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9 Closing a Speech: End with Power and Let Them Know It is Time to Clap

Open Your Speech With a Bang Close It With a Slam-Dunk Westside Toastmasters

“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending,” according to poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The first few words of your speech make the audience want to listen and the last few sentences help them decide what they feel about you and your topic. In this chapter, I will explain the function of a conclusion, the format of a conclusion, and I will give you numerous examples of ways to end your speech. Most of this chapter is dedicated to showing you good examples of different types of speech closings. Let’s get started by talking about the purpose of the closing.

A Strong Closing Does Many Things

• Summarizes the points. By restating your points your audience is more likely to remember them.
• Tells the audience when to clap. Let’s face it, it is so awkward when you are done with your speech, and no one claps. Being clear the end is near, relieves the audience of the pressure of wondering if they are clapping at the right time.
• Provides resolution. Your speech should give the audience a sense of resolve or a sense of being challenged.

The Formula for Closing Most Speeches

• Transition statement to ending.
• Review the main points–repeat the thesis.
• If it is a persuasive speech, tell the audience what you want them to do or think.
• Provide a closing statement.

Restate the Thesis

Tell them what you are going to say, say it, tell them what you have said. This speech pattern is useful in most types of speeches because it helps the speaker to remember your key points. As you build your closing, make sure you restate the thesis. A good rule of thumb is to write it in such a way that if the audience were asked to restate the main points, their answer would match closely with your thesis.

EXAMPLE Watch as Stella Young gives her thesis and then restates her thesis at the end of the speech as she wraps up. The thesis of the talk in the introduction: We’ve been sold the lie that disability is a Bad Thing, capital B, capital T. It’s a bad thing, and to live with a disability makes you exceptional. It’s not a bad thing, and it doesn’t make you exceptional. Restates the thesis of the talk at the closing: Disability doesn’t make you exceptional but questioning what you think you know about it does.

Stella Young, I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtPGrLoU5Uk

This next example is from a student’s speech. It is easy to pull out one sentence that clearly summarizes the main points of her speech. Following her summary, she winds the speech down into a thoughtful conclusion and ends with three powerful words.

Now is the time to separate the war on drugs from the war on addiction. T oday you’ve heard the problems, impacts, and solutions of criminalizing addictions. Bruce Callis is 50 years old now. And he is still struggling with his addiction. while you all are sitting out there listening to this, I’m living with it. Bruce Callis is my father and for my entire life, I have watched our misguided system destroy him. The irony here is that we live in a society where we are told to recycle. We recycle paper, aluminum, and electronics. But why don’t we ever consider recycling them most precision think on Earth– the human life. Student Tunnette Powell, Winner of the 2012 Interstate Oratorical Association Contest.

Closing Phrases

After you restate your thesis, you should carefully deliver your closing phrases.  Your closing should provide a resolution to your speech and/or it should challenge the audience. Frantically Speaking writer Hrideep Barot suggests  “a conclusion is like tying a bow or ribbon to a box of your key ideas that your audience will be taking along with them.”

A speech closing is not just about the words you say, but it is also the way you say it. Change the pace near the end of your speech. Let your tone alone should signal the end is near. It is about deliberate voice control, don’t let your voice weakly away.

In the next section, I will cover these ways to end your speech:

End with powerful words End with a quote End with a graphic End with parallel construction End on a positive note End with a challenge End with a question End with inspiration End with well-wishing End with humor End with a call to action End with a feeling of resolve End with a prop

The best way to teach you about advanced closings is to show not tell. For this section, I will briefly explain each type of closing and then provide a video. Each video is queued so you can play the video and watch the closing statement.  I included a transcript under each video if you want to follow along.  It will be most beneficial for you to watch the clip and not just read the text. By watching, you will have a chance to hear the subtle changes in the speaker’s voice as they deliver their closing statements.

End with Powerful Words

As you design your closing, look at the last three to five words and examine them to see if they are strong words. Oftentimes, you can rearrange a sentence to end with a powerful word. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

Watch this clip for how BJ Miller ends with a powerful thought and a powerful word. 

Parts of me died early on, and that’s something we can all say one way or another. I got to redesign my life around this fact, and I tell you it has been a liberation to realize you can always find a shock of beauty or meaning in what life you have left, like that snowball lasting for a perfect moment, all the while melting away. If we love such moments ferociously, then maybe we can learn to live well — not in spite of death, but because of it. Let death be what takes us, not lack of imagination. BJ Miller, What Really Matters at the End of Life

End by Circling Back to the Opening

Another type of ending is to circle back to what you said in the beginning. You can revisit a quote, share the end to an illustration that was begun in the beginning, or you can put away a prop you got out in the beginning.

Watch this clip for how Zubing Zhang begins and ends with the same quote to circle back around to the main idea. 

She starts by telling a story of bungee jumping off the world’s highest platform and how she saw a sign with a quote that says, “Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone.” After telling her own story about pushing her emotional limits, she circles back around at the end by saying, “As the words said high on the bungee platform, “Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone.”

Yubing Zhang, Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone. 

End With Quote

If you end your speech with a quote, attend to the following.

• Always say the author of the quote before the quote for example, “I want to leave you with a leadership quote ‘What you do has far greater impact than what you say,’ Steven Covey.” The problem with this ending is that “Stephen Covey” are the last two words of the speech and that is boring. Consider instead this ending. “I think Robin Sharma said it best ‘Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence, and inspiration.'” In this arrangement, the last three words are powerful–influence and inspiration.
• Provided context for the quote before or after. Make sure the quote is meaningful and not just an easy way to end.

Watch this clip for how Sir Ken Robinson ends with a quote. Notice how he says the author and then the quote.

Also, notice how he then ties his speech to the quote with a final few sentences and ends with the powerful word–“revolution” and how he uses a strong vocal emphasis as he says his last word. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

There’s a wonderful quote from Benjamin Franklin. “There are three sorts of people in the world: Those who are immovable, people who don’t get it, or don’t want to do anything about it; there are people who are movable, people who see the need for change and are prepared to listen to it; and there are people who move, people who make things happen.” And if we can encourage more people, that will be a movement. And if the movement is strong enough, that’s, in the best sense of the word, a revolution. And that’s what we need.

Sir Ken Robinson, How to Escape Education’s Death Valley. 

End with a Graphic

You might want to use a visual to make your final point. Bringing in a picture, graphic, or object, reengages the audience to pay attention to your final ideas.

Watch this clip for how Barry Schartz uses the magic words “so to conclude” and then he creatively uses a picture of a fishbowl to narrow in on his point. Notice how his final word is spoken with urgency as he says “disaster.” (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

 So, to conclude. (He shows a picture of fish in a fishbowl) He says, “You can be anything you want to be — no limits.” You’re supposed to read this cartoon and, being a sophisticated person, say, “Ah! What does this fish know? Nothing is possible in this fishbowl.” Impoverished imagination, a myopic view of the world –that’s the way I read it at first. The more I thought about it, however, the more I came to the view that this fish knows something. Because the truth of the matter is, if you shatter the fishbowl so that everything is possible, you don’t have freedom. You have paralysis. If you shatter this fishbowl so that everything is possible, you decrease satisfaction. You increase paralysis, and you decrease satisfaction. Everybody needs a fishbowl. This one is almost certainly too limited –perhaps even for the fish, certainly for us. But the absence of some metaphorical fishbowl is a recipe for misery and, I suspect, disaster. Barry Schwartz, The Paradox of Choice

End with Parallel Construction

Parallel construction is a series of repeated phrases. It can be a powerful tool to use in a persuasive speech as it creates a feeling of importance.

Watch this clip for how Malala Yousafzai ends with a series of parallel statements to build momentum. Notice how her pace perfectly matches her words and you feel her strength when she ends with “education first.” (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are suffering from poverty, injustice, and ignorance. We must not forget that millions of children are out of schools. We must not forget that our sisters and brothers are waiting for a bright peaceful future. So let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty, and terrorism, and let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education First.

Malala Yousafzai,  United Nations Youth Assembly

End on a Positive Note

Audiences are constantly evaluating a speaker to determine their attitude and motivation. As you consider your speech closing, ask yourself what type of impression do you want to leave?  Do you want to leave them with depression or hope? Sadness or promise? Most of the time, audiences will receive messages that end positively better than speeches that end negatively.

In this speech sample, Hans Rosling showed the audience some hard statistics and he even pointed fingers at the audience as part of the problem. To help them hear his main point, he wisely ends on a positive note.

Watch this clip for how Hans Rosling ends this thought-provoking talk on a positive note. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

Now, when thinking about where all this leaves us, I have just one little humble advice for you, besides everything else, look at the data. Look at the facts about the world and you will see where we are today and how we can move forwards with all these billions on our wonderful planet. The challenge of extreme poverty has been greatly reduced and it’s for the first time in history within our power to end it for good. The challenge of population growth is, in fact, already being solved, the number of children has stopped growing.  And for the challenge for climate change, we can still avoid the worst, but that requires the richest, as soon as possible, find a way to use their set their use of resources and energy at a level that, step by step, can be shared by 10 billion or 11 billion by the end of this century. I’ve never called myself an optimist, but I do say I’m a possibilist and I also say the world is much better than many of you think.

Hans Rosling, Facts about the Population.

End with a Challenge

Leave the audience with a doable personal challenge. Help them mentally make sense of all the information that you shared by helping them know how to file it away and how to use it.

Watch this clip for how Melissa Butler ends with a challenge. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

So, I challenge each of you, when you go home today, look at yourself in the mirror, see all of you, look at all of your greatness that you embody, accept it, and love it. And finally, when you leave the house tomorrow, try to extend that same love and acceptance to someone who doesn’t look like you . Melissa Butler, Why You Think You’re Ugly. 

Watch this clip as Darren LaCroix literally falls face down to anchor the point that when we fall, we “fall forward.” (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

Darren LaCroix talks about taking risks and falling down and getting back up, he literally and purposefully falls down during his speech and ends this way: What’s your next step… take it. I didn’t want to look back at my life and say you know I never did try that comedy thing, but I died debt-free. All of us are headed toward that goal we are going to teach a point where we get stuck and our feet are like in cement and we can’t move but we’re so afraid of that ouch but we forget that if we lean forward and take a risk–(He falls face down) and we fall on our face. When we get up, notice, you still made progress. So please, with me, go ahead and fall. But fall forward. Darren LaCroiz, Winning Speech delivered at National Speech Association

End with a Question

Asking a question at the end is one way to reengage the audience. It helps them think about what your topic might mean for them.

Watch this clip for how David Eagleman reminds us about why his topic is important and then ends with a question. Notice how he pauses before his final question and how he changes the pace of his speech for the final sentence. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

So I think there’s really no end to the possibilities on the horizon for human expansion. Just imagine an astronaut being able to feel the overall health of the International Space Station, or, for that matter, having you feel the invisible states of your own health, like your blood sugar and the state of your microbiome, or having 360-degree vision or seeing in infrared or ultraviolet. So the key is this: As we move into the future, we’re going to increasingly be able to choose our own peripheral devices. We no longer have to wait for Mother Nature’s sensory gifts on her timescales, but instead, like any good parent, she’s given us the tools that we need to go out and define our own trajectory. So the question now is, how do you want to go out and experience your universe?

David Eagleman, Can We Create New Senses for Humans? 

Watch this clip for how Lera Boroditsky ends with a personal note and a  powerful final question. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

I want to leave you with this final thought. I’ve told you about how speakers of different languages think differently, but of course, that’s not about how people elsewhere think. It’s about how you think. It’s how the language that you speak shapes the way that you think. And that gives you the opportunity to ask, “Why do I think the way that I do?” “How could I think differently?” And also,  “What thoughts do I wish to create?” Lera Boroditsky, How Language Shapes the Way We Think

End with Inspiration

“Inspiring your audience is all about helping them see their own vision, not yours.”

You may want to end your speech with inspiring and encouraging words. Pick words that resonate with most of your audience and deliver them in such a way that your audience feels your lift in emotion.

Watch this clip for how Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ends with an inspiring final note and a powerful last few words “regain a kind of paradise” (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.

I would like to end with this thought:   That when we reject the single-story,   when we realize that there is never a single story   about any place,   we regain a kind of paradise.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,  The Danger of a Single Story  

Watch this clip for how Dan Pink ends with an inspiring final note. (I have the video cued to play just the closing) Let me wrap up. There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does. Here is what science knows. One: Those 20th century rewards, those motivators we think are a natural part of business, do work, but only in a surprisingly narrow band of circumstances. Two: Those if-then rewards often destroy creativity. Three: The secret to high performance isn’t rewards and punishments, but that unseen intrinsic drive– the drive to do things for their own sake. The drive to do things cause they matter.

And here’s the best part. We already know this. The science confirms what we know in our hearts. So, if we repair this mismatch between what science  knows and what business does, if we bring our motivation, notions of motivation into the 21st century, if we get past this lazy, dangerous, ideology of carrots and sticks, we can strengthen our businesses, we can solve a lot of those candle problems, and maybe, maybe — we can change the world. I rest my case. Dan Pink, The Puzzle of Motivation

End with Well Wishing

There are several types of closings where the speaker wished the audience well.

The Benediction Close: M ay God bless and keep you…. The Presidential Close: God bless you and may God bless the USA The Congratulatory Close: I congratulate you on your accomplishment and wish you continued success. 

End with Humor

You can end on a fun lighthearted note. It is important to always run your humor by a variety of people to make sure you are funny, and your humor is appropriate.

Watch this clip for how Andrew Dunham uses humor throughout his speech and ends with a funny one-liner. (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

I wish you all the best as we begin this journey on our paths and I sincerely hope and pray that your time and success have proven to be as memorable and spiritually rewarding as mine. If not, there’s always summer school.

Andrew Dunham, Valedictorian Comes Out As Autistic During Speech

End with a Call to Action

If you are delivering a persuasive speech, let the audience know exactly what you want them to do.

End with a Feeling of Resolve

Paul Harvey made famous the line “And now you know…the rest of the story.” Your closing should allow us to know the rest of the story or to know how a situation was resolved.

Watch this clip for how Lucy Hone ends this tough but inspiring talk with a feeling of resolve (I have the video cued to play just the closing)

https://youtu.be/9-5SMpg7Q0k?t=913 If you ever find yourself in a situation where you think there’s no way I’m coming back from this, I urge you to lean into these strategies and think again. I won’t pretend that thinking this way is easy and it doesn’t remove all the pain. But if I’ve learned anything over the last five years, it is that thinking this way really does help. More than anything it has shown me that  it is possible  to live and grieve at the same time. And for that I will be always grateful. Lucy Hone, The Three Secrets of Resilient People

End with a Prop

Nancy Duarte says you should give your audience, SOMETHING THEY  will ALWAYS REMEMBER–S.T.A.R. One way to do that is with an action or statement that will have the audience talking about it for a long time. President Obama did it with a mic drop.

Memorize Your Conclusion

End on time.

Do not diminish the effect of a great speech with a bloated, aimless conclusion. Dan Rothwell.

“Times about up.”

Don’t end with any references to time. It is like a giant stop sign saying, “stop listening.”  Don’t highlight that you ran over time or that it is almost time for lunch. You want them to think about your speech, not the clock.

“Any Questions?”

You want them to feel a sense of closure for your speech.  End with something powerful and let them applaud.  After the applause, you can offer to answer questions. Similarly, projecting your last slide with the words, “Any Questions” is a weak ending.

“Let Me Add This Point I Missed”

If you forget something in the body of your speech, it is usually best to leave it out.  Most of the time you are the only one who will miss it.

“Thank You to the Team”

There is a time to thank the organizers and those who helped you but it is not at the end of your speech. Your focus should be on your audience and what they need and what they need to hear is your idea.  Send a thank you letter to the team if you want them to feel your appreciation.

“I’m Sorry”

“Sorry again for the technology issue,” “I apologize for going over time, ” “I regret I have no answer to this.” These are all negative phrases.  Keep to your topic that is what they need to hear and stay focused.

“I’ll Close with this Video”

No, you should close with talking about the big idea.

If you don’t have a plan at the end, you will ramble. “Steer clear of meandering endings they kill a story,” according to the Moth Storytelling website. “Your last line should be clear in your head before you start. Yes, bring the audience along with you as you contemplate what transpires in your story, but remember, you are driving the story, and must know the final destination. Keep your hands on the wheel!”

To Thank or Not to Thank, That is the Question

There is a debate amongst speech professionals, speech teachers, and speech coaches about whether or not you should thank the audience. Here are their main arguments.

Why You Should Not Say Thank You

• You want to end with powerful words. “Thank you” are not strong words.
• The recency effect suggests they will remember the last words you spoke. You want them to remember more than just “thank you.”
• It is not a very creative way to end.
• It can be a sign of a lazy speaker, “I have no idea how to end this, I’ve run out of good things to say so I’ll say ‘Thank you’ so you will clap now.”

Why You Should Say Thank You

• It has come to be the expected ending in many settings. Violating their expectations can cause them to have a negative reaction.
• It clearly signals you are finished so the audience knows when to clap. The relieves the pressure from both you and the audience.
• It expresses gratitude.

I will leave it up to you to decide what works for you. As for me, I plan on trying to find more creative ways to end other than just saying “thank you.”

Maximizing the Primacy Recency Effect

If I were to read you a list of thirty things on my grocery list and then asked you to list all that you can remember, chances are you would remember the first times on the list and the last items on the list ( and any ones you found interesting from the middle). When people engage in listening, they tend to remember the first and last things they hear, it is called the primacy-recency effect. T his is just one more reason that your introduction and conclusion should be so well planned out. It is those first words and last words that the audience is going to remember. 

The primacy recency effect influences, not only what people pay attention to in a speech, but also which speech we pay the most attention to in a series of speeches. For example, if there is a lineup of six speakers, the first and last speakers tend to get the most attention.

As a speaker, you can use this information to your advantage by volunteering to go first or last. If you are giving a long presentation, you can break it up by allowing the audience to move around or talk to a neighbor. When you come back from break, you have re-engaged that primacy effect and moved them back to a high state of attention.

Do You Have Everything You Need for a Strong Closing?

• Have I signaled my speech is coming to an end with my words or my voice?
• Have I restated my main points?
• If I am persuading my audience, do they know what I want them to do or think?
• Have I written the last three to five words in such a way that I end with powerful words?
• Have I memorized my closing?

Getting Off the Platform is Part of Your Closing

Plan on making a strong exit. Whether you are stepping off a stage or simply going to your seat, you should consider that the audience is watching you.

I have had students who finished their speech and then walked over to the trashcan and in a large, exaggerated movement, they threw their notecards in the trash. In our minds, we threw their message away with those cards. I’ve seen speakers, sit in their chairs and then announce, “I can’t believe my hands were shaking so much.” I’ve sat there and thought, “I didn’t notice.” I then realized that the comments they made influenced my perception of them and my perception of their topic.

You said your last word and the audience is applauding, now what? Look at your audience and smile and nod in appreciation before walking off the stage. If you will be answering questions, wait until after the applause stops to begin your question and answering period.

When practicing your speech, it is a good idea to start from your chair, walk up to a spot and then give your speech, and then walk back to your chair and sit down. Your “speech” impression begins and ends from your chair.

Key Takeaways

Remember This!

• A speech closing should include a review of the main points and a purposeful closing sentence.
• Persuasive speech endings should tell the audience specifically what they should do or think about.
• The recency effect suggests that people remember the most recent things they have heard which is one reason the closing is so important.
• Chance the pace of your speech and the tone of your voice to signal the end of the speech.

Please share your feedback, suggestions, corrections, and ideas.

I want to hear from you. 

Do you have an activity to include? Did you notice a typo that I should correct? Are you planning to use this as a resource and do you want me to know about it? Do you want to tell me something that really helped you?

Click here to share your feedback. 

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Anderson, C. (2016). TED talks: The official TED guide to public speaking. Mariner Books.

Barot, H.  Fifteen powerful speech ending lines (and tips to create your own). Frantically Speaking. https://franticallyspeaking.com/15-powerful-speech-ending-lines-and-tips-to-create-your-own/

Boroditsky, L. (2017). How language shapes the way we think.  https://www.ted.com/talks/lera_boroditsky_how_language_shapes_the_way_we_think  Standard Youtube License. 

Butler, M. (2018). Why you think you’re ugly. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imCBztvKgus  Standard YouTube License. 

Dunham. A. (2019). Valedictorian comes out as autistic during speech. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtPGrLoU5Uk  Standard Youtube License. 

Eagleman, D. (2015). Can we create new senses for humans?[Video]. YouTube  https://youtu.be/4c1lqFXHvqI  Standard YouTube License. 

Hone, L. (2019).  The three secrets of resilient people. [Video]. YouTube  https://youtu.be/NWH8N-BvhAw  Standard YouTube License. 

Jeff, P. (2009). Ten ways to end your speech with a bang. http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/10-ways-to-end-your-speech

Jobs, S. (2005). You’ve got to find what you love. https://news.stanford.edu/2005/06/14/jobs-061505/

Khanna, P. (2016). Let the head of TED show you how to end your speech with power. https://www.fastcompany.com/3059459/let-the-head-of-ted-show-you-how-to-end-your-speech-with-p

Karia, A. (2013). How to open and close a TED talk (or any other speech or presentation). https://akashkaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/HowtoOpenandCloseaTEDTalk.pdf

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Mandela, N. (2011). Speech from the dock in the Rivonia trial.[Video]. YouTube https://www.nelsonmandela.org/news/entry/i-am-prepared-to-die  Standard YouTube License. 

