S3 Public Speaking

Professor Halima Ouamouch

Hassan II University, Ain Chok

1- Some qualities of exceptional speakers

I- Open up!
Organized: exceptional presenters take in charge. They are posed and polished.
They are not there to waste time.
Their message is well structured and clearly defined

## develop a structure that allows you to frame your objective, cover

all relevant material, transition smoothly from topic to topic and finish
strong.

## look organized otherwise your audience will get the idea that you
didn't care much to prepare. You may create a bad impression!

## here is a longstanding presentation structure:

*tell them what you're going to tell them ( opening) / purpose
*tell them (body)
*tell them what you just told them ( close)

## keep it short. Keep it focused. Keep it relevant.

## some attention - grabbing openings: a quote/a statistic/a question

to the audience/ a current news item/a story that relates direcly to
your message/a sincere thank you or acknowledgement/humor/a
poem

## remember, if you don't look organized, you won't appear prepared

## stand
Set your notes
 Establish eye contact
Pause for 3-4 seconds
Smile
State your purpose

Passionate: exceptional presenters exude enthusiasm and conviction.

They speak from the heart.
Their energy / generosity is persuasive and contagious.

Engaging: exceptional presenters do everything in their power to build rapport

quickly
Involve their audience early and often.

Natural: their delivery has a conversational feel.

They appear comfortable with any audience.
They are confident.

Understand your audience: learn a much as you can about your audience.

Practice: those who practice succeed

Own the room: it is a term describing an actor who is so completely into character
that
walks on stage with total confidence.
It is what will happen to you when you have developed an OPEN
communication style. You will present with total confidence and
maintain the highest level of professionalism.
You will do whatever it takes to ensure that your audience
understands and remembers your message.
2- Storytelling in public speaking

Since ancient ages, human beings have used stories to transmit information
and knowledge. Also, to connect. The emotion contained in a story
establishes a connection that no data presentation can. That connection
makes important points memorable and emphasizes the message to the
recipient.

Stories are always good to introduce controversial or difficult topics. They

encourage people to actively thinking about what they’re listening to and
motivate them. In addition, a good story will make your audience more
open to what is being said. So you want to make it right.
DO’S – GOOD PRACTICES FOR PERFECT STORYTELLING

A good story catches your audience’s attention and makes them feel
something. It needs to make an impact, and for that, there are a few good
practices that will turn your story into the perfect one.
RELEVANCE

Telling good stories is amazing, and there is always that one which is fun
and always works… with your friends. When choosing a story to put in your
speech, avoid the temptation of selecting simply the funniest ones. They
need to be relevant for the topic and your audience.

Stories are supposed to reemphasize your message, not simply make the
audience laugh.
KEEP IT SIMPLE

Your stories should be short and straightforward – easy to understand.

Eliminate details that are not relevant for the context or make the story
harder to follow. On the other hand, do not fill stories with too many
characters, events, or details.

The way we understand a story is deeply related to our ability to connect

with it. Make it easier for your audience to be involved in what you’re telling
by including familiar elements – for example, people and places.
FIND A GOAL
Why do you want to tell that story? What do you want your audience to take
from that?

Being related to your topic isn’t always enough to make your story relevant.
It should always have a lesson or transformation in it. Your story needs
something that your listeners can relate to and benefit from.
BODY LANGUAGE

A blank face with monotone speech will not bring your story to life. Instead,
you need to use adequate body language and facial expressions for the
context. This will make your story alive and convey emotions to your
listeners.
ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

The adjectives and adverbs are the elements that make your stories sound
more interesting. So make sure to emphasize them.

DON’TS – WHAT TO AVOID IN YOUR STORYTELLING

Storytelling is the perfect technique when used correctly. Yet, there are a
few mistakes to avoid if you don’t want to harm your presentation.
DON’T OVER DO IT

Do not tell story after story on the same topic. One story is enough, but you
can tell two if they are genuinely relevant. Like most things in life,
moderation is the key.

