History Repeats Itself in Speeches … yet again

King Solomon has been quoted as saying “there is no new thing under the sun“. When it comes to great speeches, his quote is bang on. I love listening to and reading the transcripts of great speeches from the past. And the more I listen to them, the more I realize how often speakers “borrow” phrases and incorporate them into their own speeches.

Over the past few days, I’ve listened to “The Ballot or the Bullet“, by Malcolm X; “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop“, by Martin Luther King Jr.; “We Shall Overcome“, by Lyndon B. Johnson; and “Ich bin ein Berliner“, by John F. Kennedy. As I listened to the historic speeches, I couldn’t help noticing a couple phrases that Barack Obama has used in his recent speeches. Once again … history repeats itself in speeches.

Here’s a phrase Lyndon B. Johnson used in his “We Shall Overcome” speech in 1965:

“There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem. And we are met here tonight as Americans — not as Democrats or Republicans. We are met here as Americans to solve that problem.”

And here’s a phrase Barack Obama used in his 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention:

“Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America.”

Although the words differ slightly, you can see how Obama “borrowed” from Johnson and then made it his own.

Here’s a passage from Martin Luther King Jr. in his final speech,”I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”:

“Something is happening in Memphis; something is happening in our world …

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 here’s Obama during his concession speech in New Hamphire in January.

“But in record numbers, you came out and spoke up for change. And with your voices and your votes, you made it clear that at this moment – in this election – there is something happening in America.

There is something happening when men and women in Des Moines and Davenport; in Lebanon and Concord come out in the snows of January to wait in lines that stretch block after block because they believe in what this country can be.

There is something happening when Americans who are young in age and in spirit – who have never before participated in politics – turn out in numbers we’ve never seen because they know in their hearts that this time must be different.

There is something happening when people vote not just for the party they belong to but the hopes they hold in common – that whether we are rich or poor; black or white; Latino or Asian; whether we hail from Iowa or New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina, we are ready to take this country in a fundamentally new direction. That is what’s happening in America right now. Change is what’s happening in America.”

Once again, “there is no new thing under the sun”. Obama was not the first to “borrow” from other speeches. Remember this line from John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech in 1961?

“Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

Compare it to this line from Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1884:

“It is now the moment when by common consent we pause to become conscious of our national life and to rejoice in it, to recall what our country has done for each of us, and to ask ourselves what we can do for our country in return.”

Apparently, there are a few different versions of this phrase that were uttered long before Kennedy spoke them. I’m still in search of the “original”.

What can we learn from the examples of Obama, Kennedy and other successful speakers? Listen to great speeches from the past and learn from them. “Borrow” some phrases and make them your own. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel … just try to improve and personalize it.

Where can you listen to these speeches? I listen to them on the American Rhetoric website. I’m sure the list of the “Top 100″ speeches will be able to keep you occupied for some time. When you hear phrases that resonate with you and that resonated with the audience, write them down. You never know when you’ll be able to “borrow” them for your speech.

Posted in Opinion, Political Speeches, Presentation Skills, Rhetorical Devices, Scripting Your Speech, Speech Writing
Tags: , Barack Obama, Great Speeches in History, Lyndon B. Johnson, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Repetition in speeches, Speech Writing