Mandela, N. (1994). Presidential Inaugural Speech. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/nelsonmandelainauguralspeech.htm  Standard YouTube License. 

Miller, B.J. (2015). What really matters at the end of life. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.ted.com/talks/bj_miller_what_really_matters_at_the_end_of_life?language=en  Standard YouTube License. 

Moth. (2021). Storytelling tips and tricks: How to tell a successful story. https://themoth.org/share-your-story/storytelling-tips-tricks 

Obama, B. (2016). White House correspondents dinner. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxFkEj7KPC0  Standard YouTube License. 

Pink, D. (2009). The puzzle of motivation. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_the_puzzle_of_motivation  Standard YouTube License. 

Rothwell, D. (2014). Practically Speaking. Oxford University Press.Robinson, K. (2013). How to escape education’s death valley. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX78iKhInsc  Standard YouTube License. 

Rosling, H. (2014). Don’t Panic-Hans Rosling showing the facts about population.[Video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FACK2knC08E  Standard YouTube License. 

Schwartz, B. (2005). The paradox of choice. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_the_paradox_of_choice  Standard YouTube License. 

Toastmasters International. (2016). Concluding your Speech. https://www.toastmasters.org/Resources/Concluding-Your-Speech

Young, S. (2014). I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much. [Video]. YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtPGrLoU5Uk  Standard YouTube License. 

Yousafzai, M. (2013). Malala Yousafzai addresses United Nations Youth Assembly. [Video]. YouTube https://youtu.be/3rNhZu3ttIU  Standard YouTube License. 

Zhang, Y. (2015). Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. [Video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmN4xOGkxGo  Standard YouTube License. 

Media Attributions

• Audience clapping © Alex Motoc is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
• jose-aragones-81QkOoPGahY-unsplash © Jose Aragones is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license

Advanced Public Speaking Copyright © 2021 by Lynn Meade is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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15 Powerful Speech Ending Lines (And Tips to Create Your Own)

Hitiksha jain.

• Public Speaking , Speech Writing

A powerful speech ending line helps you recapture the essence of your speech: your main points and the purpose of why you spoke.

Basically, it is a summary of your dominant points. 

The words you say at the beginning, and especially at the end of your talk will be remembered longer than any other part of your speech. (This doesn’t mean the body of your speech has no importance.)

The beginning of your speech needs to be strong because it grips the attention of your audience. If that falls apart, they might lose interest in your speech. To avoid such a situation, here’s an article on 15 Powerful Speech Opening Lines (And How to Create Your Own) that you can refer to.

It has happened time after time- a speaker has concluded his speech with no conclusion or a simple “Thank you!” which made their impactful and amazing speech entirely fall apart.

An ineffective conclusion or no conclusion makes your speech lose its charm and the energy that has been created. This leaves your audience in a state of confusion and disappointment. 

Remember, the conclusion of your speech is NOT the time to introduce new points or new supporting evidence; doing so will all the more confuse the listeners. 

Instead, a conclusion is like tying a bow or ribbon to a box of your key ideas that your audience will be taking along with them. Meaning, it’s the final touch that makes your speech stand out and memorable.

So, how can you end your speech with a bang? To discover it, let’s jump in to the 15 powerful speech ending lines and ways to create your own:

1) Abraham Lincoln

Speech ending line: “And this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth.”

How to use The Rule Of Three to end your speech?

The Rule of Three is an effective technique that allows you to express your ideas more completely by emphasizing your points and increasing the memorability of your message.

Dale Carneige once said, 

“Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you just told them.”

Information when presented in a group of three sticks in our head better than say, groups of four or five.

The answer is simple! We humans are generally good at pattern recognition and three is the smallest number needed to make a pattern. When used at the end of a speech, you can create maximum impact, (obviously) if said in a proper tone of voice. 

Repeating your ideas can make your message more persuasive, memorable, and entertaining.

Since, the conclusion is your last chance as a speaker to drive home your ideas, you need to repeat and emphasize phrases, sentences and words to make others remember your key message. 

The repetition of phrases and sentences should be such that it creates a micro story of your entire speech. 

If you are trying to incorporate the rule of three in your speech and need guidance to do so. Here’s an article on The Power of the Rule of Three in Speech Writing that might help you!

2) Simon Sinek

Speech ending line: “Listen to politicians now, with their comprehensive 12-point plans. They’re not inspiring anybody. Because there are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority, but those who lead inspire us. Whether they’re individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead, not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead, not for them, but for ourselves. And it’s those who start with “why” that have the ability to inspire those around them or find others who inspire them.”

How to mark an end of a speech with a story?

Telling stories can do wonders in making your speech a memorable one. Because we as humans relate to stories. 

Using an effective and persuasive story at the end can engage the audience, evoke empathy, increase trust and motivate action.

Your story should be crafted in such a way that it sums up your entire speech. But don’t forget, it needs to be short and sweet.

You can start your story by saying, “Let me tell you a story that illustrates what I have been talking about…”

To make your speech/story worth remembering, you can try these various storytelling approaches mentioned in this article- 9 Storytelling Approaches For Your Next Speech or Presentation .

3) Les Brown

Speech ending line: “If you want a thing bad enough To go out and fight for it, Work day and night for it, Give up your time and your peace and Your sleep for it

If only desire of it Makes you quite mad enough Never to tire of it, Makes you hold all other things tawdry And cheap for it

If life seems all empty and useless without it And all that you scheme and you dream is about it,

If gladly you’ll sweat for it, Fret for it, Plan for it, Lose all your terror of God or man for it,

If you’ll simply go after that thing that you want. With all your capacity, Strength and sagacity, Faith, hope and confidence, stern pertinacity,

If neither cold, poverty, famished and gaunt, Nor sickness nor pain Of body or brain Can turn you away from the thing that you want,

If dogged and grim you besiege and beset it, You’ll get it.”

How to end a speech with a poem?

This works similar to the notion of storytelling. 

You can end your speech with a poem that summarizes your entire speech. To do this you can either make your own or select the one that works the best for your speech. If you select one, remember to cite the source.

While reciting a poem add emotions and drama to your words, raise your voice on a key line of the poem and pause whenever required.

Poetry is a powerful way to get your point across because it helps you create an impression in your audiences’ mind. If you are planning to tap into poetry for your next speech, we have written an article- Getting Your ‘Wordsworth’: Poetry in Public Speaking that you can review to get some tips on how to add a poem in your speech.

4) Sir Ken Robinson

Speech ending line: “There’s a wonderful quote from Benjamin Franklin. “There are three sorts of people in the world: Those who are immovable, people who don’t get it, or don’t want to do anything about it; there are people who are movable, people who see the need for change and are prepared to listen to it; and there are people who move, people who make things happen.” And if we can encourage more people, that will be a movement. And if the movement is strong enough, that’s, in the best sense of the word, a revolution. And that’s what we need.”

How to close a speech with a memorable quote?

Quotations are usually concise and memorable phrasing of an idea. (This is why we repeat and remember quotations, right?)

The sole reason to quote material is that it reinforces your ideas. A quotation offers a second voice echoing your claims which is more powerful than simply just repeating yourself.

So, your quote should be such that summarizes your main idea. You can quote words of an expert, a person who spoke before you at an event or something in your own words.

Tips for using quotations in your speech:

• Phrasing it correctly can help boost your credibility
• Don’t quote anything outside your context

Taking the above example of Sir Ken Robinson, the quoted words at the end of his speech summarized the heart of his speech.

5) Lera Boroditsky

Speech ending line: “It’s how the language that you speak shapes the way that you think. And that gives you the opportunity to ask, “Why do I think the way that I do?” “How could I think differently?” And also, “What thoughts do I wish to create?”

How to end a speech with a question?

You can try and engage your audience with questions that will get them thinking.

It is often effective to end with a rhetorical question that captures the message and leaves the audience thinking—especially one that directly ties in your CTA. For instance:

“What choice will you make when you leave here today? Will you ____(your key message), or will you go about your normal routine?”

See how Lera Boroditsky leaves her audience with a set of questions rattling around their minds.

6) Melissa Butler  

Speech ending line: “So I challenge each of you, when you go home today, look at yourself in the mirror, see all of you, look at all of your greatness that you embody, accept it, and love it. And finally, when you leave the house tomorrow, try to extend that same love and acceptance to someone who doesn’t look like you. Thank you.”

How to give a challenge close to your speech?

In the above example, Melissa Butler used a challenge close to force her audience to take action over something.

In this type of closing, you challenge your audience to apply whatever you spoke in your speech and engage them in thought or action.

A good way to do that is to make sure they know you’re aware of the challenges that exist, and that you have concrete and actionable solutions to it.

To do this, you can have a bit of a forceful tone of voice to make a failure process a learning one.

Do express your belief in them and focus on setting a high bar, but an achievable one.

7) Brian Kateman

Speech ending line: “You can change the world by ordering a smaller steak, or doing something more. But don’t just sit by and ignore what you already know. Consider eating less meat and be a reducetarian.

Save our planet, improve your health, and save a lot of animals.”

How to end a speech by giving a solution to a concern?

This type of closing is suitable for speeches where you talk about a problem and give a solution for the same.

First you introduce the problem and explain why the audience should be concerned about it.

While concluding, you provide a practical solution to the stated concern. 

Look at how Brian Kateman states a problem: The battle between vegans, vegetarians, and everyone else and ends up giving a pragmatic solution.

8) Anjelah Johnson

Speech ending line: “Really?! It’s funny because my finger didn’t do like that before I came in here.” “It’s okay honey, don’t worry. I’ll fix it for you, don’t worry.” (Imitates talking in Vietnamese) (Laughter) (Laughter) (Stops talking Vietnamese) “Oh, see? You look so pretty!” God bless, you guys.”

How to leave your audience with a good laugh?

Wouldn’t you love leaving your audience with a good laugh? Ending your speech with humor can help you to do so. 

But you need to use them with caution. Tell jokes that are related to your speech. And avoid telling offensive jokes.

You can add anecdotes and funny stories that have happened in real life since it’s easy to relate to and, if said in a correct manner, you can have your audience laughing while hitting your message home!

Tips to deliver a good humor:

• Surprise your audience by breaking their expectations with the help of a good setup and punchline. Setup creates a specific expectation in people’s minds and a punchline reveals the surprise. For instance, “I believe that each person can make a difference (setup), but it’s so slight that there’s basically no point (punch)”
• Try and impersonate your dialogues or the characters as it will make your listeners feel they are in the scene
• You can twist the literal meaning of a word. Example- Everybody looked up to me in college because I was the tallest of all
• You can also incorporate the rule of three that works similar to the setup and punchline technique i.e. setup, setup, punch. Take an example of Elicia Sanchez, “I was a super nerd when I was a kid. I liked video games, I liked comic books, I was the youngest mage in the D&D campaign I was part of with 30-year-olds at the Yardbirds in Centralia, Washington.”

Apart from this, always test and rehearse the humor that you are going to incorporate and ask for honest feedback. Also, make sure the jokes and stories you use add value to your point and are insightful

9) Yubing Zhang

Speech ending line: “As the words said high on the bungee platform, “Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone.”

How to end a speech using the circle theory?

Here, the idea is to take your audience on a journey and get them back to the place from where you started, making a circle.

Meaning, you refer back to what you started with (movie, words, quote).

Yubing Zhang begins her speech with- Life Begins at The Edge of Your Comfort Zone” and ends with the same. 

You can bookend your speech in different ways:

• You can end by referencing your opening
• Concluding words can contrast from your opening words.
• Open with a question and answer it at the end 

We have written an in-depth article on 7 Techniques to Bookending Your Speech: Guidelines and Examples . Review it for some inspiration!

10) BJ Miller

Speech ending line: “Parts of me died early on, and that’s something we can all say one way or another. I got to redesign my life around this fact, and I tell you it has been a liberation to realize you can always find a shock of beauty or meaning in what life you have left, like that snowball lasting for a perfect moment, all the while melting away. If we love such moments ferociously, then maybe we can learn to live well — not in spite of death, but because of it. Let death be what takes us, not lack of imagination.”

How to close a speech with an inspiring note?

Okay, let’s be real here. We humans are dealing with problems, difficulties, challenges, disappointments, setbacks, and temporary failures.

Ending your speech with an uplifting talk that gives a ray of hope might encourage your audience.

“Inspiring your audience is all about helping them see their own vision, not yours.” Anonymous

If your hope is to inspire your audience then your material needs to be about them and ways on how they can grow .

To do so you can opt for stories or share your personal experiences to get your message alive, but you need to paint a picture of what your audiences’ vision is when it comes to themselves and how you can help them achieve that vision by your talk.

11) Dr. Shashi Tharoor

Speech ending line: “95% of our 12 year-olds across India can read and write. So the future looks good. And as far as the workforce is concerned, if we can get all these other pieces in place, we can say to the rest of the world, “We are coming.”

How to end your speech with facts?

Adding only facts in a speech can make it boring, right? Because there’s nothing entertaining about that.

Well, this wouldn’t be a case when you use the right facts in a proper way and at a proper time. 

Adding facts as a speech ending line can be a way through which you can re-engage your audience, leaving them mesmerized. 

Incorporate only those facts that are relevant to your topic because you don’t want to make them apathetic towards you.

Present your facts in a creative manner. For instance, asking a question after when you stated the fact, audience poll, or add humor.

Trying to add facts in your speech without making it sound boring? Here’s an article- 11 Steps to Add Facts in A Speech Without Making It Boring that can guide you. 

12) Cameron Russell

Speech ending line: “If there’s a takeaway to this talk, I hope it’s that we all feel more comfortable acknowledging the power of image in our perceived successes and our perceived failures.”  

How to leave your audience with a piece of advice?

This works similar to the fact concept.

Your advices should get your audience encouraged about something and not discourage them or make them feel incompetent.

Try to chunk your advice into simple steps that your audience can follow. Inject emotions, relate it to your own experience (if possible) and make it inspirational.

The sole purpose of giving advice is to help someone. Don’t forget that!

Because a lot of times the advice is created on the basis of expectation and not understanding others. To simplify it, you need to understand the problem that your audience is facing and then advise them keeping your expectations and judgements aside.

Look at how Cameron Russell makes people feel good about themselves by empowering them regardless of the topic.

13) Nora Mclnerny

Speech ending line: “But yes, absolutely, they’re going to move forward. But that doesn’t mean that they’ve moved on.”

How to use a title close to end your speech?

To give your speech a title close, your speech needs to have a provocative title that encapsulates your message memorably. 

Use the title of your speech as your closing words to stir your audience to think more fully about what they just heard, reinforcing the title of your speech mentioned earlier.

14) Alfred Chuang

Speech ending line: “A new world is on the horizon. And it will be more incredible than any of us can possibly imagine. Our greatest innovations are ahead of us, not behind. But we need great engineers to build that world for us. And that’s you. We need you to not give up. Ever. We need you to finish your projects. Done, done, done. We need you to leverage the power of an immigrant-rich workforce. And we need you all to be a little insane.”

How to make a direct call to action at the end of your speech?

A well constructed and presented speech is the one that changes people’s mind and ignites action.

The call to action comes right before the end of a persuasive speech. Here, you clearly tell the audience the role they can play after they leave your talk.

It serves as a road map that your listeners can follow after when they are thoroughly gripped to your idea. Because they exactly know what they need to do.

In the above example, you can see how Alfred Chuang delivered a powerful CTA, as he clearly explains what listeners can do to push his idea forward.

Barring this type of a CTA, the other forms include signing a petition, buying your product, visiting your website.

15) Barack Obama

Speech ending line: “So let’s get to work, people. Let’s bring this home. I love you, Philadelphia. Honk if you’re fired up, honk if you’re ready to go. Are you fired up?”

How to use an appeal to end your speech?

The most common closing for a persuasive speech can be an appeal for action.

You can shape your appeal according to who your intended audience is and the purpose of you talking to them.

One of the best ways to make an appeal is by tapping into their emotions in order to form a deeper connection with the listeners.

Avoid making your message too pushy. Instead, try and make your content relatable and valuable for them. This is when the audience is much more likely to pay attention to you.

Valuable reads: The Secret of Writing a Persuasive Speech 

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Final Thoughts

Depending on the type of speech you are presenting, you will be asking the audience for something. And that can be- asking them to act in a certain way, or to change their attitude towards a certain person or topic or simply make them understand what you’re trying to say.

Nonetheless, the conclusion of your speech is to leave the audience positively motivated towards you and the topic you have been presenting. 

Hopefully, these 15 examples will guide you to create your own speech ending line that is impactful.

Let us know in the comments below which one worked for you.

Still looking for inspiration? Check out this video we made on closing remarks:

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The grand finale: 12 ways to end your speech.

You begin your speech with a compelling opening. You cruise confidently into the body. Then you run out of gas as you come to the close of your speech. You finish speaking but your audience isn't finished listening - yet.

They stare at you. You stare at them. The silence is deafening. You fidget. You can hardly breathe. Finally, you blurt out: "Mr. Toastmaster." Or worse yet, you surrender to those two meaningless words: "Thank you." Mercifully, the audience applauds, putting you out of your misery. You can breathe again.

As a Toastmaster, you know there must be a better way to conclude your speech. After all, what the grand finale is to a musician, the conclusion is to a speaker. The ending of the speech is a chance to stir the audience to a standing ovation with a resounding call to action -- or a gentle tug on the heart strings.

That's why leading speakers don't end their speeches with a perfunctory or mundane "Thank you." Of the 217 speeches listed in William Safire's anthology, Lend Me your Ears: Great Speeches in History , only seven conclude with "Thank you."

How can you end your speech as confidently as you opened it? Try these 12 tips:

1. The Title Close. Use the title of your speech as your closing words. Last words linger, crystallizing your thoughts, galvanizing your message and mobilizing your audience. Just as comedians should "leave 'em laughing," speakers should "leave 'em thinking." (Hint: Try writing the ending of your speech first to better construct the title.)

2. The Circular Close. Refer back to your opening anecdote or quote and say: "We have arrived now at the close where we began." Reiterate the message you want your audience to remember. Summarize the main points in the classic: "Tell 'em what you are going to tell 'em; tell 'em, then tell 'em what you just told 'em."

3. The Challenging Close. If you were concluding a speech on the importance of taking action, you could say: "Let's turn from spectators into participants. Let's recall the inspiring words of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt who said: 'Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to remain with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.' We have too much to do to sit on the sidelines. We need you to step out of the gray twilight into the bright sunshine so that we can all see the dawn of a new day."

4. The Invitation Close. If you were concluding a speech on the importance of getting involved in the education process, you could say: "More than 450 years before the birth of Christ, Confucius said: 'What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand.' Let's do it together. We've heard what we have to do. We've seen what we need to do. Now is the time to do it and together we can. Do it!"

5. The Quotation Close. Find a famous quotation and use it like a lever to lift the close of your speech. If you were concluding a speech on the importance of embracing change, you could say: "Our tomorrows need new and different solutions today. Recall the insight of President Abraham Lincoln. On the brink of the Civil War, Lincoln looked change directly in the eye and said: 'The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate for the stormy present and future. As our circumstances are anew, we must think anew and act anew.'

And so must we, ladies and gentlemen. We need to look at this old issue in a new way. Not simply for today but to make our tomorrows more rewarding, more fulfilling, more compelling because of the changes we make today. With your help we can think anew, and act anew on the new issues before us today."

6. The Repetitive Close. Find a phrase and structure it in a repetitive format that strikes the cadence of a drummer, building to a climax like this: "And so what we have been saying is that life is an adventure, dare it. A duty, perform it. An opportunity, take it. A journey, complete it. A promise, fulfill it. A puzzle, solve it. A goal, achieve it."

7. The Sing-Song Close. Ask the audience to repeat a phrase a few times in your speech. for example, you might say: "Toastmasters fosters learning." Ask your audience to repeat that phrase on cue. You can end by saying: "We all know that Toastmasters fosters... " (Pause and coax the audience's response with a wave of your hand to complete the phrase.)

8. The Suggestive Close. "Before I take questions, let me conclude with this point...."

9. The Benediction Close. "May God bless and keep you...."

10. The Congratulatory Close. "I salute all of you and everyone in your organization, and I look forward to your continued success...."

11. The Proverbial Close. Find a popular phrase and 1. twist it to fit your message like this: "May the transformational force be with you."

12. The Demonstration Close. Use a prop to signal the close of your speech. For example you could close a book and say: "This concludes this chapter in my life and now I stand firm to write my next chapter." Or don a cap as you conclude your speech and say: "It is time for me to head out and find the road to success."

Use these 12 techniques and you will be well on your way to developing the ultimate close - the personal signature close - that you'll eventually develop so well that you own it, like Barbara Walters who ends each of her 20/20 television programs with: "We're in touch, so you'll be in touch."

With these 12 techniques you will close your speeches more confidently and cogently.