When you tell successive stories, each will have less and less impact on your
audience.
DON’T USE TERMS YOUR AUDIENCE DOESN’T KNOW

The stories must be relevant to your audience. They are supposed to have an
impact on them. For that, your audience needs to connect, to relate. That
won’t happen if you use terms they don’t understand or focus on situations
that are way out of your audience’s experience.
DON’T MEMORIZE
You’re telling your stories, your experiences, or at least, something you
heard about that had an impact on you. That’s the reason why you want to
tell them. So, there is no need to memorize stories.

Learn them the way they make sense to you. You don’t need many details to
cause an impact. Tell your stories as you feel them.
STORYTELLING BRINGS PRESENTATIONS TO LIFE

Telling stories is part of who we are and how we learn. They are the simplest
way to your audience’s heart, so use them wisely.

Find relevant, simple, and impactful stories to share. Make your audience
feel something, and your stories will ignite your presentations and talks.

3-Humor in public Speaking

Using humor in public speaking
Introduction
The use of humor can captivate the attention of the audience and raise an
audience’s interest in both the speech and the speaker.

Adding humor to your speech can make your audience feel more
relaxed and comfortable, and makes it easier for them to
establish a personal connection with you. This will, in turn, make
it more likely that they will remember you and your speech in the
future. 
In fact, many great public speakers understand that humor is not just an
added ingredient to make a speech intriguing–it has now become
a necessary one.

The top Reasons why you should use

humor
1- Establish a bond with the audience
One of the most important elements that makes a great speaker is their
ability to relate to and bond with their audience. If the audience can relate
to you, if they feel a connection with you, then till will remember you–and
your speech.

Humor is a great way of achieving this. A speaker who uses humor

effectively is more human, more real, more like one of them, to the
audience. Jokes put the audience at ease and make them more comfortable
with you, and make it more likely that they will remember you for a long
time.

2. Makes Them Remember You

One of the most difficult feats for a speaker to achieve is to not be
forgettable. You want the audience to remember you long after you’ve
finished speaking, and not forget about what you said the moment you get
off of the stage.

Adding humor to your speech will make it more likely that they will
remember you for a long time. A well placed joke is often easier to
remember than a long or complicated point. Moreover, they might also
repeat your joke to someone else, thereby increasing the reach that you
have.

3. Gives the Audience A Break

If you’re speaking for a long time without offering the audience any relief,
then chances are, they’re going to be dozing off before you reach even a
quarter of your speech.

Humor prevents this by giving the audience a break from the monotony of
continuous talk. It gives them a moment to refresh themselves, to chuckle
and think about something other than your speech for a moment. When the
moment ends and you slip back into the main topic, chances are, your
audience will listen to you with renewed and prolonged interest instead of
dozing off.

4. Makes It Easier To Get Across A Point

Not only does humor provide the audience a reprieve from much dreaded
monotony, but it also makes it easier for them to grasp the points that
you’re trying to make.

This is because humor simplifies things for the audience. As the speaker,
you’re already well-versed in the topic you wish to deliver. However, your
audience is perhaps not–at least, not till your level. Thus, by incorporating
jokes that elaborate on principal points in your speech, you can make it
easier for your audience to grasp what you’re trying to say.

5. Makes the Audience Feel At Home

Humor breaks the ice in the room, and there are few things that will warm
up your audience not only to you but to each other as well than a shared
laugh. Especially if you’re addressing an unfamiliar group, it’s imperative
that you make them feel comfortable with you and the venue.

Cracking a joke at the beginning of your speech is one of the best ways of
doing this. This will make sure that the audience is comfortable right from
the beginning of your speech, and it will make it more likely for them to be
receptive and interested in what you’re going to be saying for the rest of the
event.

The Do’s and Don’t’s Of Making The Audience Laugh

Making someone laugh is no easy feat. And making an entire group of
people is even more difficult.

