |
XXXVII | 156 |
XXXVIII | 158 |
XXXIX | 162 |
XL | 166 |
XLI | 170 |
XLII | 175 |
XLIII | 177 |
XLIV | 183 |
XLV | 185 |
XLVI | 186 |
XLVII | 190 |
XLVIII | 192 |
XLIX | 195 |
L | 201 |
LI | 204 |
LII | 206 |
LIII | 210 |
LIV | 213 |
LV | 216 |
LVI | 221 |
LVII | 223 |
LVIII | 226 |
LIX | 229 |
LX | 231 |
LXI | 233 |
LXII | 236 |
LXIII | 240 |
LXIV | 241 |
LXV | 244 |
LXVI | 249 |
LXVII | 251 |
LXVIII | 255 |
LXIX | 257 |
LXX | 264 |
LXXI | 267 |
LXXII | 270 |
LXXIII | 283 |
LXXIV | 295 |
LXXV | 298 |
LXXVI | 303 |
LXXVII | 307 |
LXXVIII | 313 |
LXXIX | 317 |
LXXX | 321 |
LXXXI | 331 |
LXXXII | 337 |
LXXXIII | 339 |
LXXXIV | 344 |
LXXXV | 347 |
LXXXVI | 350 |
LXXXVII | 356 |
LXXXVIII | 360 |
LXXXIX | 363 |
XC | 369 |
XCI | 378 |
XCII | 383 |
XCIII | 385 |
XCIV | 391 |
XCV | 393 |
XCVI | 397 |
XCVII | 403 |
XCVIII | 406 |
XCIX | 409 |
C | 418 |
CI | 421 |
CII | 423 |
CIII | 425 |
CIV | 431 |
CV | 435 |
CVI | 443 |
CVII | 449 |
CVIII | 451 |
CIX | 453 |
CX | 459 |
CXI | 460 |
CXII | 464 |
CXIII | 470 |
CXIV | 473 |
CXVI | 476 |
CXVII | 479 |
CXVIII | 485 |
CXIX | 488 |
CXX | 493 |
CXXI | 496 |
CXXII | 499 |
CXXIII | 501 |
CXXIV | 506 |
CXXV | 511 |
CXXVI | 516 |
CXXVII | 519 |
CXXVIII | 527 |
CXXXVII | 556 |
CXXXVIII | 558 |
CXXXIX | 560 |
CXL | 565 |
CXLI | 567 |
CXLII | 574 |
CXLIII | 578 |
CXLIV | 589 |
CXLV | 591 |
CXLVI | 595 |
CXLVII | 598 |
CXLVIII | 606 |
CXLIX | 611 |
CL | 613 |
CLI | 617 |
CLII | 619 |
CLIII | 624 |
CLIV | 628 |
CLV | 634 |
CLVI | 639 |
CLVII | 646 |
CLVIII | 655 |
CLIX | 657 |
CLX | 672 |
CLXI | 678 |
CLXII | 681 |
CLXIII | 684 |
CLXIV | 686 |
CLXV | 690 |
CLXVI | 694 |
CLXVII | 696 |
CLXVIII | 700 |
CLXIX | 703 |
CLXX | 705 |
CLXXI | 710 |
CLXXII | 713 |
CLXXIII | 718 |
CLXXIV | 722 |
CLXXV | 726 |
CLXXVI | 735 |
CLXXVII | 739 |
CLXXVIII | 744 |
CLXXIX | 751 |
CLXXX | 758 |
CLXXXI | 763 |
CLXXXIII | 765 |
CLXXXIV | 771 |
CLXXXV | 779 |
CLXXXVI | 788 |
CLXXXVII | 797 |
CLXXXVIII | 805 |
CLXXXIX | 812 |
CXC | 817 |
CXCI | 823 |
CXCII | 828 |
CXCIII | 837 |
CXCIV | 846 |
CXCV | 851 |
CXCVI | 853 |
CXCVII | 860 |
CXCVIII | 862 |
CXCIX | 870 |
CC | 872 |
CCI | 877 |
CCII | 885 |
CCIII | 887 |
CCIV | 891 |
CCV | 894 |
CCVI | 901 |
CCVII | 909 |
CCVIII | 913 |
CCIX | 915 |
CCX | 922 |
CCXI | 927 |
CCXII | 932 |
CCXIII | 936 |
CCXIV | 942 |
CCXV | 954 |
CCXVI | 956 |
CCXVII | 959 |
CCXVIII | 962 |
CCXIX | 969 |
CCXX | 973 |
CCXXI | 977 |
CCXXII | 985 |
CCXXIII | 998 |
CCXXIV | 1002 |
CCXXV | 1005 |
CCXXVI | 1010 |
CCXXVII | 1019 |
CCXXVIII | 1025 |
CCXXIX | 1030 |
CCXXX | 1040 |
CCXXXI | 1046 |
CCXXXII | 1056 |
CCXXXIII | 1058 |
CCXXXIV | 1065 |
CCXXXV | 1073 |
CCXXXVI | 1075 |
CCXXXVII | 1077 |
CCXXXVIII | 1084 |
CCXXXIX | 1089 |
CCXL | 1093 |
CCXLI | 1098 |
CCXLII | 1104 |
CCXLIII | 1109 |
CCXLIV | 1114 |
CCXLV | 1118 |
CCXLVI | 1125 |
CCXLVII | 1133 |
CCXLVIII | 1135 |
CCXLIX | 1139 |
CCL | 1142 |
CCLI | 1147 |
1149 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Abraham Lincoln Aeschines American army audience become believe blood called Catiline cause Christ citizens civil common Congress Constitution court death declare defend democracy Democratic Demosthenes Duluth duty election enemy Everett Dirksen faith fear feel fight force freedom friends gentlemen German give heart honorable hope House human human cloning interest Jews judge justice land leaders League of Nations liberty Lincoln live Lloyd Bentsen look Lord means ment military millions mind moral nation never Nixon ourselves party patriotism peace political president principles question religion Republic Republican Richard Nixon Ronald Reagan Senate slave slavery South Vietnam Soviet Soviet Union speak speech spirit Stalin stand talk television tell things thought tion tonight truth U.S. Senate Union United victory Vietnam Winston Churchill women words ם ם