Peter _ Jeff is a Toastmaster in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Open Your Speech With a Bang... Close It With a Slam-Dunk

As Toastmasters, we are familiar with the three main elements of a good speech:

• Introduction - prepares the audience for what's coming and establishes the purpose of your talk. (1-2 minutes).
• Body, the meat of your talk - provides convincing information in three to five points. (5-6 minutes).
• Conclusion - pulls it all together with a 1-2 minute summary of your message.

These three elements should he sandwiched between two other key elements: an opening and a closing.

OPENING - your first words or actions before the introduction. The opening should be brief, no more than three sentences. The opening's function is to grab the audience's attention so they will want to hear more. It should arouse interest and suggest the speech's theme. Openings can be dramatic - involving props, gestures or simply powerful words. Or make them emotional or rhetorical, using a demonstration, a quotation, a question, even silence, but be sure it relates to your topic.

CLOSING - Your very last comment on your topic following your conclusion. Make the closing brief, no more than three sentences. The closing's function is to accent your purpose and leave the audience with something to remember. The closing is the climax, the whip-cracker, clincher, result-getter. It must tie in with the opening thought. Never leave your audience in doubt. A weak, inconclusive, apologetic closing kills what otherwise could be a great speech. Avoid "thank you." The audience should be thanking you! Let the closing give the "so what?" of the speech. Closings, like openings, can he dramatic, emotional or rhetorical. You may use devices such as humor or a quotation. But, like the opening, the closing must relate to your topic.

Here are some examples of good openings:

• Startling question or challenging statement:
• Have you ever killed anyone? (A speech on capital punishment)
• I'm looking for someone to fall off a cliff with me. (A speech on hang-gliding)
• Quotation, illustration or story:
• "Give me liberty or give me death!" (A speech on patriotism)
• An exhibit - A picture or an article such as a toy gun to open a speech on gun control or a news photo of a smashed car to introduce a presentation on safe-driving.
• A generalization, provided it relates to the speech topic:
• Look at the person on either side of you. One of you will not be at the next meeting! (Arouses curiosity).

Examples of poor openings:

• Apologetic statement:
• This subject might not interest some of you.
• General statement presented in a general way:
• Most people drive too fast.
• Story or joke that does not relate to the speech topic.
• Long or slow-moving sentence.
• It is indeed an honor to be here tonight.
• Fatuous question:
• Did you ever stop to think...

Here are examples of good closings:

• Appeal for definite action:
• We can solve this problem if each of you writes to your congressman. (Hand out a sample letter, or for fundraising, pass out donor cards)
• Pointed story, quotation or illustration that fits your subject.
• An exhibit or prop, such as a picture or an object or group of objects.

Examples of poor closings:

• Solicitation of questions from the audience. Let your introducer do that and call you back to the lectern for answers.
• Fatuous statement:
• It really was a pleasure to be here.
• I'm sorry I didn't prepare enough for this talk.
• Thank you. (The audience owes you thanks. Exception: If you specifically requested to speak for a personal or organizational promotion.)

Every speech deserves an ear- and eye-catching opening and a closing that sends the audience reeling.

By Anthony _ Perrella

View articles on similar topics

Westside toastmasters on meetup.

The Last Lines From 16 Of The Most Influential Speeches In History

Politicians, rulers, revolutionaries, and other leaders use words to get their ideas across and grow support for their efforts. Some of the most influential speeches from history might be worth memorizing in their entirety - testaments to great events, individuals, and actions. Other orations are longer to the point of distraction, while more forgettable speeches might be full of difficult rhetoric or unappealing notions.

Many of the speeches and statements offered by significant historical figures have lines that epitomize their overall message, and words that have become common quotations and sound bites. The first lines are definitely words that might capture one's attention. Middling words can get some notice too, while the final words have the ability to stick with you. Take a look at the last words of some of the most notable speeches from history and vote up the ones that really resonate. 

Abraham Lincoln's 'Gettysburg Address' - November 19, 1863

In its entirety, the "Gettysburg Address" is only 272 words long. President Abraham Lincoln delivered the speech near the battlefield from which it derives its name. The words were offered as part of the dedication of the national cemetery there in late 1863; he was the second speaker on the agenda that day. 

As Lincoln closed his short but moving oratory, he left the audience with a long yet poignant  final sentence :

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Martin Luther King, Jr., 'I Have A Dream' Speech - August 28, 1963

Delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963, the "I Have A Dream" speech described Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision for the US. King addressed roughly 250,000 people on the Mall in Washington, DC, calling for equality and freedom for all.

Many of the lines from King's speech have been repeated in the decades since it was first articulated, including the final words  of "the old Negro spiritual" -

Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last." 

Winston Churchill, 'Their Finest Hour' Speech - June 18, 1940

As part of his address to the British House of Commons on June 18, 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill praised the efforts of the forces fighting in France. It was the third of three speeches , all of which were comparable in theme and message.

During the 30-minute oration, Churchill intended to inspire his countrymen and remind them of their responsibilities to the world : 

Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.” 

Patrick Henry, 'Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death' Speech - March 23, 1775

Spoken at the Virginia Convention of 1775 , Patrick Henry's speech was intended to encourage his fellow delegates to stand up to Great Britain. The most famous line from his oration was actually Henry's last as he addressed the group :

Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

Chief Joseph Of The Nez Perce, Surrender Speech - October 5, 1877

Exhausted and defeated, Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce offered his surrender - and that of his followers - to the military in the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana. After having traveled more than 1,000 miles to try to reach the Canadian border, Chief Joseph and his fellow Native Americans were only 40 miles from their destination before surrendering. 

The chief told his captors and followers alike :

Hear me, my chiefs; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever!  

Nelson Mandela, 'I Am Prepared To Die' - April 20, 1964

The anti-apartheid activist and leader within the African National Congress spoke for three hours at his trial for treason in 1964. During his long oration, Mandela was clear about the lengths he was willing to go for change in South Africa. The last words of his statement were :

It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

Lou Gehrig, 'Luckiest Man' Speech - July 4, 1939

First baseman Lou Gehrig addressed the crowd at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939 as he left the sport for good. The Yankees played the Washington Senators that day and, in between the games of their doubleheader, Gehrig walked up to the microphone.

Recently diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, although it's called "Lou Gehrig's disease" as well), Gehrig called himself  the "luckiest man on the face of the Earth" for having had the opportunity to play baseball for 17 years. 

He concluded his emotional statement :

So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.

FDR's Pearl Harbor Address - December 8, 1941

In the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed Congress - and ultimately the nation. His words were meant to provide comfort to the country, while simultaneously informing the world that America's role in WWII had just changed significantly. 

The speech, known for its famous line about "a date which will live in infamy," closed with lines about the ability of the American people to be victorious in the impending struggle. Roosevelt closed by asking  "that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire."

By 4 pm that afternoon, Roosevelt signed the official declaration of war against Japan. 

George Washington, Resignation Speech - December 23, 1783

When George Washington resigned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, he told the US Congress that he was ready to return to civilian life . He had, in his opinion, helped the new nation achieve its revolutionary goals :

Having now finished the work assigned to me, I retire from the great theatre of action; and bidding an affectionate farewell to this august body, under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my commission, and take any leave of all the employments of public life.

Washington went to his home in Mount Vernon, VA, but was soon thereafter elected as the first President of the US. 

John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address - January 20, 1961 

President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address was only 1,355 words in length. In it, he famously told the crowd, Americans everywhere, and the world to ask what they can do for one another and for freedom. He emphasized strength and sacrifice, ending his remarks:

With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

Queen Elizabeth I, 'The Speech To The Troops At Tilbury' - August 9, 1588 

As the Spanish Armada approached England , Queen Elizabeth I spoke to the troops gathered at Tilbury in Essex. Her words defended her role as a female monarch while simultaneously inspiring the men to fight for their Queen and country alike.

At the end of the address , Elizabeth offers praise and assures the men they will be rewarded for their actions:

I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you on a word of a prince, they shall be duly paid. In the mean time, my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over these enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.

Pericles, Funeral Oration - 431 BC

As a speech recorded in Thucydides's  History of the Peloponnesian War , Pericles's funeral oration honors the individuals who were fighting during some of the early battles between Athens and Sparta . The speech is also a testament to the value of democracy and the importance of citizenship. 

In the closing lines, Pericles summarizes the entirety of his message:

If deeds be in question, those who are here interred have received part of their honours already, and for the rest, their children will be brought up till manhood at the public expense: the state thus offers a valuable prize, as the garland of victory in this race of valour, for the reward both of those who have fallen and their survivors. And where the rewards for merit are greatest, there are found the best citizens. And now that you have brought to a close your lamentations for your relatives, you may depart.

Frederick Douglass, 'What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?' - July 5, 1852

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass spoke to the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in New York at its July 4th ceremony in 1852. His address was one of many speaking engagements he undertook during the 1850s. In the speech, Douglass drove home the realities of the day,  succinctly telling the audience, "This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn...."

He closed his oration with the words of fellow abolitionist  William Lloyd Garrison:

Until that year, day, hour, arrive, With head, and heart, and hand I’ll strive, To break the rod, and rend the gyve, The spoiler of his prey deprive - So witness Heaven! And never from my chosen post, Whate’er the peril or the cost, Be driven.

Mahatma Gandhi, 'Quit India' Speech - August 8, 1942

Mahatma Gandhi inspired Indians to resist British imperialism, empowered by his position within the All-India Congress Committee to " take the lead " in the efforts. The "Quit India" movement, as it became known, emphasized passive resistance.

Gandhi spoke to the whole of India about the movement twice - once in Hindi and once in English - in August 1942. He emphasized the strength of the Indian people, the promise of independence, and warned about the dangers of anger and hate :

As I view the situation, they are on the brink of an abyss. It, therefore, becomes my duty to warn them of their danger even though it may, for the time being, anger them to the point of cutting off the friendly hand that is stretched out to help them. People may laugh, nevertheless that is my claim. At a time when I may have to launch the biggest struggle of my life, I may not harbor hatred against anybody.

Pope Urban II, Speech At Clermont - 1095

Versions of the speech Pope Urban II gave at the Council of Clermont in 1095 differ in exact language, but the overall call for a movement to recapture the Holy Land remains consistent. As the oratory that launched the Crusades, Pope Urban II promised spiritual rewards alongside protections on Earth, encouraging the Christian faithful to, according to chronicler Fulcher of Chartres :

Eagerly set out on the way with God as their guide.

Mao Zedong, 'Serve The People' Speech - September 8, 1944

As part of his effort to galvanize his followers in China , Mao Zedong gave his "Serve the People" speech at a memorial service for his colleague , Chang Szu-teh, in September 1944. The relatively short address emphasized loyalty and service, with a title that became a slogan of the Communist Party.

The last words of the speech encouraged unending praise of those who serve :

From now on, when anyone in our ranks who has done some useful work dies, be he soldier or cook, we should have a funeral ceremony and a memorial meeting in his honour. This should become the rule. And it should be introduced among the people as well. When someone dies in a village, let a memorial meeting be held. In this way we express our mourning for the dead and unite all the people.

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English History

Anne Boleyn’s Last Words – Speech At Her Execution

The execution took place on 19 May 1536 at 8 o’clock in the morning. It was the first public execution of an English queen.

‘Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never: and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul.’ After being blindfolded and kneeling at the block, she repeated several times: ‘To Jesus Christ I commend my soul; Lord Jesu receive my soul.’

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The Last Speech of Martin Luther King: ‘I’ve Been to the Mountaintop’ – The Full Text

by Source on January 18, 2021 · 10 comments

in Civil Rights , History

(Originally posted here on Jan 15, 2018)

The day before Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, he gave his final speech, known as ‘I’ve Been to the Mountaintop’ speech. Here’s the full text.

By The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. , MEMPHIS, Tenn./ April 3, 1968

Thank you very kindly, my friends. As I listened to Ralph Abernathy and his eloquent and generous introduction and then thought about myself, I wondered who he was talking about. It’s always good to have your closest friend and associate to say something good about you. And Ralph Abernathy is the best friend that I have in the world. I’m delighted to see each of you here tonight in spite of a storm warning. You reveal that you are determined to go on anyhow.

Something is happening in Memphis; something is happening in our world. And you know, if I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of taking a kind of general and panoramic view of the whole of human history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, “Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in?” I would take my mental flight by Egypt and I would watch God’s children in their magnificent trek from the dark dungeons of Egypt through, or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised land. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn’t stop there.

I would move on by Greece and take my mind to Mount Olympus. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Aristophanes assembled around the Parthenon. And I would watch them around the Parthenon as they discussed the great and eternal issues of reality. But I wouldn’t stop there.

I would go on, even to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. And I would see developments around there, through various emperors and leaders. But I wouldn’t stop there.

I would even come up to the day of the Renaissance, and get a quick picture of all that the Renaissance did for the cultural and aesthetic life of man. But I wouldn’t stop there.

I would even go by the way that the man for whom I am named had his habitat. And I would watch Martin Luther as he tacked his ninety-five theses on the door at the church of Wittenberg. But I wouldn’t stop there. I would come on up even to 1863, and watch a vacillating President by the name of Abraham Lincoln finally come to the conclusion that he had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. But I wouldn’t stop there.

I would even come up to the early thirties, and see a man grappling with the problems of the bankruptcy of his nation. And come with an eloquent cry that we have nothing to fear but “fear itself.” But I wouldn’t stop there. Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, “If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the 20th century, I will be happy.”

Now that’s a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around. That’s a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a way that men, in some strange way, are responding. Something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee — the cry is always the same: “We want to be free.”

And another reason that I’m happy to live in this period is that we have been forced to a point where we are going to have to grapple with the problems that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demands didn’t force them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men, for years now, have been talking about war and peace. But now, no longer can they just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it’s nonviolence or nonexistence. That is where we are today.

And also in the human rights revolution, if something isn’t done, and done in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed. Now, I’m just happy that God has allowed me to live in this period to see what is unfolding. And I’m happy that He’s allowed me to be in Memphis.

I can remember — I can remember when Negroes were just going around as Ralph has said, so often, scratching where they didn’t itch, and laughing when they were not tickled. But that day is all over. We mean business now, and we are determined to gain our rightful place in God’s world.

And that’s all this whole thing is about. We aren’t engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying — We are saying that we are God’s children. And that we are God’s children, we don’t have to live like we are forced to live.

Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we’ve got to stay together. We’ve got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh’s court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that’s the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity.

Secondly, let us keep the issues where they are. The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we’ve got to keep attention on that. That’s always the problem with a little violence. You know what happened the other day, and the press dealt only with the window-breaking. I read the articles. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that one thousand, three hundred sanitation workers are on strike, and that Memphis is not being fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire need of a doctor. They didn’t get around to that.

Now we’re going to march again, and we’ve got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be — and force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God’s children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. That’s the issue. And we’ve got to say to the nation: We know how it’s coming out. For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory. We aren’t going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces; they don’t know what to do. I’ve seen them so often. I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle there, we would move out of the 16th Street Baptist Church day after day; by the hundreds we would move out. And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth, and they did come; but we just went before the dogs singing, “Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around.”

Bull Connor next would say, “Turn the fire hoses on.” And as I said to you the other night, Bull Connor didn’t know history. He knew a kind of physics that somehow didn’t relate to the transphysics that we knew about. And that was the fact that there was a certain kind of fire that no water could put out. And we went before the fire hoses; we had known water. If we were Baptist or some other denominations, we had been immersed. If we were Methodist, and some others, we had been sprinkled, but we knew water. That couldn’t stop us.

And we just went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and we’d go on before the water hoses and we would look at it, and we’d just go on singing “Over my head I see freedom in the air.” And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can. And they would throw us in, and old Bull would say, “Take ’em off,” and they did; and we would just go in the paddy wagon singing, “We Shall Overcome.”

And every now and then we’d get in jail, and we’d see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs. And there was a power there which Bull Connor couldn’t adjust to; and so we ended up transforming Bull into a steer, and we won our struggle in Birmingham. Now we’ve got to go on in Memphis just like that. I call upon you to be with us when we go out Monday.

Now about injunctions: We have an injunction and we’re going into court tomorrow morning to fight this illegal, unconstitutional injunction. All we say to America is, “Be true to what you said on paper.” If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand some of these illegal injunctions. Maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn’t committed themselves to that over there.

But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech.

Somewhere I read of the freedom of press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so just as I say, we aren’t going to let dogs or water hoses turn us around, we aren’t going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on.

We need all of you. And you know what’s beautiful to me is to see all of these ministers of the Gospel. It’s a marvelous picture. Who is it that is supposed to articulate the longings and aspirations of the people more than the preacher? Somehow the preacher must have a kind of fire shut up in his bones. And whenever injustice is around he tell it. Somehow the preacher must be an Amos, and saith, “When God speaks who can but prophesy?” Again with Amos, “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” Somehow the preacher must say with Jesus, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me,” and he’s anointed me to deal with the problems of the poor.”

And I want to commend the preachers, under the leadership of these noble men: James Lawson, one who has been in this struggle for many years; he’s been to jail for struggling; he’s been kicked out of Vanderbilt University for this struggle, but he’s still going on, fighting for the rights of his people. Reverend Ralph Jackson, Billy Kiles; I could just go right on down the list, but time will not permit.

But I want to thank all of them. And I want you to thank them, because so often, preachers aren’t concerned about anything but themselves. And I’m always happy to see a relevant ministry.

It’s all right to talk about “long white robes over yonder,” in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here! It’s all right to talk about “streets flowing with milk and honey,” but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can’t eat three square meals a day. It’s all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God’s preacher must talk about the new New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do.

Now the other thing we’ll have to do is this: Always anchor our external direct action with the power of economic withdrawal. Now, we are poor people. Individually, we are poor when you compare us with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively — that means all of us together — collectively we are richer than all the nations in the world, with the exception of nine. Did you ever think about that?

After you leave the United States, Soviet Russia, Great Britain, West Germany, France, and I could name the others, the American Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the world. We have an annual income of more than thirty billion dollars a year, which is more than all of the exports of the United States, and more than the national budget of Canada. Did you know that? That’s power right there, if we know how to pool it.

We don’t have to argue with anybody. We don’t have to curse and go around acting bad with our words. We don’t need any bricks and bottles. We don’t need any Molotov cocktails. We just need to go around to these stores, and to these massive industries in our country, and say, “God sent us by here, to say to you that you’re not treating his children right. And we’ve come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda fair treatment, where God’s children are concerned.

Now, if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that we must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you.”

And so, as a result of this, we are asking you tonight, to go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Go by and tell them not to buy Sealtest milk. Tell them not to buy — what is the other bread? — Wonder Bread. And what is the other bread company, Jesse? Tell them not to buy Hart’s bread. As Jesse Jackson has said, up to now, only the garbage men have been feeling pain; now we must kind of redistribute the pain.

We are choosing these companies because they haven’t been fair in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And then they can move on town — downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right.

But not only that, we’ve got to strengthen black institutions. I call upon you to take your money out of the banks downtown and deposit your money in Tri-State Bank. We want a “bank-in” movement in Memphis. Go by the savings and loan association. I’m not asking you something that we don’t do ourselves at SCLC. Judge Hooks and others will tell you that we have an account here in the savings and loan association from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

We are telling you to follow what we are doing. Put your money there. You have six or seven black insurance companies here in the city of Memphis. Take out your insurance there. We want to have an “insurance-in.”

Now these are some practical things that we can do. We begin the process of building a greater economic base. And at the same time, we are putting pressure where it really hurts. I ask you to follow through here.

Now, let me say as I move to my conclusion that we’ve got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end.

Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point in Memphis. We’ve got to see it through. And when we have our march, you need to be there. If it means leaving work, if it means leaving school — be there. Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together.

Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness. One day a man came to Jesus, and he wanted to raise some questions about some vital matters of life. At points he wanted to trick Jesus, and show him that he knew a little more than Jesus knew and throw him off base…. Now that question could have easily ended up in a philosophical and theological debate. But Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air, and placed it on a dangerous curve between Jerusalem and Jericho. And he talked about a certain man, who fell among thieves. You remember that a Levite and a priest passed by on the other side.

They didn’t stop to help him. And finally a man of another race came by. He got down from his beast, decided not to be compassionate by proxy. But he got down with him, administered first aid, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up saying, this was the good man, this was the great man, because he had the capacity to project the “I” into the “thou,” and to be concerned about his brother.

Now you know, we use our imagination a great deal to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn’t stop. At times we say they were busy going to a church meeting, an ecclesiastical gathering, and they had to get on down to Jerusalem so they wouldn’t be late for their meeting. At other times we would speculate that there was a religious law that “One who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch a human body twenty-four hours before the ceremony.” And every now and then we begin to wonder whether maybe they were not going down to Jerusalem — or down to Jericho, rather to organize a “Jericho Road Improvement Association.”

That’s a possibility. Maybe they felt that it was better to deal with the problem from the causal root, rather than to get bogged down with an individual effect.

But I’m going to tell you what my imagination tells me. It’s possible that those men were afraid. You see, the Jericho road is a dangerous road. I remember when Mrs. King and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And as soon as we got on that road, I said to my wife, “I can see why Jesus used this as the setting for his parable.” It’s a winding, meandering road. It’s really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 miles — or rather 1200 feet above sea level. And by the time you get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, you’re about 2200 feet below sea level. That’s a dangerous road. In the days of Jesus it came to be known as the “Bloody Pass.”