But it’s not impossible–not if you keep in mind a few basic tips. And no, you
don’t need to be a professional comedian or even a natural-born one to be
able to successfully employ humor in your speech. What you need is the
willingness to step out of your comfort zone, and to practice, practice,
practice.

The Don’ts Of Making Audience Laugh

Don’t Make It Too Complicated
This is a very common mistake that most speakers make, especially if
humor isn’t something that comes to them naturally. They make their jokes
too complicated or too specific, thereby confusing the audience.

If your audience doesn’t understand the joke, they’re not going to laugh at
it, period. You want the joke to be simple enough to be grasped by most of
your audience. Keep the complex stuff for your speech–and even then, it’s
best to be familiar with and mindful of your audience’s level.

Remember that the joke is directed towards the audience and not you.
Therefore, it is imperative that while you’re thinking of the joke, you keep
your audience in your mind.

Don’t Use Too Many Jokes

While it’s important to sprinkle your speech with jokes, the keyword here
is sprinkle. Don’t dump an entire handful of them over it. Use humor aptly,
and you will attain all the benefits associated with it.
However, if you use too much of it or simply use it too often, then then it’s
going to have the opposite effect. That is, your audience is more likely going
to groan at your joke rather than laugh at it. The best way to avoid this to
only use humor when it feels natural to do so. That is, don’t just add a joke
because you’re unsure what to say, but rather add a joke where you’re sure
it will work.

Don’t Tell Them You’re Going To Say Something Funny 

One of the biggest mistakes that a person can make before telling a joke
is telling the audience that they’re going to be telling a joke. It sounds about
as awkward as the three tellings did in the previous sentence. 
This is because it raises your audience’s expectations. Unless and until your
story is something that will have them rolling on the floor in laughter,
they’re going to be disappointed. Not only this, but it makes you look bad as
a speaker, and it also takes away the element of spontaneity from the joke or
speech. 
So, next time you want to tell a joke…just tell it

Don’t Use Controversial Topics 

Remember that your audience is diverse and has diverse beliefs and
opinions. Some topics–like religion, race, and gender–are bound to invite
controversial reactions in the audience. 

You don’t want to alienate your audience. Rather, you want them to feel like
they belong.

The Do’s Of Making The Audience Laugh

Do Perfect The Delivery
Once you’re done with practice, then comes the next, and the most
important, step: delivering the speech to an audience. Delivering an
awesome joke that you’ve practiced a hundred times and being met with
crickets for response is embarrassing. To avoid that, the first thing you must
do is practice your delivery.
Don’t read your jokes off of a piece of paper. That’s simply terrible. You
need to practice your jokes until they’re naturally woven into your speech
and you can recite them from memory. Deliver your humor in a
conversational way, and not like you’ve spent hours memorizing it. Keep in
mind the “Rule Of Three” i.e if you haven’t delivered your punch line by the
third line of your joke…it’s too long.

For more information on how to deliver your speech, check out our article
on Body Language & It’s Contribution To The Process Of Communication.

Do Make Sure the Joke Has A Point

Remember that you’re not on stage for a stand-up comedy show but to
deliver a speech. Don’t just add a random joke, no matter how funny or
relatable it is. You need to make sure the joke you’re making is relevant to
the topic in hand, and elaborates or simplifies it in some way.

If your joke isn’t relevant to the topic in hand, the audience might find it
funny, yes. But they will most likely also end up confused about the point
you’re trying to make, and thus lose track of the main speech that you’re
there to deliver.

Be Appropriate
Lastly, while delivering the joke, it’s imperative that you deliver it in an
appropriate manner and in a way that you don’t end up offending your
audience’s sentiments.

To do this, make sure that you look up what your audience is likely going to
be composed of beforehand. Search about their likes and dislikes, things
familiar and unfamiliar to them. Most importantly, however, it is important
to educate yourself and keep yourself updated about what’s happening in
the world on a regular basis, and not just before your speech.