And you know, it’s possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it’s possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the priest asked — the first question that the Levite asked was, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”

That’s the question before you tonight. Not, “If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to my job. Not, “If I stop to help the sanitation workers what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?” The question is not, “If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?” The question is, “If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?” That’s the question.

Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God, once more, for allowing me to be here with you. You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up.

The only question I heard from her was, “Are you Martin Luther King?” And I was looking down writing, and I said, “Yes.” And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that’s punctured, your drowned in your own blood — that’s the end of you.

It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had merely sneezed, I would have died. Well, about four days later, they allowed me, after the operation, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital.

They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over the states and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I’ve forgotten what those telegrams said. I’d received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I’ve forgotten what that letter said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I’ll never forget it. It said simply,

“Dear Dr. King, I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School.”

And she said,

“While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I’m a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would have died. And I’m simply writing you to say that I’m so happy that you didn’t sneeze.”

And I want to say tonight — I want to say tonight that I too am happy that I didn’t sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at lunch counters. And I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream, and taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been around here in 1961, when we decided to take a ride for freedom and ended segregation in inter-state travel.

If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been around here in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can’t ride your back unless it is bent.

If I had sneezed — If I had sneezed I wouldn’t have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Bill.

If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have had a chance later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had.

If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been down in Selma, Alabama, to see the great Movement there.

If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been in Memphis to see a community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering.

I’m so happy that I didn’t sneeze.

And they were telling me –. Now, it doesn’t matter, now. It really doesn’t matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us.

The pilot said over the public address system, “We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with on the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we’ve had the plane protected and guarded all night.”

And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?

Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind.

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. 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!

And so I’m happy, tonight.

I’m not worried about anything.

I’m not fearing any man.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

Anyone find it interesting/hypocritical that the racist republicans supporting Trump are suddenly saying what a great american he was on his birthday? If Dr. King was still alive today saying what he said in the 60’s and 70’s they would no doubt be calling him a BLM terrorist.

Disagree. I’m a white boy as you like to call us, and I’m in Tennessee. We happened to love and appreciate Dr. King.

I hardly think you speak for the entire Republican Party.

On this day years ago, I spoke the final lines of Dr. King’s Promised Land speech in Memphis at a Unitarian church service. Indeed, Dr. King’s final sentences in Memphis still lift my spirit in deeply grateful tears. I’ve been to the Lorraine Motel, and prayed there. Dr. King taught me, showed us all, what true greatness is. Divine greatness.

The blessing of the Lord’s presence, is clear in the mind and heart of Brother Richard, as he has ears to hear, and eyes to see, how our Father used the humble vessel of MLK Jr. and lifted him to the stature of the greatest American of the last century. Yes, Divinely understood.

His father agreed with you. I think his father was a spiritually blind fool who was so impressed with the birthplace of Martin Luther and the great piety of the 97% Christian Nazi Germany that he renamed his son from Michael to Martin.

You discredit MLK Jr- and make it seem as if God did all the heavy lifting. The notion that God uses humans (other that Jesus) as vessels is incorrect from a Christian point of view- that would violate Free Will, among other things. Michael was so incredible because *despite* the fact that his father was blind, and his Father non-existent; and yet he still managed to overcome – and like Jesus, became even more powerful after he died.

Greatness is a subjective measurement, of course. I agree with you on your assessment- or at least think he shares that title with Albert Einstein- I actually think the two of them should share the title of Greatest Human of All Time- slightly edging out Jesus Christ, who would be #3. MLK Jr and Einstein had alot in common actually- both “fought” for civil rights in a non-violent / pacifist fashion, and also for workers rights- as both were passionate advocates of socialism. That is why Michael was killed, most likely- he was on the Poor People’s Campaign. Both managed to attract the rage of who I would call the most powerfully evil American of last century- J Edgar Hoover- the first and 48 year long Director of the FBI. Their FBI files were enormous, over 1500 pages. I actually have copies of them. Hoover was not alone in hating MLK Jr- many MANY other people thought of him as the greatest threat to the American way of life in his era. I’m just guessing the 4-6 million ex-Klan members would be on that list, as well as a large number of FBI agents and policemen. Michael was hated more than he was loved in his time- we wear the rose colored glasses of collective-fictitious nostalgia to think otherwise.

Just feel compelled to offer a rebuttal to some points:

-Connecting 1500’s Germany to 1938 Germany is not valid in any way, shape, or form.

-The concept that humans have to work for their salvation is negated by Jesus’ life and death; salvation is by grace, not works. Those who choose to help others is a perfect example of freewill, not a loss of freewill.

-Jesus was not purely human, but the only divine human who ever lived. The prophets, rabbis, and apostles served God, but were only humans who were granted their gifts by the Divine.

-However, I agree that greatness is subjective, but leading a movement that led to changing laws in order to free others from instituted oppression is arguably one of the greatest things one can do. Einstein furthered science, which is also pretty great, but he didn’t get stabbed or face fire hoses or get taken down by dogs, or march halfway across Alabama to draw attention to the plight of a minority group.

-I also agree that MLK was hated, but despite that he persisted and without seeking fame, gained it. That fame was not for his own personal gain but for that of a segment of our population who were collectively being held back.

…try as you might, you cannot separate the spiritual aspect of MLK’s efforts from the worldly results.

San Diegans can visit Cabrillo National Monument for free Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. The “fee-free” day is in effect for all national parks, providing “a great opportunity to visit a new place or an old favorite,” the National Park Service said.

Typically it costs $20 to enter in a vehicle, and $10 for walkers and cyclists.

The FBI considered MLK Jr a possible “Messiah” – and the most dangerous person alive- ostensibly because he was both popular and a socialist. (Forsooth!) The Feds smeared his name both before and after his assassination. They tried to blackmail him into committing suicide. This is from the King Institute, in Stanford:

In August 1967, the FBI created a COINTELPRO against “Black Nationalist–Hate Groups,” which targeted SCLC, King, and other civil rights leaders. King was identified as a target because the FBI believed that he could become a “messiah” who could unify black nationalists “should he abandon his supposed ‘obedience’ to ‘white liberal doctrines’ (nonviolence) and embrace black nationalism” (Senate Select Committee, 180). In the last few months of King’s life, the FBI intensified its efforts to discredit him and to “neutralize” SCLC (Senate Select Committee, 180).

According to a U.S. Senate Committee convened in the 1970s to investigate the FBI’s domestic intelligence operations, the impact of the FBI’s efforts to discredit SCLC and King on the civil rights movement “is unquestionable” (Senate Select Committee, 183).

J. Edgar Hoover deployed agents to find subversive material on King, and Robert Kennedy authorized wiretaps on King’s home and Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) offices in October 1963. Even after the assassination, Hoover had his analysts and agents compile defamatory statements, both fictitious and true- then deployed these in various avenues in order to smear MLK Jr’s name.

So interesting, good to keep in mind.

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65 People and Their Famous Last Words

“I’m going to the bathroom to read.”

By Chris Higgins | Jul 5, 2023, 6:42 PM EDT

Poignant, funny, sad, weird, or mean—last words can make quite the impact as we shuffle off the stage of life. Here are 65 notable examples.

1. Joseph Wright

Wright, a linguist, edited the English Dialect Dictionary . His last word? “Dictionary.”

Italian artist Raphael’s last word was simply “happy.”

3. Gustav Mahler

Composer Gustav Mahler died in bed, conducting an imaginary orchestra. His last word was “Mozart!”

4. Bessie Smith

Blues singer Bessie Smith died saying, “I’m going, but I’m going in the name of the Lord.”

5. Jean-Philippe Rameau

Composer Jean-Philippe Rameau objected to a song sung at his bedside. He said, “What the devil do you mean to sing to me, priest? You are out of tune.”

6. Frank Sinatra

Ol’ Blue Eyes died after saying, “I’m losing.”

7. George Orwell

George Orwell ’s last written words were, “At 50, everyone has the face he deserves.” The 1984 author—whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair —died at age 46.

8. William Seward

William Henry Seward , U.S. secretary of state and architect of the Alaska Purchase, was asked if he had any final words. He replied, “Nothing, only ‘love one another.’”

9. Jean-Paul Sartre

Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre turned to his partner Simone de Beauvoir and said, “I love you very much, my dear Beaver” (her nickname , which was based partly on her surname and partly on her busy work ethic).

10. Margaret Sanger

Birth control advocate Margaret Sanger ’s last words were, “A party! Let’s have a party.”

More Articles About Famous Last Words:

11. Rainer Maria Rilke

The poet Rainer Maria Rilke said, “I don’t want the doctor’s death. I want to have my own freedom.”

12. Nostradamus

Nostradamus predicted, “Tomorrow, at sunrise, I shall no longer be here.” He was right.

13. Vladimir Nabokov

Author Vladimir Nabokov was also an entomologist, particularly interested in butterflies. His last words: “A certain butterfly is already on the wing.”

14. Herman Melville

Moby-Dick author Herman Melville died saying, “God bless Captain Vere!” referencing his then-unpublished novel Billy Budd , found in a breadbox after he died.

15. Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette stepped on her executioner’s foot on her way to the guillotine. Her last words: “Pardonnez-moi, monsieur.”

16. Richard B. Mellon

Richard B. Mellon, a multimillionaire, was the president of Alcoa. He and his brother Andrew had a little game of tag going for about seven decades. When Richard was on his deathbed, he called his brother over and whispered, “Last tag.” Andrew remained “it” for four years, until he died.

17. Harriet Tubman

When Harriet Tubman was dying in 1913, she gathered her family around and they sang together; some have said her last words were “Swing low, sweet chariot.” But there was an exchange of words after the beautiful musical moment. Her actual last words were, “Give my love to the churches. Tell the women to stand firm. I go to prepare a place for you.”

18. Isaac Newton

When Sir Isaac Newton died, he was humble. He said, “I don’t know what I may seem to the world. But as to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore and diverting myself now and then in finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than the ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”

19. Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was also overly modest, saying, “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.” The Mona Lisa isn’t good enough?

20. Louise-Marie-Thérèse de Saint Maurice

The Comtesse de Vercellis let one rip while she was dying. She said, “Good. A woman who can fart is not dead.”

21. Buddy Rich

Drummer Buddy Rich died after surgery in 1987. As he was being prepped for surgery, a nurse asked him, “Is there anything you can’t take?” Rich replied, “Yeah, country music.”

22. Johnny Ace

Johnny Ace, an R&B singer, died in 1954 while playing with a pistol during a break in his concert set. His last words were, “I’ll show you that it won’t shoot.”

23. Richard Feynman

The physicist, author, musician, professor, and traveler died in Los Angeles in 1988. His last words? “This dying is boring.”

24. Benjamin Franklin

As Benjamin Franklin lay dying at the age of 84, his daughter told him to change position in bed so he could breathe more easily. Franklin’s last words were, “A dying man can do nothing easy.”

25. Albert Abraham Michelson

Albert Abraham Michelson dedicated his life to measuring the speed of light and was the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Physics. Even as he was dying at age 78, he was measuring light. He wrote in his log: “The following is a report on the measurement of the velocity of light made at the Irvine Ranch, near Santa Ana, California, during the period of September 1929 to—.”

26. Thomas B. Moran

Thomas B. Moran was a pickpocket, known by the nickname “Butterfingers.” He reportedly stole as many as 50,000 wallets in his career. He died in Miami in 1971, and his last words were, “I’ve never forgiven that smart-alecky reporter who named me Butterfingers. To me, it’s not funny.”

27. James W. Rodgers

Murderer James W. Rodgers was put in front of a firing squad in Utah and asked if he had a last request. He replied, “Bring me a bullet-proof vest.”

28. Charles “Lucky” Luciano

Lucky Luciano was a mob leader who helped the U.S. work with the Sicilian Mafia during World War II in exchange for a reduced prison sentence. His last words were, “Tell Georgie I want to get in the movies one way or another.” And it worked: His life story is told in the movies Lucky Luciano , The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano , and many more.

29. John Arthur Spenkelink

John Arthur Spenkelink was executed in Florida in 1979. He spent his final days writing these last words on various pieces of mail: “Capital punishment means those without the capital get the punishment.”

30. Thomas J. Grasso

Convicted murderer Thomas J. Grasso used his last words to complain about his last meal. He said, “I did not get my Spaghetti-O’s; I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this.”

31. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , who wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories, died at age 71 in his garden. He turned to his wife and said, “You are wonderful,” then clutched his chest and died.

32. T.S. Eliot

Writer T.S. Eliot was only able to whisper one word as he died: “Valerie,” the name of his wife.

33. W.C. Fields

Actor and comedian W.C. Fields died in 1946. His last words: “God damn the whole friggin’ world and everyone in it but you, Carlotta.” He was speaking to Carlotta Monti, his longtime mistress.

34. Percy Grainger

Percy Grainger was an Australian composer who, with his dying words, told his wife Ella, “You’re the only one I like.”

35. Michael Landon

Actor Michael Landon, best known for Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven , died of cancer in 1991. His family gathered around his bed, and his son said it was time to move on. Landon said, “You’re right. It’s time. I love you all.”

36. Vince Lombardi

Football coach Vince Lombardi died of cancer in 1970. As he died, Lombardi turned to his wife Marie and said, “Happy anniversary. I love you.”

37. O.O. McIntyre

O.O. McIntyre was an American reporter. He died at age 53, and spoke his last words to his wife Maybelle: “Snooks, will you please turn this way. I like to look at your face.”

38. Edward R. Murrow

When he was 57, Edward R. Murrow died while patting his wife’s hand. He said, “Well, Jan, we were lucky at that.”

39. John Wayne

John Wayne died at age 72 in L.A. He turned to his wife and said, “Of course I know who you are. You’re my girl. I love you.”

40. Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart’s wife Lauren Bacall had to leave the house to pick up their kids. Bogart said, “Goodbye, kid. Hurry back.” Not quite, “Here's looking at you, kid,” but close.

41. Ernest Hemingway

Before Ernest Hemingway died by suicide, he told his wife Mary, “Goodnight, my kitten.”

42. Donald O’Connor

O'Connor was a singer, dancer, and actor known for his role in Singin' in the Rain . He also hosted the Academy Awards in 1954. O’Connor died at age 78 with his family gathered around him. He joked, “I’d like to thank the Academy for my lifetime achievement award that I will eventually get.” He still hasn’t gotten one .

43. Eugene O’Neill

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eugene O’Neill was born in a room at the Broadway Hotel on what is now Times Square. He died at age 65 in a Boston hotel. His last words? “I knew it! I knew it! Born in a hotel room and, goddamn it, dying in a hotel room.”

44. Jack Soo

Jack Soo was an actor on the TV series Barney Miller . On the show, there was a running gag about Soo’s character making crappy coffee in the office. Soo developed cancer of the esophagus, and when was being wheeled into an operating room, he joked to Barney Miller co-star Hal Linden, “It must have been the coffee.” In a tribute episode, cast members raised coffee cups in Soo’s memory.

45. Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker knew how to party. She sang, danced, and acted. She adopted a dozen kids and lived in Paris. On the last night of her life, she left a party being held in her honor, saying, “Oh, you young people act like old men. You are no fun.” Baker’s remains were entombed in Monaco after her 1975 death; in late 2021, she became the first Black woman to be inducted into the Panthéon . ( According to The New York Times, “The coffin carried soil from the United States, France and Monaco—places that shaped Ms. Baker’s life. Her body, at the request of the family, will stay in Monaco.”)

46. Charles Gussman

Gussman was a writer and TV announcer who wrote the pilot episode of Days of Our Lives , among other shows. As he became ill, he said he wanted his last words to be memorable. When his daughter reminded him of this, he gently removed his oxygen mask and whispered: “And now for a final word from our sponsor—.”

47. Groucho Marx

When Groucho Marx was dying, he let out one last quip: “This is no way to live!”

48. Chico Marx

Groucho’s brother Leonard, who was better known as Chico Marx, gave instructions to his wife as his last words: “Remember, Honey, don’t forget what I told you. Put in my coffin a deck of cards, a mashie niblick, and a pretty blonde.” A “mashie niblick” is a type of golf club.

49. Wilson Mizner

Wilson Mizner was best known for his bon mots—including the line, “Be nice to people on the way up because you’ll meet the same people on the way down”—though he was a successful playwright, too. When Mizner was on his deathbed, a priest said, “I’m sure you want to talk to me.” Mizner told the priest, “Why should I talk to you? I’ve just been talking to your boss.”

50. Alfred Hitchcock

As he was dying, Alfred Hitchcock said, “One never knows the ending. One has to die to know exactly what happens after death, although Catholics have their hopes.”

51. Pete Maravich

Basketball great “Pistol" Pete Maravich collapsed during a pickup game. His last words: “I feel great.”

52. Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Ilych Lenin’s last words were, “Good dog.” (Technically, he said vot sobaka .) He said this to a dog that brought him a dead bird.

53. Lead Belly

Blues guitarist Huddie William Ledbetter, a.k.a. Lead Belly, said, “Doctor, if I put this here guitar down now, I ain’t never gonna wake up.” And he was right.

54. Thomas Fantet de Lagny

Thomas Fantet de Lagny was a mathematician. On his deathbed, he was asked, “What is the square of 12?” His last words: “One hundred and forty-four.”

55. Derek Jarman

Derek Jarman was an artist, writer, and filmmaker. His last words were “I want the world to be filled with white fluffy duckies.”

56. Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill ’s last words were, “I’m bored with it all.”

57. Joan Crawford

Actress Joan Crawford yelled at her housekeeper, who was praying as Crawford died. Crawford said, “Damn it! Don’t you dare ask God to help me!”

58. Bo Diddley

Bo Diddley died giving a thumbs-up as he listened to the song “Walk Around Heaven.” His last word was “Wow.”

59. Moe Berg

Baseball player “Moe” Berg’s last words: “How did the Mets do today?” (For the record, they won.)

60. Emily Dickinson

The poet ’s last words were, “I must go in, for the fog is rising.” Nearly as poetic as “Because I could not stop for Death – / He kindly stopped for me – / The Carriage held but just Ourselves – / And Immortality.”

61. Truman Capote

As Truman Capote —who was known to throw some pretty fierce insults —lay dying, he repeated, “Mama—Mama—Mama.”

62. James Brown

The hardest-working man in show business said, “I’m going away tonight.”

63. Joseph Henry Green

Surgeon Joseph Henry Green was checking his own pulse as he lay dying. His last word: “Stopped.”

64. Steve Jobs

According to Steve Jobs ’s sister Mona, the Apple founder’s last words were, “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.”

65. Elvis Presley

In her 2014 memoir , Ginger Alden revealed then-fiancé Elvis Presley ’s final words before his death in 1977. During a night of sleeplessness, Presley told Alden, “I’m going to the bathroom to read.”

Source: Last Words of Notable People : Final Words of More than 3500 Noteworthy People Throughout History

A version of this story ran in 2016; it has been updated for 2023.

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Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech in its entirety

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. addresses the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., where he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech on Aug. 28, 1963, as part of the March on Washington. AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. addresses the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., where he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech on Aug. 28, 1963, as part of the March on Washington.

Monday marks Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Below is a transcript of his celebrated "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered on Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. NPR's Talk of the Nation aired the speech in 2010 — listen to that broadcast at the audio link above.

Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders gather before a rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963, in Washington. National Archives/Hulton Archive via Getty Images hide caption

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.: Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check.

Code Switch

The power of martin luther king jr.'s anger.

When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men — yes, Black men as well as white men — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.

Martin Luther King is not your mascot

We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.

Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

Civil rights protesters march from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. Kurt Severin/Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. 1963 is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.

There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

Throughline

Bayard rustin: the man behind the march on washington (2021).

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny.

And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, when will you be satisfied? We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.

We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: for whites only.

We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.

No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

How The Voting Rights Act Came To Be And How It's Changed

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

People clap and sing along to a freedom song between speeches at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Express Newspapers via Getty Images hide caption

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right down in Alabama little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

Nikole Hannah-Jones on the power of collective memory

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This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning: My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that, let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.

Correction Jan. 15, 2024

A previous version of this transcript included the line, "We have also come to his hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now." The correct wording is "We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now."

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Long-Lasting Last Words

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"Funny how he's still talking, I could've sworn I hit a lung. [Vegeta coughs up blood] Oh, there it is." — Freeza , Dragon Ball Z Abridged

Long-Lasting Last Words is a trope that occurs when a character's Final Speech lasts an impossibly long time, despite the fact that they have sustained a fatal wound and are supposed to be dying soon.

It is sometimes done intentionally for comedic effect and other times, it's just the writers trying to be dramatic... trying being the key word.

Note that, because the character has usually sustained serious injuries, a lot of pausing, teeth-gritting heavy breathing, and groaning and moaning between every few words is to be expected, and also expect the character to speak in their "shot in the guts" dying voice, and if it's Played for Laughs they will sometimes come back to life after they seemingly died for a few times.

Subtrope of Last Words , parody of Final Speech . See also Talking Is a Free Action . Contrast Inverse Dialogue/Death Rule , when a dying, important character gets several lines of dialogue before kicking it. See Wring Every Last Drop out of Him for deaths that take so long that the audience no longer cares. For other impossible lengths of time tropes, see Longest Pregnancy Ever , and Take Your Time .

Because this is a Death Trope , expect unmarked spoilers ahead. You Have Been Warned .

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• In Code Geass , Shirley Fenette is fatally shot by Rolo and is slowly bleeding to death, yet still has enough energy to tell her beloved Lelouch Lamperouge how she feels in a Final Speech . For realism, she dies mid-sentence as she repeatedly states how it doesn't matter if she were reborn; she'd keep falling for him no matter what. She goes on for almost two whole minutes before succumbing to her injury.
• In Dragon Ball Z , Vegeta dies when his heart is pierced by Frieza 's Death Beam. However, the former spends his last next minutes telling Goku about his mother planet and who doomed it, and reminding him he's the only Saiyan alive. Frieza comments on how did he say that many words, despite his heart not functioning anymore.
• In Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans , Orga is shot dozens of times, but somehow finds the strength to make a two minute speech before he falls over dead.
• Something like this happening in Amulet : The Stonekeeper . The protagonists' great (maybe insert a couple more greats here) grandfather basically chooses to give a long, drawn-out speech about how they have to protect Yon Magical MacGuffin Stone or the world will be in terrible peril etc. etc. then the lights go off. It was obviously intended to be serious but it just looks silly.
• Played for Laughs in Avengers Academy when Hercules pretends to be vanquished in a fight, but his pre-passing-out monologue goes on forever .
• Likewise played for laughs in "The Day the Law Died" storyline of Judge Dredd , where Judge Schmaltz not only has a moderately long death speech (as Griffin lampshades afterwards), but also gets back up even after seemingly dying for a bit more. Kelso: Typical of Schmaltz. Always wanted to have the last word!
• X-Men Red (2022) : After getting his heart torn out in Judgment Day , Magneto collapses after Uranos is defeated, but still manages to give a lengthy speech to Ororo before finally dying. And this after she tells him to not give her a soliloquy.
• Seen in Shrek the Third when Fiona's father "croaks" in the beginning of the movie. Every time it seems like he has died, Puss takes his hat off only to put it back on when the king revealed he hasn't died yet.
• Parodied in the first Scary Godmother movie by Harry, a very hammy werewolf who is trying to scare children. The joke is that the monsters are trying to convince some bullies that Hannah, the protagonist, is brave and can kill monsters with her flashlight. Harry takes so long to "die," while making a performance worthy of Shatner himself that other characters are openly giving non-verbal signs for him to hurry up.
• In the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, the second vampire staked by Buffy spends the rest of the movie writhing around, even to the end credits.
• Played for Laughs in Deadpool 2 , when Deadpool gets shot and lays dying, surrounded by his teammates. He happily lampshades it during his speech, quipping that "It's so hard to go."
• Master Tang from Kung Pow! Enter the Fist seemingly dies a few times during his dying last words. He lampshades this saying someone is not dead just because the say "aughhcchc" and lolls his head to the side like he died before resuming.
• Double Indemnity : Protagonist Walter Neff narrates the entire story in flashback while dying from a gunshot wound.
• Parodied in The Mask , where after a shootout, The Mask stumbles over to the man that shot him, and dramatically enacts several death scenes one after another, while the shooter blubbers. After The Mask "dies", he gets handed an Oscar from an off-screen hand while a miniature audience applauds.
• It wasn't intended this way but a lot of people took the death of Trinity in The Matrix Revolutions this way, because her Final Speech lasts several minutes, despite her being on death's door — complete with multiple steel rebar spikes completely through her lungs. Breathing, let alone speaking, should be at the bottom of the list at that point.
• From Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs :
• From Dave Barry Does Japan when Dave goes to a kabuki play:
• Discworld : The death of opera director Salzella in Maskerade goes on, and on, and on for a long time... mostly because he keeps getting back up to rant about some other hare-brained opera cliché he hates. Naturally, he keels over for good in the middle of complaining about this very trope. Of course, the thrust that killed him was stage fighting and delivered to empty space between his arm and torso. He would probably have complained about that, had he noticed.
• Hector delivers a 500 line monologue in the Iliad after being stabbed in the neck .
• In Thebe and the Angry Red Eye , Tout is an Intrepid Reporter who corresponds with 58 different school kids as she serves on a Cool Starship . When it's clear that the voyage is destined for disaster and all the astronauts are making Final Speeches to Earth, she insists on saying individual goodbyes to each one of her pen pals.
• The Tenth Doctor takes the last half-hour of " The End of Time " to die. Justified, as he's holding back from regenerating so that he can visit all his companions one last time before he becomes the Eleventh Doctor.
• This record was surpassed by the Twelfth Doctor, who was shot by a Cyberman at the end of " The Doctor Falls " and held back his regeneration all the Christmas Episode of " Twice Upon a Time " where he met and teamed-up with his first incarnation. Even his Final Speech at the end of the episode when he finally let himself die to be regenerated lasts like 10 minutes .
• Referenced in an episode of Law & Order when Lupo and Bernard ask Dr. Rodgers if a victim could have talked before dying from a gunshot. Rodgers: You mean like in a movie, when a guy gets shot and gives a whole long speech before he dies? Bernard: Yeah. Like that. Rodgers: Yes. Bernard: Yes? Rodgers: Yes. Kline was shot in the torso. Wound like that, if the bullet doesn't hit your heart or a major vessel, while you're bleeding out you could talk for half an hour.
• There was a Saturday Night Live sketch from the mid-90s that took place at a dinner theater. One of the players, played by Chris Farley , dragged out his death for a very long time, annoying the other actors.
• Happens in The Adventure Zone when Magic Brian is killed by being kicked into a deep pit - and apparently it is a very deep pit because Griffin voices his increasingly soft yelling for a good minute before he finally goes quiet.
• "Tell Laura I Love Her" is lampshaded in a scene in the Jukebox Musical From a Jack to a King (a parody of Macbeth set in the early-sixties pre-Beatles British rock 'n' roll scene), where the Duncan analogue is murdered and sings the entire song, with the MacBeth and Lady MacBeth analogues Breaking the Fourth Wall to show their increasing boredom and impatience.
• The ballet Giselle goes to intermission with a lengthy choreographed death scene guaranteed to make audiences check their watches.
• Played for Black Comedy in Urinetown , when Bobby Strong is " sent to Urinetown " , he manages to give enough last words to make an entire song.
• One of the most glaring is Antony after his (bungled) suicide in Antony and Cleopatra (forty-one lines spread over two scenes, with lengthy speeches by other characters as well).
• The death of Mercutio (several fairly long prose speeches) in Romeo and Juliet goes on a bit too.
• Parodied in A Midsummer Night's Dream . The death scene in the Show Within a Show , an amateur production of Pyramus and Thisbe for the wedding of the Duke of Athens, goes on for quite a while after Pyramus stabs himself in the armpit with a wooden sword.
• In Othello , Desdemona is able to declare how she was falsely murdered and that her death is her own fault to exonerate Othello in her dying breaths. This is after he asphyxiates her via Vorpal Pillow .
• Laertes dies fairly quickly after being sliced with a poisoned foil in Hamlet . The titular character gets a fairly lengthy speech before dying of the same poison.
• Assassin's Creed : In the first game , when an enemy is killed, the Animus system makes that every death comes with a final speech that lasts more than the expected. This was averted and even lampshaded in the second game where the enemy killed just says something like "You were expecting a confession?" before dying.
• EarthBound (1994) : Buzz Buzz gives a decent speech about what you should do next as he is dying. And he offers to repeat it .
• Claves' death speech in Eternal Sonata takes roughly 10 minutes, more than enough time to do a chore or two while she slowly bleeds( ? ) out.
• Similarly, in the predecessor Ocarina of Time , the Great Deku Tree manages to warn Link about Ganondorf, tell him the Creation Myth of Hyrule to explain what's so important about the Triforce, and send him on his way to meet Princess Zelda with the Kokiri Emerald, all during his death throes.
• A good number of the bosses (if not all of them), give a long Final Speech where they tell all about their lives, stories and such before dying, even when they were hit in vital points .
• It's not just the bosses, either. Emma Emmerich is stabbed through the stomach by Vamp in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty , and manages to hack into a dataframe while bleeding out. It's only when Otacon shows up and Emma can deliver a Dying Declaration of Love that she actually dies.
• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance takes this to another level, with most of its bosses giving extensive dying monologues while currently in hundreds of pieces .
• In Neverwinter Nights 2 , if the player is bored by Zeeairee's long ominous final speech, he can snap her neck to skip it.
• The Sam & Max: Freelance Police episode "The Mob, the Mole, and the Meatball" has Sam pretend to kill Max to maintain the illusion that he's under the boss's mind control. And Max, being a Psychopathic Manchild , drags it out as long as he can, even interrupting the boss when he thinks he's done.
• The third boss Cameo Leon's death quote isn't just long, but also said very quickly .
• Frost Tiger outright recites a poem after you deplete his health.
• Far Cry 5 's antagonists are all annoyingly long-winded, but Jacob is particularly annoying in his death scene, going on and on about past wars and fallen empires.
• Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords : After defeating Kreia, she lingers long enough to give a Motive Rant , acknowledge her hypocrisy, and give a long explanation as to the eventual fate of Exile's party members before expiring.
• In Fire Emblem Engage , this often happens with characters' death scenes. For example, the protagonist Alear's mother, Queen Lumera, is fatally wounded at the end of the third chapter, but lingers for about five minutes to give a long Final Speech to her child.
• Doki Doki Literature Club! : After Yuri kills herself, the player stays with her until she dies... which takes the entire weekend, while she continuously has dialogue full of garbage characters, as if she's trying to have some last words but is too corrupted to say them.
• In Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth , Haku dies shortly before the end of the game from overusing his power. Despite one arm already having disintegrated from his final attack, he spends a over 20 minutes giving his goodbyes to every individual member of the main cast before the rest of his body succumbs.
• In How Not to Run a Webcomic , Colby Purcell parodies this trope using the lead characters of his webcomic Lint . The dying Bactine lies with her head in her lover Sangwine's lap and makes a big speech despite (as Sangwine lampshades) having three iron poles in her torso. Then this exchange happens: Bactine: Oh, Sangwine! Before I sleep in your embrace at last... I have a dread secret I must tell you... Sangwine: JUST DIE, ALREADY!!! Bactine: There is a key hidden in the third nook to the right in the back of the den of my father's...
• Homestuck In the "Game Over" segment, Terezi gives John detailed instructions in how to fix the timeline, then draws a remarkably accurate Chalk Outline before keeling over dead in it.
• In the Barats and Bereta video parodying death tropes, the "bad acting bullets" causes several cases of drawn out deaths.
• Lampshaded in Dragon Ball Z Abridged when partway through Vegeta's Dying Speech , Freeza wonders how he's still talking as he shot Vegeta through the lung.
• Cao Cao takes so long to set his affairs in order on his deathbed in Farce of the Three Kingdoms that the narrator eventually steps in and makes him get on with it.
• Parodied in Futurama when the cast fake gender-swapped Bender's soap-opera-style death in order to get her out of marrying Calculon: "Coilette" gives a very long speech before finally "dying."
• It was spoofed in South Park , where Philip of the Terrance and Philip duo had retired from TV work to do Shakespeare. The boys find him acting out Hamlet and catch the ending seemingly in fast forward. Philip, who plays Hamlet, still needs about 20 seconds to say what he wants before he dies.
• In The Venture Brothers , a mook thinks he's dying slowly, and guilt trips Brock into staying with him and singing to him until he does die.
• Looney Tunes serves as the inspiration for the Mask scene listed above; Bugs Bunny has done the parody "long dramatic death scene" bit at least once, followed by him standing up to an applauding crowd and accepting an award.
• In 1935, New York Kosher Nostra mobster "Dutch" Schultz lingered for twenty-two hours after being shot in a restaurant men's room . His delirious ramblings were taken down by police officers who hoped that he would say something useful to them, and fascinated several twentieth-century writers.
• Supposedly, King and High Priest Judah Aristobulus I of Judea died in this manner. After murdering his brother and mother note  When his powerful father John Hyrcanus—High Priest and leader of Judea—died, Aristobulus turned Judah into a monarchy. He had all his brothers imprisoned, save for Antigonus whom Aristobulus loved . When Aristobulus' mother opposed his authority, he had her imprisoned and had her starved to death. One year into Aristobulus' reign, he grew seriously sick and had Antigonus go to Jerusalem in his stead for the feast of Sukkoth . Aristobulus later received false reports that Antigonus had rallied a large company of soldiers and was returning to kill him. In actuality, they were just bodyguards he was worshiping at the temple with. Not wanting to kill his beloved brother, Aristobulus told messengers to tell Antigonus to return unarmed, or else his guards would have him put to death. Aristobulus' queen, however, conspired against Antigonus and had the messengers tell him to impress everyone by returning in a full suit of armor. Antigonus did so, and was killed by his brother's bodyguard at the base of Strato's Tower , Aristobulus was so overwrought with guilt that he began to vomit out large amounts of blood—blood loss would eventually take his life. Before he died, however, he gave a speech lamenting his fate. Citation  Josephus, The Jewish War , Book 1, lines 70-84 Aristobulus: "My lawless deeds, then, were not destined to escape God's mighty eye; swift retribution pursues me for my kinsman's blood. How long, most shameless body, wilt thou detain the soul that is sentenced to a brother's and mother's vengeance? How long shall I make them drop-by-drop libations of my blood? Let them take it all at once, and let heaven cease to mock them with these dribbling offerings of my entrails."
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Transcript: Morgan Freeman Reads the Last Words of John Lewis

Into America

Morgan Freeman Reads the Last Words of John Lewis

Trymaine Lee: The late civil rights icon and Georgia representative John Lewis was laid to rest on Thursday. But he had one final thing to say. John Lewis's last words appeared in the New York Times in an essay titled, "Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation."

Lee: John Lewis wrote the essay shortly before his death, and requested that it be published on the day of his funeral. (MUSIC) I'm Trymaine Lee, and this is Into America. Today, we're sharing those words read by a friend and admirer of John Lewis, Morgan Freeman, on MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell.

Morgan Freeman: "While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division.

Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity. That is why I had to visit Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, though I was admitted to the hospital the following day.

I just had to see and feel it for myself that, after many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on. Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland, and Breonna Taylor. He was 14 when he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time.

I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me. In those days, fear constrained us like an imaginary prison, and troubling thoughts of potential brutality committed for no understandable reason were the bars.

Though I was surrounded by two loving parents, plenty of brothers, sisters and cousins, their love could not protect me from the unholy oppression waiting just outside that family circle. Unchecked, unrestrained violence and government-sanctioned terror had the power to turn a simple stroll to the store for some Skittles or an innocent morning jog down a lonesome country road into a nightmare.

If we are to survive as one unified nation, we must discover what so readily takes root in our hearts that could rob Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina of her brightest and best, shoot unwitting concertgoers in Las Vegas and choke to death the hopes and dreams of a gifted violinist like Elijah McClain.

Like so many young people today, I was searching for a way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio. He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice.

He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state.

It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself. Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.

Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it. You must also study and learn the lessons of history because humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching, existential struggle for a very long time.

People on every continent have stood in your shoes, through decades and centuries before you. The truth does not change, and that is why the answers worked out long ago can help you find solutions to the challenges of our time. Continue to build union between movements stretching across the globe because we must put away our willingness to profit from the exploitation of others.

Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way.

Now it is your turn to let freedom ring. When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide."

Lee: That was Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman, reading the last words of his friend, John Lewis. Into America will be back on Monday.

Read the Full Transcript of President Barack Obama’s Farewell Speech

J ust over eight years ago, on November 4, 2008, Barack Obama took the stage in his hometown of Chicago on the occasion of a triumph: he had been elected by the American people as the 44th president of the United States, and the first African-American to take the nation’s highest office.

On Tuesday night, he returned to the stage in his hometown, this time to say goodbye. In ten days, he will leave the White House; Donald Trump will take his spot. But despite the cynicism from some about this prospect, Obama’s remarks on Tuesday — his final address to the nation — was, once again, one of hope . He spoke of the myriad accomplishments of his two-term presidency: the achievement of marriage equality, consistent job growth, the expansion of healthcare, and the normalization of relations with Cuba, to name a few. He also urged his fellow citizens to uphold American values. “Our democracy is threatened when any of us take it for granted,” he said.

The full transcript of his speech is below.

[*] OBAMA: Hello Skybrook! (APPLAUSE) It’s good to be home! (APPLAUSE) Thank you, everybody! (APPLAUSE) Thank you. (APPLAUSE) Thank you. (APPLAUSE) Thank you so much, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. (APPLAUSE) It’s good to be home. Thank you. (APPLAUSE) We’re on live TV here, I’ve got to move. (APPLAUSE) You can tell that I’m a lame duck, because nobody is following instructions. (LAUGHTER) Everybody have a seat. My fellow Americans, Michelle and I have been so touched by all the well-wishes that we’ve received over the past few weeks. But tonight it’s my turn to say thanks. Whether we have seen eye-to-eye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the American people — in living rooms and in schools; at farms and on factory floors; at diners and on distant military outposts — those conversations are what have kept me honest, and kept me inspired, and kept me going. And every day, I have learned from you. You made me a better president, and you made me a better man. So I first came to Chicago when I was in my early twenties, and I was still trying to figure out who I was; still searching for a purpose to my life. And it was a neighborhood not far from here where I began working with church groups in the shadows of closed steel mills. It was on these streets where I witnessed the power of faith, and the quiet dignity of working people in the face of struggle and loss. (CROWD CHANTING “FOUR MORE YEARS”) I can’t do that. Now this is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, and they get engaged, and they come together to demand it. After eight years as your president, I still believe that. And it’s not just my belief. It’s the beating heart of our American idea — our bold experiment in self-government. It’s the conviction that we are all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It’s the insistence that these rights, while self-evident, have never been self-executing; that We, the People, through the instrument of our democracy, can form a more perfect union. What a radical idea, the great gift that our Founders gave to us. The freedom to chase our individual dreams through our sweat, and toil, and imagination — and the imperative to strive together as well, to achieve a common good, a greater good. For 240 years, our nation’s call to citizenship has given work and purpose to each new generation. It’s what led patriots to choose republic over tyranny, pioneers to trek west, slaves to brave that makeshift railroad to freedom. It’s what pulled immigrants and refugees across oceans and the Rio Grande. It’s what pushed women to reach for the ballot. It’s what powered workers to organize. It’s why GIs gave their lives at Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima; Iraq and Afghanistan — and why men and women from Selma to Stonewall were prepared to give theirs as well. (APPLAUSE) So that’s what we mean when we say America is exceptional. Not that our nation has been flawless from the start, but that we have shown the capacity to change, and make life better for those who follow. Yes, our progress has been uneven. The work of democracy has always been hard. It has been contentious. Sometimes it has been bloody. For every two steps forward, it often feels we take one step back. But the long sweep of America has been defined by forward motion, a constant widening of our founding creed to embrace all, and not just some. (APPLAUSE) If I had told you eight years ago that America would reverse a great recession, reboot our auto industry, and unleash the longest stretch of job creation in our history — if I had told you that we would open up a new chapter with the Cuban people, shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program without firing a shot, take out the mastermind of 9-11 — if I had told you that we would win marriage equality and secure the right to health insurance for another 20 million of our fellow citizens — if I had told you all that, you might have said our sights were set a little too high. But that’s what we did. That’s what you did. You were the change. The answer to people’s hopes and, because of you, by almost every measure, America is a better, stronger place than it was when we started. In 10 days the world will witness a hallmark of our democracy. No, no, no, no, no. The peaceful transfer of power from one freely-elected President to the next. I committed to President-Elect Trump that my administration would ensure the smoothest possible transition, just as President Bush did for me. Because it’s up to all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we still face. We have what we need to do so. We have everything we need to meet those challenges. After all, we remain the wealthiest, most powerful, and most respected nation on earth. Our youth, our drive, our diversity and openness, our boundless capacity for risk and reinvention means that the future should be ours. But that potential will only be realized if our democracy works. Only if our politics better reflects the decency of our people. Only if all of us, regardless of party affiliation or particular interests help restore the sense of common purpose that we so badly need right now. And that’s what I want to focus on tonight, the state of our democracy. Understand democracy does not require uniformity. Our founders argued, they quarreled, and eventually they compromised. They expected us to do the same. But they knew that democracy does require a basic sense of solidarity. The idea that, for all our outward differences, we’re all in this together, that we rise or fall as one. There have been moments throughout our history that threatened that solidarity. And the beginning of this century has been one of those times. A shrinking world, growing inequality, demographic change, and the specter of terrorism. These forces haven’t just tested our security and our prosperity, but are testing our democracy as well. And how we meet these challenges to our democracy will determine our ability to educate our kids and create good jobs and protect our homeland. In other words, it will determine our future. To begin with, our democracy won’t work without a sense that everyone has economic opportunity. (APPLAUSE) And the good news is that today the economy is growing again. Wages, incomes, home values and retirement accounts are all rising again. Poverty is falling again. (APPLAUSE) The wealthy are paying a fair share of taxes. Even as the stock market shatters records, the unemployment rate is near a 10-year low. The uninsured rate has never, ever been lower. (APPLAUSE) Health care costs are rising at the slowest rate in 50 years. And I’ve said, and I mean it, anyone can put together a plan that is demonstrably better than the improvements we’ve made to our health care system, that covers as many people at less cost, I will publicly support it. (APPLAUSE) Because that, after all, is why we serve. Not to score points or take credit. But to make people’s lives better. (APPLAUSE) But, for all the real progress that we’ve made, we know it’s not enough. Our economy doesn’t work as well or grow as fast when a few prosper at the expense of a growing middle class, and ladders for folks who want to get into the middle class. (APPLAUSE) That’s the economic argument. But stark inequality is also corrosive to our democratic idea. While the top 1 percent has amassed a bigger share of wealth and income, too many of our families in inner cities and in rural counties have been left behind. The laid off factory worker, the waitress or health care worker who’s just barely getting by and struggling to pay the bills. Convinced that the game is fixed against them. That their government only serves the interest of the powerful. That’s a recipe for more cynicism and polarization in our politics. Now there’re no quick fixes to this long-term trend. I agree, our trade should be fair and not just free. But the next wave of economic dislocations won’t come from overseas. It will come from the relentless pace of automation that makes a lot of good middle class jobs obsolete. And so we’re going to have to forge a new social compact to guarantee all our kids the education they need. (APPLAUSE) To give workers the power… (APPLAUSE) … to unionize for better wages. (CHEERS) To update the social safety net to reflect the way we live now. (APPLAUSE) And make more reforms to the tax code so corporations and the individuals who reap the most from this new economy don’t avoid their obligations to the country that’s made their very success possible. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) We can argue about how to best achieve these goals. But we can’t be complacent about the goals themselves. For if we don’t create opportunity for all people, the disaffection and division that has stalled our progress will only sharpen in years to come. There’s a second threat to our democracy. And this one is as old as our nation itself. After my election there was talk of a post-racial America. And such a vision, however well intended, was never realistic. Race remains a potent… (APPLAUSE) … and often divisive force in our society. Now I’ve lived long enough to know that race relations are better than they were 10 or 20 or 30 years ago, no matter what some folks say. (APPLAUSE) You can see it not just in statistics. You see it in the attitudes of young Americans across the political spectrum. But we’re not where we need to be. And all of us have more work to do. (APPLAUSE) If every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hardworking white middle class and an undeserving minority, then workers of all shades are going to be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private enclaves. (APPLAUSE) If we’re unwilling to invest in the children of immigrants, just because they don’t look like us, we will diminish the prospects of our own children — because those brown kids will represent a larger and larger share of America’s workforce. (APPLAUSE) And we have shown that our economy doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. Last year, incomes rose for all races, all age groups, for men and for women. So if we’re going to be serious about race going forward, we need to uphold laws against discrimination — in hiring, and in housing, and in education, and in the criminal justice system. (APPLAUSE) That is what our Constitution and highest ideals require. But laws alone won’t be enough. Hearts must change. It won’t change overnight. Social attitudes oftentimes take generations to change. But if our democracy is to work the way it should in this increasingly diverse nation, then each one of us need to try to heed the advice of a great character in American fiction, Atticus Finch, who said “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” For blacks and other minority groups, that means tying our own very real struggles for justice to the challenges that a lot of people in this country face. Not only the refugee or the immigrant or the rural poor or the transgender American, but also the middle-aged white guy who from the outside may seem like he’s got all the advantages, but has seen his world upended by economic, and cultural, and technological change. We have to pay attention and listen. (APPLAUSE)