If you do end up accidentally saying something that you shouldn’t have, it’s
best to apologize. Remember that saying sorry doesn’t make you a smaller
person–quite the opposite, really.
Do Incorporate Pauses 
You don’t want to rush through your joke in one breath, and then plunge
straight into your subject matter. Your audience needs time to comprehend
the joke: otherwise, they won’t laugh.

So, make sure to have appropriate breaks between and within jokes. It’s
especially important to pause both before and after delivering the punch
line. This is to give your audience the chance to formulate an opinion, which
you will then subvert with the punch-line, and also to increase their
anticipation level. Pausing after the punch-line is imperative to give them a
chance to process your joke, especially if it’s a bit complex. 

Do Make Sure It’s Relevant 

Don’t use humor that doesn’t drive forward and expand on your main point.
You don’t want to randomly dive into a story about your encounter with a
ninja…unless your speech has to do something with encounters. Or ninjas
(in which case, may I attend it?). 

The point is, use relevant humor. This will make sure that your audience
doesn’t get confused about the point of your speech, and that they don’t lose
out on important stuff that you’re saying because they’re trying to figure out
how your joke fits into what they’ve been led to believe they’re there to
hear. 

How To Add Humor To A Speech

1. Using Anecdotes 
“Last summer, I visited a Yoga Retreat in the middle of nowhere…”
Many people feel more comfortable sharing their stories than slipping in a
well-timed jab in the middle of their speech. Then why not combine both,
and make it a funny story? The best and easiest way of employing natural
humor in your speech is by drawing on your personal experience. 

Think about that embarrassing moment that was definitely not funny at the

time, but you can now think back on chuckling to yourself. Or, if you’re not
comfortable sharing something about yourself, think of a funny story that
someone else told you. You can even use experiences common to most
people–like having a little kid to take care of or college professors to tackle. 
Don’t worry about people having heard it before. 
Sometimes a good cliche is exactly what people need. 

If you need more help with using storytelling in your speech, check out our
article on 9 Storytelling Approaches For Your Next Speech Or Presentation.
Example:
Here’s an example of incorporating anecdotes in your speech. As you watch
the video, keep an eye on how the speakers phrase the story, their body
language, and their facial expressions. Try to incorporate the same in your
speech.

2. Surprising The Audience 

A perfectionist walked into a bar…apparently, the bar wasn’t set high enough.
Who doesn’t like surprises (except my mother)? 

And who doesn’t like jokes (except my father)?

Combine both elements, and your audience is in for a treat! 

And no, by surprise, I don’t mean you have to literally surprise them. 

Humour tends to naturally pop up when your perfection about what
someone is going to say next is off the mark. The dissonance between
sentences can be annoying, yes. But if done right, it can win you that
surprised dose of laughter that you’re vying for.

And how do you surprise your audience? 

The best way of doing this is by using a set up and punch-lines. 

A set-up builds your audience’s expectations for a particular outcome. The

punchline reveals the surprise and upturns the audience’s
expectations. However, one key factor to keep note of while delivering your
punch line is to keep it at the end of your sentence. 

This is because if you keep it in the middle, most people will be too focused
on what you’re going to say to make deeper sense of what you’re actually
saying right now. Also, words spoken at the end of a sentence or paragraph
tend to have a greater impact–which is exactly what you want your
punchline to do.  

3. Add Shock Value By Playing With Words 

Phrases with dual meanings can be interpreted in more than one way, and if
you use them in an appropriate way, can garner a good laugh from the
audience. In such phrases, while the first meaning is apparent, the deeper
intonation is something that might take a couple of seconds to click. 
However, once it does–especially if your timing was great–then it might
have the audience chuckling for a while. The easiest way of adding dual
meanings to your speech is by using the set-up and punch-line method
mentioned above. Use the setting to suggest one meaning, and then when
the punchline rolls around, use it to insinuate an entirely different
meaning. 