Read More: President Barack Obama Says Goodbye in a Forceful and Tearful Farewell Speech

For white Americans, it means acknowledging that the effects of slavery and Jim Crow didn’t suddenly vanish in the ’60s; that when minority groups voice discontent, they’re not just engaging in reverse racism or practicing political correctness; when they wage peaceful protest, they’re not demanding special treatment, but the equal treatment that our founders promised. (APPLAUSE) For native-born Americans, it means reminding ourselves that the stereotypes about immigrants today were said, almost word for word, about the Irish, and Italians, and Poles, who it was said were going to destroy the fundamental character of America. And as it turned out, America wasn’t weakened by the presence of these newcomers; these newcomers embraced this nation’s creed, and this nation was strengthened. (APPLAUSE) So regardless of the station we occupy; we all have to try harder; we all have to start with the premise that each of our fellow citizens loves this country just as much as we do; that they value hard work and family just like we do; that their children are just as curious and hopeful and worthy of love as our own. (APPLAUSE) (CHEERING) And that’s not easy to do. For too many of us it’s become safer to retreat into our own bubbles, whether in our neighborhoods, or on college campuses, or places of worship, or especially our social media feeds, surrounded by people who look like us and share the same political outlook and never challenge our assumptions. In the rise of naked partisanship and increasing economic and regional stratification, the splintering of our media into a channel for every taste, all this makes this great sorting seem natural, even inevitable. And increasingly we become so secure in our bubbles that we start accepting only information, whether it’s true or not, that fits our opinions, instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that is out there. (APPLAUSE) And this trend represents a third threat to our democracy. Look, politics is a battle of ideas. That’s how our democracy was designed. In the course of a healthy debate, we prioritize different goals, and the different means of reaching them. But without some common baseline of facts, without a willingness to admit new information and concede that your opponent might be making a fair point, and that science and reason matter, then we’re going to keep talking past each other. (CROWD CHEERS) And we’ll make common ground and compromise impossible. And isn’t that part of what so often makes politics dispiriting? How can elected officials rage about deficits when we propose to spend money on pre-school for kids, but not when we’re cutting taxes for corporations? How do we excuse ethical lapses in our own party, but pounce when the other party does the same thing? It’s not just dishonest, it’s selective sorting of the facts. It’s self-defeating because, as my mom used to tell me, reality has a way of catching up with you. Take the challenge of climate change. In just eight years we’ve halved our dependence on foreign oil, we’ve doubled our renewable energy, we’ve led the world to an agreement that (at) the promise to save this planet. (APPLAUSE) But without bolder action, our children won’t have time to debate the existence of climate change. They’ll be busy dealing with its effects. More environmental disasters, more economic disruptions, waves of climate refugees seeking sanctuary. Now we can and should argue about the best approach to solve the problem. But to simply deny the problem not only betrays future generations, it betrays the essential spirit of this country, the essential spirit of innovation and practical problem-solving that guided our founders. (CROWD CHEERS) It is that spirit — it is that spirit born of the enlightenment that made us an economic powerhouse. The spirit that took flight at Kitty Hawk and Cape Canaveral, the spirit that cures disease and put a computer in every pocket, it’s that spirit. A faith in reason and enterprise, and the primacy of right over might, that allowed us to resist the lure of fascism and tyranny during the Great Depression, that allowed us to build a post-World War II order with other democracies. An order based not just on military power or national affiliations, but built on principles, the rule of law, human rights, freedom of religion and speech and assembly and an independent press. (APPLAUSE) That order is now being challenged. First by violent fanatics who claim to speak for Islam. More recently by autocrats in foreign capitals who seek free markets in open democracies and civil society itself as a threat to their power. The peril each poses to our democracy is more far reaching than a car bomb or a missile. They represent the fear of change. The fear of people who look or speak or pray differently. A contempt for the rule of law that holds leaders accountable. An intolerance of dissent and free thought. A belief that the sword or the gun or the bomb or the propaganda machine is the ultimate arbiter of what’s true and what’s right. Because of the extraordinary courage of our men and women in uniform. Because of our intelligence officers and law enforcement and diplomats who support our troops… (APPLAUSE) … no foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland these past eight years. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) And although… (APPLAUSE) … Boston and Orlando and San Bernardino and Fort Hood remind us of how dangerous radicalization can be, our law enforcement agencies are more effective and vigilant than ever. We have taken out tens of thousands of terrorists, including Bin Laden. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) The global coalition we’re leading against ISIL has taken out their leaders and taken away about half their territory. ISIL will be destroyed. And no one who threatens America will ever be safe. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) And all who serve or have served — it has been the honor of my lifetime to be your commander-in-chief. (CHEERS) And we all owe you a deep debt of gratitude. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) But, protecting our way of life, that’s not just the job of our military. Democracy can buckle when it gives into fear. So just as we as citizens must remain vigilant against external aggression, we must guard against a weakening of the values that make us who we are. (APPLAUSE) And that’s why for the past eight years I’ve worked to put the fight against terrorism on a firmer legal footing. That’s why we’ve ended torture, worked to close Gitmo, reformed our laws governing surveillance to protect privacy and civil liberties. (APPLAUSE) That’s why I reject discrimination against Muslim Americans… (CHEERS) … who are just as patriotic as we are. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) That’s why… (APPLAUSE) That’s why we cannot withdraw… (APPLAUSE) That’s why we cannot withdraw from big global fights to expand democracy and human rights and women’s rights and LGBT rights. (APPLAUSE) No matter how imperfect our efforts, no matter how expedient ignoring such values may seem, that’s part of defending America. For the fight against extremism and intolerance and sectarianism and chauvinism are of a piece with the fight against authoritarianism and nationalist aggression. If the scope of freedom and respect for the rule of law shrinks around the world, the likelihood of war within and between nations increases, and our own freedoms will eventually be threatened. So let’s be vigilant, but not afraid. ISIL will try to kill innocent people. But they cannot defeat America unless we betray our Constitution and our principles in the fight. (APPLAUSE) Rivals like Russia or China cannot match our influence around the world — unless we give up what we stand for, and turn ourselves into just another big country that bullies smaller neighbors. Which brings me to my final point — our democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted. (APPLAUSE) All of us, regardless of party, should be throwing ourselves into the task of rebuilding our democratic institutions. (APPLAUSE) When voting rates in America are some of the lowest among advanced democracies, we should be making it easier, not harder, to vote. (APPLAUSE) When trust in our institutions is low, we should reduce the corrosive influence of money in our politics, and insist on the principles of transparency and ethics in public service. When Congress is dysfunctional, we should draw our districts to encourage politicians to cater to common sense and not rigid extremes. (APPLAUSE) But remember, none of this happens on its own. All of this depends on our participation; on each of us accepting the responsibility of citizenship, regardless of which way the pendulum of power happens to be swinging. Our Constitution is a remarkable, beautiful gift. But it’s really just a piece of parchment. It has no power on its own. We, the people, give it power. We, the people, give it meaning — with our participation, and with the choices that we make and the alliances that we forge. Whether or not we stand up for our freedoms. Whether or not we respect and enforce the rule of law, that’s up to us. America is no fragile thing. But the gains of our long journey to freedom are not assured. In his own farewell address, George Washington wrote that self-government is the underpinning of our safety, prosperity, and liberty, but “from different causes and from different quarters much pains will be taken… to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth.” And so we have to preserve this truth with “jealous anxiety;” that we should reject “the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest or to enfeeble the sacred ties” that make us one. (APPLAUSE) America, we weaken those ties when we allow our political dialogue to become so corrosive that people of good character aren’t even willing to enter into public service. So course with rancor that Americans with whom we disagree are seen, not just as misguided, but as malevolent. We weaken those ties when we define some of us as more American than others. (APPLAUSE) When we write off the whole system as inevitably corrupt. And when we sit back and blame the leaders we elect without examining our own role in electing them. (CROWD CHEERS) It falls to each of us to be those anxious, jealous guardians of our democracy. Embrace the joyous task we have been given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours because, for all our outward differences, we in fact all share the same proud type, the most important office in a democracy, citizen. (APPLAUSE) Citizen. So, you see, that’s what our democracy demands. It needs you. Not just when there’s an election, not just when you own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime. If you’re tired of arguing with strangers on the Internet, try talking with one of them in real life. (APPLAUSE) If something needs fixing, then lace up your shoes and do some organizing. (CROWD CHEERS) If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clip board, get some signatures, and run for office yourself. (CROWD CHEERS) Show up, dive in, stay at it. Sometimes you’ll win, sometimes you’ll lose. Presuming a reservoir in goodness, that can be a risk. And there will be times when the process will disappoint you. But for those of us fortunate enough to have been part of this one and to see it up close, let me tell you, it can energize and inspire. And more often than not, your faith in America and in Americans will be confirmed. Mine sure has been. (APPLAUSE) Over the course of these eight years, I’ve seen the hopeful faces of young graduates and our newest military officers. I have mourned with grieving families searching for answers, and found grace in a Charleston church. I’ve seen our scientists help a paralyzed man regain his sense of touch. I’ve seen Wounded Warriors who at points were given up for dead walk again. I’ve seen our doctors and volunteers rebuild after earthquakes and stop pandemics in their tracks. I’ve seen the youngest of children remind us through their actions and through their generosity of our obligations to care for refugees or work for peace and, above all, to look out for each other. So that faith that I placed all those years ago, not far from here, in the power of ordinary Americans to bring about change, that faith has been rewarded in ways I could not have possibly imagined. And I hope your faith has too. Some of you here tonight or watching at home, you were there with us in 2004 and 2008, 2012. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) Maybe you still can’t believe we pulled this whole thing off. (CHEERS) Let me tell you, you’re not the only ones. (LAUGHTER) Michelle… (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) Michelle LaVaughn Robinson of the South Side… (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) … for the past 25 years you have not only been my wife and mother of my children, you have been my best friend. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) You took on a role you didn’t ask for. And you made it your own with grace and with grit and with style, and good humor. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) You made the White House a place that belongs to everybody. (CHEERS) And a new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) You have made me proud, and you have made the country proud. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) Malia and Sasha… (CHEERS) … under the strangest of circumstances you have become two amazing young women. (CHEERS) You are smart and you are beautiful. But more importantly, you are kind and you are thoughtful and you are full of passion. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) And… (APPLAUSE) … you wore the burden of years in the spotlight so easily. Of all that I have done in my life, I am most proud to be your dad. (APPLAUSE) To Joe Biden… (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) … the scrappy kid from Scranton… (CHEERS) … who became Delaware’s favorite son. You were the first decision I made as a nominee, and it was the best. (CHEERS) (APPLAUSE) Not just because you have been a great vice president, but because in the bargain I gained a brother. And we love you and Jill like family. And your friendship has been one of the great joys of our lives. (APPLAUSE) To my remarkable staff, for eight years, and for some of you a whole lot more, I have drawn from your energy. And every day I try to reflect back what you displayed. Heart and character. And idealism. I’ve watched you grow up, get married, have kids, start incredible new journeys of your own. Even when times got tough and frustrating, you never let Washington get the better of you. You guarded against cynicism. And the only thing that makes me prouder than all the good that we’ve done is the thought of all the amazing things that you are going to achieve from here. (APPLAUSE) And to all of you out there — every organizer who moved to an unfamiliar town, every kind family who welcomed them in, every volunteer who knocked on doors, every young person who cast a ballot for the first time, every American who lived and breathed the hard work of change — you are the best supporters and organizers anybody could ever hope for, and I will forever be grateful. Because you did change the world. (APPLAUSE) You did. And that’s why I leave this stage tonight even more optimistic about this country than when we started. Because I know our work has not only helped so many Americans; it has inspired so many Americans — especially so many young people out there — to believe that you can make a difference; to hitch your wagon to something bigger than yourselves. Let me tell you, this generation coming up — unselfish, altruistic, creative, patriotic — I’ve seen you in every corner of the country. You believe in a fair, and just, and inclusive America; you know that constant change has been America’s hallmark, that it’s not something to fear but something to embrace, you are willing to carry this hard work of democracy forward. You’ll soon outnumber any of us, and I believe as a result the future is in good hands. (APPLAUSE) My fellow Americans, it has been the honor of my life to serve you. I won’t stop; in fact, I will be right there with you, as a citizen, for all my remaining days. But for now, whether you are young or whether you’re young at heart, I do have one final ask of you as your president — the same thing I asked when you took a chance on me eight years ago. I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change — but in yours. I am asking you to hold fast to that faith written into our founding documents; that idea whispered by slaves and abolitionists; that spirit sung by immigrants and homesteaders and those who marched for justice; that creed reaffirmed by those who planted flags from foreign battlefields to the surface of the moon; a creed at the core of every American whose story is not yet written: Yes, we can. (APPLAUSE) Yes, we did. (APPLAUSE) Yes, we can. (APPLAUSE) Thank you. God bless you. And may God continue to bless the United States of America. Thank you. (APPLAUSE)

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Rengoku’s Last Words | Demon Slayer

The Movie Mugen Train ended with Kyojuro Rengoku’s death. In this article, you will find Rengoku’s last words both in Japanese and English.

Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc is now finished, and the creators announced the production of the Sword Smith Arc. While we saw Tengen Uzui in the recent season and will see more Hashira in the new arc, this article will take you back to the first Hashira we saw in the Mugen Train arc, Kyojuro Rengoku ( 煉獄杏寿郎 れんごくきょうじゅろう ).

This article compares Rengoku’s last words in Japanese and in English as appeared in manga, and discusses some expressions Rengoku used.

Rengoku’s Last Words

Useful expressions, which manga volumes should i pick up to see rengoku.

俺 おれ はもうすぐに 死 し ぬ。

I am going to die soon.

喋 しゃべ れるうちに 喋 しゃべ ってしまうから 聞 き いてくれ。

But I have something to say, so listen.

弟 おとうと の 千寿郎 せんじゅうろう には 自分 じぶん の 心 こころ のまま 正 ただ しいと 思 おも う 道 みち を 進 すす むよう 伝 つた えて 欲 ほ しい。

I want you to tell … My little brother Senjuyo … to take the path that he think is right, to follow his heart.

父 ちち には、 体 からだ を 大切 たいせつ にして 欲 ほ しいと。

And tell … My father to take care of himself.

それから、 竈門少年 かまどしょうねん 。 俺 おれ は 君 きみ の 妹 いもうと を 信 しん じる。 鬼殺隊 きさつたい の 一員 いちいん として 認 みと める。

And … Tanjiro … I believe in your little sister. I consider her a member of the Demon Slayer Cops.

汽車 きしゃ の 中 なか で、あの 少女 しょうじょ が 血 ち を 流 なが しながら 人間 にんげん を 守 まも るのを 見 み た。

On the train, I saw her shed her own blood to protect humans.

命 いのち をかけて 鬼 おに と 戦 たたか い 人 ひと を 守 まも るものは、 誰 だれ が 何 なん と 言 い おうと 鬼殺隊 きさつたい の 一員 いちいん だ。

If she risks her life to fight demons and protect people … She’s a member of the Corps no matter what anyone says!

胸 むね を 張 は って 生 い きろ。

Stand tall and be proud.

己 おのれ の 弱 よわ さや 不甲斐 ふがい なさにどれだけ 打 う ちのめされようと、 心 こころ を 燃 も やせ。

No matter how weak or unworthy you feel … Keep your heart burning.

歯 は を 食 く いしばって 前 まえ を 向 む け。

Grit your teeth and move forward.

君 きみ が 足 あし を 止 と めて 蹲 うずくま っても、 時間 じかん の 流 なが れは 止 と まってくれない。

If you just curl up in a ball and hide, time will pass you by.

ともに 寄 よ り 添 そ って 悲 かな しんではくれない。

It won’t stop for you while you wallow in grief.

俺 おれ がここで 死 し ぬことは 気 き にするな。

Don’t worry over my death.

柱 はしら ならば、 後輩 こうはい の 盾 たて となるのは 当然 とうぜん だ。

I’m a Hashira. It’s my job to shield your junior members.

柱 はしら ならば、 誰 だれ であっても 同 おな じことをする。

Any Hashira would do the same.

若 わか い 芽 め は 摘 つ ませない。

We can’t allow the young buds to be plucked.

竈門少年 かまどしょうねん 、 猪頭少年 いのがしらしょうねん 、 黄色 きいろ い 少年 しょうねん 、もっともっと 成長 せいちょう しろ。

Tanjiro, Boar-head boy, Blondie there…You all keep learning and growing.

そして 今度 こんど は 君 きみ たちが 鬼殺隊 きさつたい を 支 ささ える 柱 はしら となるのだ。 俺 おれ は 信 しん じる。

Someday you guys will become Hashira and be the pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps. That’s what I believe.

君 きみ たちを 信 しん じる。

I believe in you.

俺 おれ はちゃんとやれただろうか。

Did I do well?

やるべきことを、はたすべきことを 全 まっと うできましたか。

Did I use my gifts wisely?

「 立派 りっぱ にできましたよ。」

“You did splendidly.”

There are some useful expressions you can use in your daily conversations.

Person を Noun として 認 みと める

To consider Person Noun .

( 禰󠄀豆子 ねずこ を)　 鬼殺隊 きさつたい の 一員 いちいん として 認 みと める。

I consider Nezuko a member of the Demon Slayer Corps .

Verb stem ながら

While doing 

血 ち を 流 なが し ながら 人間 にんげん を 守 まも る

誰 だれ が 何 なん と 言 い おうと

No matter what anyone says

誰 だれ が 何 なん と 言 い おうと 鬼殺隊 きさつたい の 一員 いちいん だ。

Noun は 気 き にするな。

Don’t worry about Noun .

俺 おれ がここで 死 し ぬこと は 気 き にするな。

You can see Rengoku in Vol.6 to Vol.8 in Demon Slayer manga.

• Japanese Resources
• Useful Websites

A blog of the U.S. National Archives

Pieces of History

Hitler’s Final Words

This post comes from Greg Bradsher’s latest article “Hitler’s Final Words”  in Prologue magazine. Bradsher is a senior archivist at the National Archives and a frequent contributor to Prologue .

A little after 11 p.m., Gertrude Junge, the 25-year-old secretary to Adolf Hitler, woke from a one-hour nap, and, thinking it was time for the nightly tea with her boss, headed for his study.

“Have you had a nice little rest, child,” her boss asked her as he shook her hand. “Yes, I have slept a little,” she replied.

Getting any sleep in Hitler’s bunker, deep underground in Berlin, might have been difficult that night in April 1945.

Russian troops were only about 1,000 yards away, and the war was all but lost by then. The head of Hitler’s dreaded SS, Heinrich Himmler, was already negotiating with the Western Allies. The Third Reich was almost over.

But the dictator had something else on his mind at tea time.

“Come along,” he said to Junge, “I want to dictate something.”

They went into the conference room next to Hitler’s quarters, and Junge began to uncover the typewriter she usually used to take down his dictation.

Not this time, however, as Greg Bradsher recounts in “Hitler’s Final Words” in the Spring 2015 issue of Prologue magazine, the National Archives’ flagship publication.

“Take it down on the shorthand pad,” Hitler said. So she sat down and waited for him to begin.

“My political testament,” he said.

Then came words that millions had heard before, she later recalled, “the explanations, accusations and demands that I, the German people and the whole world would know already.”

After finishing his “political testament,” he dictated his personal will, then told Junge to type the documents out in triplicate and bring them to him.

The dictator then headed to another room in the bunker to marry Eva Braun and wait for Junge to finish her typing assignment. Hitler wanted copies of this testament and will to go to three different locations and wanted to see the couriers on their way before moving to the next item on his plan.

The couriers left. Finally, at 3:30 p.m. on April 30, 1945—the war in Europe just eight days from an Allied victory—Hitler and his new bride committed suicide.

Today, one set of the documents is in the holdings of the National Archives, where it first went on display in April 1946. Greg Bradsher’s article also tells the story of the documents’ journey to the National Archives.

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3 thoughts on “ hitler’s final words ”.

There are so many different versions of events that it’s almost impossible to know what to believe, other than the basics.

In one film from 1972 he called Eva Braun a ‘stupid bitch’ then she took the cyanide capsule whilst he was looking away and continuing his harangue. Suddenly he turned towards her and upon seeing her slumped over and already dead exclaimed, “You have betrayed me!”

Although only a film, the statement in the opening credits claims that the film was based upon extensive documents and eye witness testimonies.

Other people claim that the bodies weren’t burnt or that he had escaped to South America and so on. Although I don’t believe that, so many accounts are pieces of disinformation, fabricated by the Soviet government under Stalin, so who’s to say that this isn’t another one? The author of this book is said to have spent ten years in prison and had been tortured so it could be that this book was written as a part of some bargain for his freedom, or even his life.

No one witnessed the suicide of Hitler and Braun, so there is no basis for any version of what went on in the last minute. The witnesses entered after the suicide and described what they saw. They also knew beforehand that the moment of suicide had arrived as Hitler made it clear. The little people who took care of Hitler probably provided reliable narratives (once they were free from the Soviets).

Hi guys I also agree with David although it is quite like Hitler to call someone a swearword

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Here’s Tony Stark’s Final Goodbye From The End Of Avengers: Endgame

Tony Stark may have died in battle, but he gave us a more intimate goodbye by the end of Avengers: Endgame, and you can read that message here.

Though the last thing Tony Stark might have said when he was alive in  Avengers: Endgame   was “I am Iron Man,” we, along with those closest to him, got to say goodbye with a more heartfelt message – a message he recorded before the team did their time jump.

Delivered via a full-body, three-dimensional hologram (in perfect Stark fashion), the speech was actually pretty long, and now you can read it below:

“Everybody wants a happy ending. Right? But it doesn’t always roll that way. Maybe this time. I’m hoping if you play this back, it’s in celebration. I hope families are reunited, I hope we get it back and something like a normal version of the planet has been restored. If there ever was such a thing. God, what a world. Universe, now. If you told me ten years ago that we weren’t alone, let alone, you know, to this extent, I mean, I wouldn’t have been surprised, but come on, the epic forces of dark and light that have come in to play. And for better or worse, that’s the reality Morgan’s gonna have to find a way to grow up in. So I thought I better record a little greeting, in the case of an untimely death, on my part. I mean, not that death at any time isn’t untimely. This time travel thing we’re gonna try and pull off tomorrow, it’s got me scratching my head about the survivability of it all. Then again, that’s the hero gig. Part of the journey is the end. What am I even tripping for? Everything’s gonna work out exactly the way it’s supposed to. I love you 3000.”

The speech, complete with a tear-jerker farewell to his daughter, is the perfect culmination of Tony’s arc in the MCU. Having started out as little other than a selfish tycoon, his personality quickly embodied a more intimate protector role. And his five years outside of the Avengers, where he was able to raise a family, looked to be the most profitable of his whole life.

Right now, we don’t know what the future of Iron Man will be in the MCU. Obviously Tony Stark won’t be a part of it, at least not in a literal sense . But given his suit’s technical enhancements, it’s possible that Spider-Man will take on the role for the franchise.

If we look towards the comics for answers, there’s Ironheart/Riri Williams who could be introduced by War Machine. And then there’s also Tony’s daughter, Morgan Stark, though that may be too predictable.

While we brought you the full speech here, you’ll probably be able to experience it for yourself in theaters for a long time to come – especially given the fact that Avengers: Endgame  is coming close to taking down Avatar  as the highest grossing film in history. But then again, it looks like it’s been losing steam as of late, so who knows what’s going to happen?

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Republican presidential front-runner and former President Donald Trump speaks March 16, 2024, at a campaign rally in Vandalia, Ohio. (AP)

If Your Time is short

Former President Donald Trump said in a March 16 speech in Ohio, while talking about the auto industry, “If I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath.” 

About 20 minutes later, Trump said, “I don't think you're going to have another election in this country if we don't win this election. I don't think you're going to have another election or certainly not an election that's meaningful.”

Our mission: Help you be an informed participant in democracy. Learn more.

The word du jour in the 2024 presidential campaign is "bloodbath" — specifically, what former President Donald Trump did or didn't mean when he used the term at a March 16 Ohio rally.

President Joe Biden’s campaign team plucked a nine-second clip of Trump saying , "If I don't get elected, it’s gonna be a bloodbath for the whole, that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country, that'll be the least of it" and framed it as violent rhetoric.

The Biden campaign posted March 16 on X : "Donald Trump said there would be a ‘bloodbath’ if he wasn’t elected and that if he lost there would be no more elections." The next day, Biden’s account shared on X the "bloodbath" clip and wrote, "It’s clear this guy wants another January 6."

Without context, some voters could assume that Trump’s "bloodbath" remarks were predicting violence by his supporters should he lose at the polls. On Truth Social, Trump responded March 18 that the media and Democrats "pretended to be shocked at my use of the word BLOODBATH, even though they fully understood that I was simply referring to imports" allowed by Biden "which are killing the automobile industry."

Politicians, pundits and social media users debated Trump’s "bloodbath" remark in the days following the speech. Some major news outlets including The New York Times , ABC and The Associated Press wrote that Trump warned of a "bloodbath" in headlines without the auto industry context. Although the text of the articles explained the context, when headlines alone are shared on social media, it doesn’t tell the full story.

The Biden campaign told PolitiFact the term needed to be considered alongside Trump’s other rhetoric in this speech, pointing to Trump’s comments about people imprisoned after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. More than 1,350 defendants have been charged in the attack , including hundreds for assaulting police officers or using deadly weapons. Trump called them "hostages," even though they are being given due process — something that former Vice President Mike Pence and former Trump aide Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., also pointed out in March 17 Sunday shows . 

Given the focus on Trump’s rally, we wanted to provide full context for the "bloodbath" remark and his comments about not having elections if he loses and the Jan. 6 defendants.

Trump spoke for more than 90 minutes in Vandalia, Ohio, days before the state’s March 19 U.S. Senate primary. Trump endorsed businessman Bernie Moreno in the Republican contest.

About 28 minutes into the speech, Trump talked about Biden’s plans for electric vehicles harming the U.S. auto industry. The Biden administration has set a goal to have electric vehicles comprise half of all new vehicle sales by 2030 and offered significant aid to the U.S. auto sector to keep it competitive in the electric vehicle marketplace. Recent news reports , based on unnamed sources, have said Biden is poised to relax elements of his plan.

The relevant portion of Trump’s remarks ( around minute 33 in this video) started with a critique of the United Auto Workers union, which endorsed Biden in this year’s election: 

"But if you look at the United Auto Workers, what they've done to their people is horrible. They want to do this all-electric nonsense where the cars don't go far. They cost too much. And they’re all made in China. And the head of the United Auto Workers never probably shook hands with a Republican before they're destroying — you know, Mexico has taken, over a period of 30 years, 34% of the automobile manufacturing business in our country, think of it, went to Mexico. 

"China now is building a couple of massive plants, where they're going to build the cars in Mexico and … they think that they're going to sell those cars into the United States with no tax at the border. Let me tell you something to China. If you're listening, President Xi, and you and I are friends, but he understands the way I deal, those big, monster car manufacturing plants that you're building in Mexico right now, and you think you're going to get that, you're going to not hire Americans, and you're going to sell the cars to us, no. We're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you're not going to be able to sell those cars.

"If I get elected. Now, if I don't get elected, it's gonna be a bloodbath for the whole, that's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. That'll be the least of it. But they're not gonna sell those cars."

Trump went on to talk about cars being manufactured in Mexico and his promise to institute "100% tariffs" on cars manufactured outside the United States. 

About 20 minutes later, Trump turned his comments to stopping "Joe Biden and his thugs." 

"We're the only ones, and they know this, that could stop them. We’re the only ones, there's nobody else around. If this election, if this election isn’t won, I'm not sure that you'll ever have another election in this country. Does that make sense? I don't think you're going to have another election in this country if we don't win this election. I don't think you're going to have another election or certainly not an election that's meaningful." 

Along with his warnings about elections, Trump also repeated his support for the Jan. 6 defendants, a signature talking point at his rallies.  

Before Trump spoke at the Ohio rally, an announcer said , "Please rise for the horribly and unfairly treated January 6 hostages." The crowd then heard a recording of the "The Star Spangled Banner" performed by the J6 Prison Choir, men jailed for their actions during the Capitol riot. 

Trump saluted and then said at the rally, "Thank you very much, and you see the spirit from the hostages and that's what they are as hostages. They've been treated terribly and very unfairly and you know that and everybody knows that. And we're going to be working on that soon. The first day we get into office we are going to save our country and we are going to work with the people to treat those unbelievable patriots, and they were unbelievable patriots and are."

RELATED : Did Donald Trump make these 27 campaign promises? Fact-checking this viral list

RELATED : All of our fact-checks of Joe Biden on the Truth-O-Meter

RELATED : All of our fact-checks of Donald Trump on the Truth-O-Meter

Our Sources

C-SPAN, Former President Donald Trump rally in Ohio , March 16, 2024

Joe Biden HQ campaign, X post , March 16, 2024

Joe Biden HQ campaign, X post , March 17, 2024

Joe Biden HQ campaign, X post , March 18, 2024

President Joe Biden, X post , March 17, 2024

CNN "State of the Union," t ranscript, March 17, 2024

CBS "Face the Nation,"  transcript , March 17, 2024

Former President Donald Trump, Truth Social , March 18, 2024

Inside with Jen Psaki, X post , March 17, 2024

Sarah Longwell, X post , March 17, 2024

Republican Voters Against Trump, X post, March 16, 2024 

New York Times, Trump Says Some Migrants Are ‘Not People’ and Predicts a ‘Blood Bath’ if He Loses , March 16, 2024

ABC, Trump says there will be 'bloodbath' if he loses 2024 election, ramps up anti-migrant rhetoric , March 17, 2024

AP, Trump says some migrants are ‘not people,’ and warns of bloodbath if he loses , March 17, 2024 

Politico, Trump says country faces ‘bloodbath’ if Biden wins in November , March 16, 2024

Washington Post The Fact Checker, Biden vs. Trump on electric vehicles and China’s threat , Jan. 30, 2024

Environmental Defense Fund, U.S. Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Investments and Jobs , August 2023

General Motors, General Motors Accelerates Transformation , Nov. 26, 2018

Department of Justice, 38 Months Since the Jan. 6 Attack on the Capitol , March 6, 2024

Politico, Pence and Cassidy draw a line at calling Jan. 6 rioters ‘hostages’ March 17, 2024

PolitiFact, Donald Trump’s off-base claims about electric car ‘mandates’ and markets , Oct. 11, 2023

PolitiFact, Fact-checking Joe Biden on auto jobs gained and lost on his watch and Trump’s , Jan. 24, 2024

PolitiFact, Fact-check: Donald Trump’s repeated falsehood that he saved the U.S. auto industry , Oct. 5, 2023

Email interview, Sarafina Chitika, Biden campaign spokesperson, March 18, 2024

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More by amy sherman.

In Context: What Trump said about a ‘bloodbath’ and Biden’s actions on the car industry

Biden-Trump Gaffe Tracker: Trump Incorrectly Brings Up Obama—Again

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As concerns have grown that former President Donald Trump, 77, and President Joe Biden, 81, are too old to serve another term amid repeated rhetorical missteps since announcing their campaigns, here’s a list of the most notable recent gaffes.

US President Joe Biden speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Hagerstown Regional ... [+] Airport in Hagerstown, Maryland, on March 5, 2024. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump (March 16): At a rally in Dayton, Ohio, Trump again mistakenly referred to former President Barack Obama, this time possibly confusing himself with Obama, though it remains unclear what he might have meant: “Joe Biden won against Barack Hussein Obama, has anyone ever heard of him?” Trump asked the crowd, before adding, “every swing state, Biden beat Obama but in every other state, he got killed.”

Trump (March 9): At a speech in Rome, Georgia, Trump claimed “the polls are rigged” while discussing his appeal to suburban housewives, before abruptly backtracking and saying “disregard that last statement, I love the polls so much.”

Biden (State of the Union speech, March 7): the president misidentified Laken Riley , the student murdered on the University of Georgia campus, calling her “Lanken,” while holding up a pin with her name on it.

Biden (State of the Union speech, March 7): the president briefly said the 2021 Capitol riot took place on July 6, before correcting himself and saying “January 6.”

Biden (State of the Union speech, March 7): after speaking about capping prescription drug prices, Biden made an off-the-cuff remark and invited Congress to fly with him and see lower prices for their medications in “Toronto, Berlin, Moscow—I mean, excuse me—well, even Moscow, probably.”

Trump (March 2): Trump seemed to confuse former President Barack Obama with President Joe Biden—alleging during a rally in Virginia Putin has “so little respect for Obama that he’s starting to throw around the nuclear word,” marking at least the eighth time in recent months it’s happened.

Trump (Feb. 24): In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump appeared to endorse Biden, telling the audience he agrees with Russian President Vladimir Putin in preferring Biden over Trump.

Trump (Feb. 24): In the same CPAC speech, Trump appeared to forget the name of his wife, Melania Trump, responding to loud applause in the crowd by saying “Mercedes, that’s pretty good!”—though his campaign claimed it was a reference to Mercedes Schlapp, a political commentator and the wife of American Conservative Union (CPAC organizer) chair Matt Schlapp, who he mentioned later in the speech.

Biden (Feb. 8): Biden referred to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as “the president of Mexico,” ironically during a press conference where he contested a scathing report by Special Counsel Robert Hur that depicted Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”

Biden (Feb. 7): Biden referred to German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the late German leader Helmut Kohl twice while speaking at campaign events in New York, days after confusing French President Emmanuel Macron with his late predecessor Francois Mitterrand during a speech in Las Vegas.

Trump (Jan. 19): Trump confused his sole remaining opponent in the GOP primary race, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during a New Hampshire campaign speech, telling the crowd “Nikki Haley was in charge of security” on Jan. 6, 2020, as he has repeatedly sought, without evidence, to allege that Pelosi rejected his offer to send more troops to the Capitol that day.

Biden (Nov. 20): The president mistakenly referred to Taylor Swift as “Britney [Spears]” while attempting a joke at the White House’s annual turkey pardoning ceremony, which took place on his 81st birthday.

Trump (Oct. 23): Trump confused the leaders of Turkey and Hungary in a New Hampshire campaign speech and botched a geographical reference, telling the crowd Hungary’s far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is the leader of Turkey, and stating that Turkey shares a “front” with Russia (neither Hungary nor Turkey border Russia and Turkey’s president is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan).

Biden (Sept. 11): Biden falsely stated he was in New York on Sept. 12, 2001 while delivering an anniversary speech to troops in Alaska, claiming he surveyed the damage at Ground Zero the day after the attacks (then-Sen. Biden actually visited Ground Zero on Sept. 20, 2001).

Biden (June 27): Biden has repeatedly mixed up the wars in Ukraine and Iraq, including twice in 24 hours in June, after telling a crowd in Florida in November inflation was tied to “a war in Iraq,” then quickly corrected himself, saying “excuse me, the war in Ukraine,” a misstep that came moments before he wrongly stated his son Beau Biden, who served a year in Iraq in the Delaware Army National Guard, died there (Beau Biden died of brain cancer in the U.S. in 2015).

Key Background

Biden is the oldest president in history and Trump would be the second oldest if he were elected again in November. Though the two are just four years apart, polls consistently show Biden’s age is a far greater concern for voters than Trump’s, including a February Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll that found 82% of voters said Biden or both candidates were too old, compared to 47% who said the same about Trump or both candidates. The age concerns, exacerbated by the candidates’ various rhetorical missteps, have fueled calls for one, or both candidates, to drop out of the race, including a February op-ed and podcast by New York Times’ writer Ezra Klein.Trump—perhaps aware that criticizing Biden’s age could appear hypocritical—has repeatedly said Biden isn’t too old to be president, but is too “incompetent.” Biden, meanwhile, has sought to flip the script on concerns about his own age by highlighting Trump’s missteps on the campaign trail and making jokes about his own age. In an appearance on “Late Night With Seth Meyers” last month, Biden took a jab at Trump for appearing to mix up Melania and Mercedes Schlapp, telling Meyers that Trump is “about as old as I am, but he can’t remember his wife’s name.”

Biden’s verbal missteps have been coupled with trips and falls throughout his tenure, often on the stairs of Air Force One, that have heightened concerns about his mental and physical fitness. In one particularly concerning incident, Biden took a hard fall on stage at an Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado in June last year, an incident his team blamed on a sandbag on stage.

What To Watch For

Biden and Trump are poised for a historic rematch in November as Biden has swept all four Democratic primaries so far and Trump has won nine of 10 GOP primary contests. The likely race is expected to be closely contested, with polls showing Biden trailing Trump by two points, according to Real Clear Politics’ polling average .

Experts have cautioned against reading into the candidates’ verbal slip-ups on the campaign trail, arguing they can’t necessarily be attributed to old age. "We make mistakes. The probability of slip-ups rises as we get older. That has nothing to do with judgment," S. Jay Olshansky, a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, told Reuters, adding “Someone commenting on Trump turning right when he should have turned left? Big deal. Tripping? Join the club. A misspoken word? It happens to all of us. None of us would survive a 24/7 camera."

Chief Critic

Biden, who has a penchant for gaffes dating back to his 36 years in the Senate, has argued his age is symbolic of his decades of experience, telling reporters in response to the Hur report “I know what the hell I am doing.” He released results of his annual physical exam last week that found he is “a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit” to serve as president, White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote. The test did not include a cognitive exam, something White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre argued wasn’t necessary, telling reporters “he passes a cognitive test every day,” referring to the rigors of the presidency. Trump, meanwhile, has claimed he purposely confuses Obama and Biden and Haley and Pelosi, claiming Haley and Pelosi are “interchangeable” and alluding to the unfounded right-wing conspiracy that Obama is secretly pulling the strings at the White House.

Surprising Fact

Trump and his allies have repeatedly called for Biden to undergo cognitive testing, but it’s unlikely any attempts to mandate the tests would pass legal muster, based on the qualifications laid out in the Constitution for holding the office of the presidency. Trump has said repeatedly he’s “aced” two cognitive exams, but he has not released the formal results of either report.

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Do you wonder how long it takes to deliver your speech?

This website helps you convert the number of words into the time it takes to deliver your speech, online and for free. This tool is useful when preparing a speech or a presentation. The number of minutes you will take is dependent on the number of words and your speed of speech, or reading speed.

Note: This calculator provides an indication only.

Enter details below

The overview below provides an indication of the minutes for a speech (based on an average reading speed of 130 words per minute):

• Words in a 1 minute speech 130 words
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• Words in a 3 minute speech 390 words
• Words in a 4 minute speech 520 words
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• Words in a 10 minute speech 1300 words
• Words in a 15 minute speech 1950 words
• Words in a 20 minute speech 2600 words
• How long does a 500 word speech take? 3.8 minutes
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Trump suffers a teleprompter malfunction at wind-swept rally in Ohio

• Former President Donald Trump struggled to read a teleprompter at a rally in Ohio on Saturday.
• His freewheeling speech was sometimes difficult to follow.
• Trump had been drumming up support for Bernie Moreno's run in Ohio's Senate primary on Tuesday.