And the deeper intonation doesn’t have to be something cliche, either: you
can make it something profound, or a sentence with more underlying depth
or impact than the initial, seemingly silly, one.

You can also add puns to your joke. A pun is a grammatical effect that uses
two words or expressions that sound similar or the same, but have two very
different meanings. Normally in a pun, the first meaning is quite
reasonable, while the second one might be less sensible or humorous in
some way. 

4. Adding Self-Depreciating Humor 

The only time I’m funny is when I insult myself
Audience tends to react positively to speakers who are self-depreciating–
and by self-depreciating, I don’t mean self-loathing, no. 
I’m talking about self-depreciating humor–which is light-hearted humour
at the expense of the speaker. 

This is because self-depreciating humour can make you seem more real or
grounded to the audience. It also makes it easier for them to connect with
you. When they laugh at your jokes, they’re not laughing at you
but with you: they recognize some part of themselves in what you’re saying
i.e they relate to you. 
It’s an extremely cathartic and fun experience. 
However, be careful not to overdo it. 

Remember, you’re trying to make the audience laugh, not to make them feel
bad for you. 

5. Use Audio-Visual Effects

Using audio-visual effects will not only make your presentation more
engaging, but it will also add a kick of uniqueness to it. 

Using audio-visual effects to amplify the humor in your speech is a great

idea because it will provide the audience a reprieve from the monotony of
listening to a speaker for long stretches of time. 

You can add visual elements in many ways. If you’re displaying a

presentation, you can add a meme or two into the slides. You can also show
a short funny clip or a GIF. 

Audio effects can be timed beforehand and cued in during critical elements
of your speech. For instance, you can add a funny audio during a punch-
line, or while you’re delivering an anecdote. 

6. Use Audience-Oriented Humor

Since your audience is the one that’s going to be listening to your speech–
and your jokes–it only makes sense that you use humor that will be
understood and cherished by them.

Your humor should be directed towards and specific to your audience. That
is, you need to change the kind of humor you’ll evoke and the type of jokes
you’ll use based on what your audience comprises of.

For instance, if your audience is comprised of college-goers, your humor

must incorporate subjects and experiences that are familiar to them. If your
audience is mostly working people over forty years, then you’ll need to make
tweaks to your planned jokes so that the humor is more relatable to them.
So, before you sit down and begin planning your jokes, make sure you’re
familiar with your audience’s taste and preferences. After all, no matter how
good or well-timed the joke, if they don’t understand it, they won’t laugh at
it.

7. Take Inspiration From Real Life

While it’s important to have your jokes prepared beforehand, a secret

ingredient that’ll take the humor level of your speech to the next level is by
keeping a lookout for anything funny happening around you as you’re giving
the speech.

That is, you need to pay attention if there’s anything that your audience is
doing which can be turned into an impromptu joke. Say, someone, yawning.
Or, a funny reaction that someone gives to your speech.

You can frame these events in a funny way and point them out while
speaking. You can even directly address an audience member by asking
them a funny question or simply asking if they agree with a humorous
comment that you’ve made.

The key is to add a dose of spontaneous and life to your presentation. More
often than not, it is these unscripted moments that will linger in your
audience’s mind rather than the ones you’ve painstakingly timed
beforehand.

9. Using Props
Another great way of adding humor to a speech is by using props! This is a
fun way to add a touch of uniqueness to your speech and to re-focus your
audience’s attention on something other than you and the stage.

There are many different types of props which you can use. You can use
puppets, suitcases, a table…anything you can think of, really! However,
make sure that just like your jokes, the prop is relevant to the topic in hand.
Don’t just use a prop simply for the sake of using one, or else it will take
away from your speech instead of adding anything to it.
10. You Don’t Have To Be Perfect
Nobody’s perfect.