On Saturday afternoon, Donald Trump experienced some sketchy moments with his teleprompter on a wind-swept airfield outside Dayton, Ohio.

Though meant to be drumming up support for Bernie Moreno's run in the state's quickly-approaching Senate primary on Tuesday, Trump spent much of his time criticizing President Joe Biden and the Democrats who defeated him in 2020.

As the teleprompters were seen visibly flapping around in the 35-mile-per-hour wind, Trump complained: "Don't pay these suckers!" referring to those who'd set them up.

When he struggled to make out his speech and adjusted the teleprompters, he joked: 'I think Joe Biden put them in!'

"Don't pay these suckers please ... I think Joe Biden put them in" -- Trump is riffing now since he apparently can't read the teleprompter pic.twitter.com/mX04D42xz3 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 16, 2024

Though he later remarked how brilliant it was "to have a president who doesn't need a teleprompter," his subsequent freewheeling speech was sometimes difficult to follow.

Trump has often made word gaffes involving former President Obama told the modestly-sized rally in Ohio , that Joe Biden had once successfully beaten Obama in an election. It was unclear what he meant.

Related stories

Trump said: "You know what's interesting? Joe Biden beat Barack Hussein Obama, anybody ever heard of him? Every swing state, Biden beat Obama but in every other state, he got killed."

Trump: Joe Biden won against Barack Obama pic.twitter.com/OccSSTKmWi — Acyn (@Acyn) March 16, 2024

Retelling his now well-known anti-immigration "The Snake" story, Trump struggled to pronounce the word "bite."

A 'bloodbath' for the United States if Trump loses

In another part of his speech, Trump said that if he didn't win in November, it would be a "bloodbath" for the United States,

"Now, if I don't get elected, it's gonna be a bloodbath. That's going to be the least of it," Trump said. "It's going to be a bloodbath for the country."

Though unclear precisely what the former president meant, the comments came as part of a complaint about the country's automotive industry. He then told the crowd that China could not sell any vehicles imported into the US if he won.

Moreno and Trump

Trump's latest rally comes three days before Tuesday's GOP Senate primary, when Moreno will face up against Sen. Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

Once a strong Trump critic, Moreno, a wealthy businessman from Cleveland, backed Marco Rubio in the 2016 Republican primaries. In 2021, NBC reported that Moreno had previously referred to Trump as a "maniac" and a "lunatic invading the party" in leaked emails.

In Ohio this weekend, though, Moreno lauded Trump as a "great American" and slammed Republicans who had been critical of Trump.

'"I am so sick and tired of Republicans that say, 'I support President Trump's policies but I don't like the man,'" he said joining Trump on stage.

Trump similarly dismissed Democrat accusations against Moreno, saying "He's getting some very tough Democrat fake treatment right now. And we're not going to stand for it."

Watch: Joe Biden is running for reelection, and Trump slammed the announcement

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Trump mocks Biden’s stutter again, drawing outrage

Former president Donald Trump mocked President Biden’s stutter at a campaign rally in Rome, Ga. , on Saturday, the latest in a series of insults he has hurled at his rival but one that disability advocates regard as a demeaning form of bullying.

Trump asked the crowd sarcastically if Biden would “bring the country t-t-t-together” while talking about Biden’s State of the Union address. “I’m gonna bring it together,” Trump added, slurring the words.

But according to transcripts of the speech, Biden did not say that. It was similar to an attack on Biden earlier in January, where Trump accused Biden of stuttering through a speech and then play-acted as if he were Biden.

“He’s saying I’m a threat to democracy,” Trump said earlier this year , segueing into a taunt in which he imitates Biden. “He’s a threat to d-d-democracy.”

Trump’s mockery of Biden was denounced by critics who called out the contrast of the two candidates. On X, formerly Twitter, they compared Trump mocking Biden alongside a video in 2020 when Biden hugged Brayden Harrington , a child with a stutter whom Biden inspired. John Hendrickson, the Atlantic writer whose profile of Biden’s stutter earlier that year brought it to the national stage, wrote in a piece on Sunday that Trump’s “ ugly taunt ” crossed a line. Hendrickson also stutters.

Biden and Trump, in dueling rallies, go on the attack in Georgia

T. Kenny Fountain, an associate professor at the University of Virginia who studies political rhetoric and had a stutter as a child, argued that Trump was weaponizing Biden’s disability to make a point about his competence while violating social norms to appeal to his supporters.

“It is a form of dehumanization behind a mask of humor,” Fountain said. “It reinforces the idea that Trump and his followers are in a particular ‘in’ group and those who critique them are not only outsiders, not only wrong, but they’re weak.”

Others such as Michael Sheehan, who consults on political speeches for Biden including the State of the Union, said the worst part of Trump’s mocking of Biden’s stutter is listening to the audience laugh.

“What appalls me is we’re now telling people it’s okay to laugh at stuttering,” said Sheehan, who had a severe stutter as a child. “And that’s unforgivable.”

About 3 million Americans stutter , a communication disorder in which speech is not fluent because syllables or words are repeated or prolonged. The causes of stuttering are not fully known, but genetics can contribute. Stuttering has long been misunderstood and stigmatized.

Biden does flub lines and at times has halting speech patterns, but he has spoken openly about how he has overcome the kind of stutter that was debilitating for him as a child. He gave a speech in 2016 to the American Institute for Stuttering, sharing the shame he felt over his stutter as a boy, but also crediting it for widening his perspective.

“I learned so much from having to deal with stuttering. It gave me insight into other people’s pain, other people’s suffering. It made me understand that everyone, everyone has something they’re fighting to overcome — and sometimes trying to hide,” Biden said.

Trump himself has been prone to verbal flubs and gaffes during campaign rallies, but he has defended his mixing up names, for instance, as intentional.

The former president also hasn’t reserved his mocking of people with disabilities to his political opponents. In 2015 , he imitated a New York Times reporter with a congenital joint condition, drawing fierce criticism, then later denied he had done it.

As someone who stuttered as a kid and still stammers a bit when I'm tired or nervous, this video of Biden talking to a kid who stutters gets me every time. He actually cares about people, is capable of empathy, and kindness. Meanwhile, Trump mocked Biden's stutter this weekend. https://t.co/783OdIdnob — T. Kenny Fountain (@TKennyFountain) March 10, 2024

Biden’s camp slammed Trump for lacking decency.

“Trump thinks mocking people and taking away their rights makes him look strong. But it just reveals how weak and insecure he is,” said TJ Ducklo, senior adviser for communications for the Biden reelection campaign.

Trump’s campaign didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

Biden kicks off a flurry of events to capitalize on State of the Union

Ezra Horak, who stutters and advocates for greater education about the condition, said that seeing the bullying behavior was hurtful and exhausting, but that it was even more triggering to hear people excuse and defend the behavior.

“As far as the bullying and mocking a stutter, it’s not terribly surprising. This has always been a part of our lives to some extent,” Horak told The Washington Post. “It’s the support around someone doing it — a leader doing it. It makes it hit home in a new way because most of us [who stutter] have family or friends who are going to continue to support somebody who very openly mocks us.”

Horak has raised concerns about Trump’s mocking with conservative family members, but they have replied with false theories circulated by conservative media, saying that Biden is faking his stutter.

When the Atlantic’s Hendrickson asked Biden in the interview several years ago about whether Trump would ever nickname him “St-St-St-Stuttering Joe,” Biden told him if he ever went there, ‘it’ll just expose him for what he is.’”

Matt Viser contributed to this report.

Joe Biden's 'Bloodbath' Remarks Resurface After Trump Speech Fury

A fter Donald Trump 's controversial remarks warning of a "bloodbath" should he lose the presidential election in November, similar comments made by Joe Biden during the 2020 primary have been resurfaced online.

Talking at a campaign rally in Ohio on Saturday, the former president and the Republican 2024 presidential candidate predicted that the country is headed towards a "bloodbath" in November if he loses the election against the Democratic incumbent. "Now, if I don't get elected, it's gonna be a bloodbath. That's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country," he said, while commenting on the situation of the U.S. auto workers and car industry.

He later added: "I don't think you're going to have another election in this country, if we don't win this election... certainly not an election that's meaningful."

While several Republicans , including Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence , have defended the former president's remarks saying he was clearly referring to the U.S. car industry, some saw the comments as a threat of another January 6.

"What does that mean, he's going to exact a bloodbath? There's something wrong here," Democratic former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said during Sunday's CNN 's State of the Union . "How respectful I am of the American people and their goodness, but how much more do they have to see from him to understand that this isn't what our country is about?"

"This is who Donald Trump is," a statement from Biden's re-election campaign said, commenting on the remarks.

But social media users have resurfaced similar remarks from Biden made during the 2020 Democratic primary, where the now-president faced then-rival Bernie Sanders .

"Joe Biden THREATENED Bernie Sanders with a 'BLOODBATH' in the 2020 Primary. This is disqualifying and terrifying," wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter , a conservative user who said they were reinstated on the social media platform by Elon Musk after being previously banned.

The post has gone viral on social media, where it's been viewed more than 656,800 times. "When Democrat politicians incite violence it's OK as far as the media is concerned," commented another user.

But Biden's 2020 remark has been taken out of context by Trump supporters.

In March 2020, as the contest was narrowing around the former vice president and the progressive Democrat, Biden warned against the primary campaign becoming an internal "bloodbath" between Democrats which could have weakened the party and allowed Trump to win.

"What we can't let happen is let this primary become a negative bloodbath," Biden told a crowd of Democratic donors gathered in Bethesda, Maryland, as reported by POLITICO.

"I know I'm going to get a lot of suggestions on how to respond to what I suspect will be an increasingly negative campaign that the Bernie brothers will run. But we can't tear this party apart and re-elect Trump. We have to keep our eyes on the ball, in my view," he added, referring to a figure that was then known as "Bernie bros," those ride-or-die Sanders' supporters unwilling to back another Democratic candidate and aggressively attacking opponents online.

While Biden's 2020 comment about a potential bloodbath was clearly referred to an internal fight within the Democratic Party which could have weakened the presidential candidate for the last election, some Trump supporters online have resurfaced the president's remark in direct comparison to Trump's most recent one.

Newsweek contacted the White House for comment by email early on Monday.

Related Articles

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• Donald Trump is a 'Threat to Democracy' After Bloodbath Remark: Kirschner
• Joe Biden Delivers 3-Word Blow to Donald Trump at DC Roast

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Trump Vilifies Migrants and Mocks Biden’s Stutter in Georgia Speech

The former president also attacked Mr. Biden in harsh terms in a combative speech that signaled the beginning of the general election campaign.

• Share full article

By Michael Gold

Reporting from Rome, Ga.

• March 10, 2024

Early in his remarks in Rome, Ga., at what was effectively his first campaign rally of the general election, former President Donald J. Trump on Saturday blasted President Biden’s State of the Union address as an “angry, dark, hate-filled rant” that was more divisive than unifying.

He then mocked Mr. Biden’s lifelong stutter, a jab that set the tone for the lengthy speech that followed.

Over nearly two hours, Mr. Trump lobbed sharp personal attacks at Mr. Biden’s mental and physical health and revived a litany of grievances against political opponents, prosecutors and television executives. He used inflammatory language to stoke fears about immigration, called the press “criminals” and repeated his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Mr. Trump told thousands of his supporters gathered at the rally that “everything Joe Biden touches” turns to filth, though he used an expletive to describe the result. “Everything. I tried finding a different word, but there are some words that cannot be duplicated.” (He used the word, or a variant, at least four times in his speech.)

The speech that Mr. Trump gave on Saturday was his first since Mr. Biden repeatedly attacked him and his policies in his State of the Union address. “Joe Biden should not be shouting angrily at America,” Mr. Trump said. “America should be shouting angrily at Joe Biden.”

But his critiques moved toward personal insults. At one point, Mr. Trump slurred his words and pretended to stutter in a mocking imitation of the president, who has dealt with a stutter since childhood.

A Biden campaign spokesman, T.J. Ducklo, responded to Mr. Trump’s insults in a statement Sunday, contrasting the former president’s speech with Mr. Biden’s State of the Union address.

“Thursday night President Biden spoke about the kind of America he wants for our future — one based on the core values of honesty, decency, dignity, and respect for everyone — values that are unrecognizable to Donald Trump. Trump thinks mocking people and taking away their rights makes him look strong. But it just reveals how weak and insecure he is.”

The former president’s speech in Georgia, a key battleground state that he narrowly lost in 2020, underscored that Mr. Trump is not likely to temper the ominous and at times apocalyptic vision that has animated his campaign, even as his last remaining Republican rival has dropped out and the general election has come into focus.

As he has in the past, Mr. Trump insisted that the biggest danger facing the United States was his political opponents, whom he labeled “the threat from within,” a turn inward that has alarmed experts for its similarity to language used by totalitarian leaders.

But in a speech replete with digressive rants, Mr. Trump reserved some of his most incendiary rhetoric to vilify migrants crossing the border illegally. Much of his speech was focused on immigration, an issue that he and his advisers have signaled will be central to his efforts to defeat Mr. Biden and return to the White House.

While vowing to expand his crackdown on immigration, Mr. Trump described the continuing surge of migrants across the southern border as “the agony of our people, the plunder of our cities, the sacking of our towns, the violation of our citizens and the conquest of our country.”

Mr. Trump also took aim at Mr. Biden’s policies on immigration, in part by using the Georgia setting to blame his rival for the death of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was killed in the state last month by, according to the authorities, a Venezuelan migrant who had entered the country illegally and had been released on parole.

Mr. Trump met with Ms. Riley’s parents before taking the stage, and the Trump campaign distributed signs at the rally with Ms. Riley’s photograph. During his speech, Mr. Trump accused Mr. Biden of neglecting the surge of migrants at the border, which he called a “deadly invasion that stole precious Laken’s beautiful American life.”

Mr. Trump often broadly casts those crossing the border illegally as violent criminals. “The migrants are hurting people,” Mr. Trump said. “They talk about the beautiful dream of migrants. It sounds so nice, you know, like in a fairy-tale book. But some of these people are monsters.”

Border authorities, including some who worked for Mr. Trump, have said that most of the migrants who cross the border are members of families fleeing violence and poverty.

But Ms. Riley’s death has become a flashpoint in the nation’s heated debate over immigration policy, in part because it seems to adhere to Mr. Trump’s long-stated belief that violent men from South America are flooding across the border to harm Americans.

“He was an illegal migrant, and he shouldn’t have been in our country, and he never would have been under the Trump policy,” Mr. Trump said of the man accused of killing Ms. Riley.

Mr. Trump also attacked Mr. Biden for expressing regret that he used the word “illegal” to describe the man accused in Ms. Riley’s death during an exchange at the State of the Union address on Thursday.

Mr. Trump also lobbed several ad hominem attacks during the event. Of the former television anchor Megyn Kelly, with whom Mr. Trump sparred during his first presidential run, he said “may she rest in peace.” While talking about the success that his time on “The Apprentice” had brought NBC, he called Jeff Zucker, the network’s former chief executive, an “idiot.”

Mr. Trump also denigrated a number of prosecutors and judges involved in the criminal cases and multiple civil lawsuits in which he is entangled. He spent a considerable amount of time attacking Fani T. Willis, the district attorney prosecuting him over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.

Mr. Trump called Ms. Willis “corrupt,” referring to allegations that she benefited financially after becoming romantically involved with a lawyer whom she hired on the case. (Ms. Willis has pushed back against those claims, calling them full of “wild and reckless speculation.”)

He also repeated his false contention that he won in Georgia in 2020, maintaining that he had done nothing wrong when he called state elections officials, insisted that he had won Georgia and asked Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” the votes he needed to win.

“Perfect phone call,” Mr. Trump said, “other than we challenged the honesty of this election. This election was rigged.”

Maggie Haberman contributed reporting from New York.

Michael Gold is a political correspondent for The Times covering the campaigns of Donald J. Trump and other candidates in the 2024 presidential elections. More about Michael Gold

Our Coverage of the 2024 Elections

Presidential Race

The Democratic Party, increasingly alarmed by the possibility that third-party candidates could swing the election to former President Donald Trump, has put together a team of lawyers  to track that threat.

President Biden’s re-election campaign had $71 million on hand at the end of February, more than double the money in Trump’s campaign account, as he continued to expand his fund-raising advantage  over his rival.

Trump indicated that he was likely to back a 15-week federal ban on abortion , with exceptions for rape, incest and life-threatening emergencies.

Other Key Races

March 19 was the biggest primary night since Super Tuesday, and there were few surprises in the results. Here are the key takeaways .

Vote counting was still underway in Chicago , where a proposal to raise the transfer tax on sales of high-value properties was trailing and two Democrats were locked in a close Cook County prosecutor primary.

Democrats in Arizona are leaning heavily into their support for abortion access to shore up support for Biden and hang on to a key Senate seat. But a legal dispute means it remains unclear what restrictions  will actually be in effect when Arizonans vote in November.

Slowed speech may indicate cognitive decline more accurately than forgetting words

Lecturer, Dementia, University of Sussex

PhD Candidate, Dementia, University of Sussex

Disclosure statement

Claire Lancaster receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to investigate speech-based markers of neurodegenerative disease.

Alice Stanton receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to investigate speech-based markers of neurodegenerative disease.

University of Sussex provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.

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Can you pass me the whatchamacallit? It’s right over there next to the thingamajig.

Many of us will experience “lethologica”, or difficulty finding words, in everyday life. And it usually becomes more prominent with age.

Frequent difficulty finding the right word can signal changes in the brain consistent with the early (“preclinical”) stages of Alzheimer’s disease – before more obvious symptoms emerge. However, a recent study from the University of Toronto suggests that it’s the speed of speech, rather than the difficulty in finding words that is a more accurate indicator of brain health in older adults.

The researchers asked 125 healthy adults, aged 18 to 90, to describe a scene in detail. Recordings of these descriptions were subsequently analysed by artificial intelligence (AI) software to extract features such as speed of talking, duration of pauses between words, and the variety of words used.

Participants also completed a standard set of tests that measure concentration, thinking speed, and the ability to plan and carry out tasks. Age-related decline in these “executive” abilities was closely linked to the pace of a person’s everyday speech, suggesting a broader decline than just difficulty in finding the right word.

A novel aspect of this study was the use of a “picture-word interference task”, a clever task designed to separate the two steps of naming an object: finding the right word and instructing the mouth on how to say it out loud.

During this task, participants were shown pictures of everyday objects (such as a broom) while being played an audio clip of a word that is either related in meaning (such as “mop” – which makes it harder to think of the picture’s name) or which sounds similar (such as “groom” – which can make it easier).

Interestingly, the study found that the natural speech speed of older adults was related to their quickness in naming pictures. This highlights that a general slowdown in processing might underlie broader cognitive and linguistic changes with age, rather than a specific challenge in memory retrieval for words.

How to make the findings more powerful

While the findings from this study are interesting, finding words in response to picture-based cues may not reflect the complexity of vocabulary in unconstrained everyday conversation.

Verbal fluency tasks, which require participants to generate as many words as possible from a given category (for example, animals or fruits) or starting with a specific letter within a time limit, may be used with picture-naming to better capture the “tip-of-the-tongue” phenomenon.

The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon refers to the temporary inability to retrieve a word from memory, despite partial recall and the feeling that the word is known. These tasks are considered a better test of everyday conversations than the picture-word interference task because they involve the active retrieval and production of words from one’s vocabulary, similar to the processes involved in natural speech.

While verbal fluency performance does not significantly decline with normal ageing (as shown in a 2022 study ), poor performance on these tasks can indicate neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

The tests are useful because they account for the typical changes in word retrieval ability as people get older, allowing doctors to identify impairments beyond what is expected from normal ageing and potentially detect neurodegenerative conditions.

The verbal fluency test engages various brain regions involved in language, memory, and executive functioning, and hence can offer insights into which regions of the brain are affected by cognitive decline.

The authors of the University of Toronto study could have investigated participants’ subjective experiences of word-finding difficulties alongside objective measures like speech pauses. This would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the cognitive processes involved.

Personal reports of the “feeling” of struggling to retrieve words could offer valuable insights complementing the behavioural data, potentially leading to more powerful tools for quantifying and detecting early cognitive decline.

Read more: Daily fibre supplement improves older adults’ brain function in just three months – new study

Opening doors

Nevertheless, this study has opened exciting doors for future research, showing that it’s not just what we say but how fast we say it that can reveal cognitive changes.

By harnessing natural language processing technologies (a type of AI), which use computational techniques to analyse and understand human language data, this work advances previous studies that noticed subtle changes in the spoken and written language of public figures like Ronald Reagan and Iris Murdoch in the years before their dementia diagnoses.

While those opportunistic reports were based on looking back after a dementia diagnosis, this study provides a more systematic, data-driven and forward-looking approach.

Using rapid advancements in natural language processing will allow for automatic, detection of language changes, such as slowed speech rate.

This study underscores the potential of speech rate changes as a significant yet subtle marker of cognitive health that could aid in identifying people at risk before more severe symptoms become apparent.

Read more: Could many dementia cases actually be liver disease?

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