I’m nobody…

So I’m perfect.
Lastly, remember that you’re not trying to win a stand-up contest. You don’t
need to be the best comedian in the world or even the funniest person in the
room. You’re there to deliver a speech. You’re there to share with the
audience your knowledge and your experiences, and the audience is there to
receive them.

It’s okay if you mess up. It’s alright if the audience doesn’t laugh at one joke.
It doesn’t matter if you messed up a punch-line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How Do I Add Humor To The Beginning (Or the End)
Of A Speech 
There are many ways using which you can add humor to the opening of your
speech. 

You could start off by telling a funny story. This can be your personal
experience, or just something imaginary. A funny story is a great way to
begin your speech, because not only does a story capture your audience’s
attention right off the bat, but the added element of humor elevates your
audience’s mood. This will ensure that they have a favorable opinion of
you–and the rest of the speech! 

For the ending, too, you could use a shorter version of a story. Or, another
way of adding humor to the beginning or ending of a speech is the good old
fashioned way: tell a joke. 

If it’s the ending, you could go with a joke that loops into or makes a
reference to something that you’ve said before. If you’re starting off, start
with something unique and fresh! 

Q. How Do I Add Humor to A Serious Speech? 

So, what if your speech topic isn’t something light? What if you’re delivering
a serious speech? Can you still add humor to it? 
The answer: Yes. 

Adding humor to a serious speech will give your audience a chance to

breathe & to take a break from the heavy subject matter.

However, you need to make sure that the humor doesn’t seem forced or out
of place. It should flow with your speech, and not feel like an external
constituent that you’ve added simply because you have to.
You can still use the different ways of adding humor to a speech that we’ve
mentioned above. However, make sure that you add them at appropriate
time intervals, and that they expand upon what you’re trying to get across.
Also, try not to use too many jokes, or bunch them all together, as this will
affect the overall tone of your speech. 

 Q3. How Do I Find My Unique Sense Of Humor 

It’s important to have your own unique sense of humor, not just in everyday
life, but during speeches as well. This will make sure that your jokes aren’t
bland and overused, and that the humor in your speech feels natural and
not forced. 

You can’t just wake up one day and discover what kind of humor fits you.
You need to put in time and effort in real life to find your own personal
touch. 

One way of doing this is by delving into humorous content. So, watch that
stand up comedy show or YouTube video, or read that hilarious book you’ve
been wanting to. You need to learn what you find funny, and what type of
content makes you chuckle.

Then, try incorporating them into everyday life situations, or simply

practice by yourself first before moving onto other people. It’s important to
be considerate of your audience and make sure that your jokes aren’t
offensive, yes. But don’t change your natural style to cater to other people–
you will never be able to stand out or find your own voice this way.
Q4. What If My Audience Doesn’t Laugh? 
A speaker’s worst fear: they tell a joke to an auditorium full of people, and there’s pin
drop silence (or, well, so it feels). 

However, don’t despair if the audience doesn’t laugh at your joke.

Pause for a little bit. Give them time. It could be that they haven’t yet understood it. 

If there’s still no reaction, don’t lose heart. 

It’s important to not let your audience control your emotions. Remember that your goal
is not laughter but to get across your point. Take a deep breath, and continue on with
your speech. Don’t let embarrassment make you skip the rest of your jokes. Tell them as
you were going to–just because they didn’t laugh at one joke doesn’t mean they’re not
going to laugh at others.

If you feel like understanding was a problem, then you can make little tweaks to your
delivery or the content matter to make it easier for your audience to grasp the joke. You
could even prepare a witty response to such a scenario in advance, and use it if the
situation does arise.

To sum up, adding humor to your speech is imperative not just to liven it up, but also to
make it easier for the audience to understand it and to cement your speech in their mind
for years to come. While adding humor to your speech might seem like a daunting task at
first, by using the tips and tricks mentioned above, you can easily train yourself to use
humor easily as well as effectively in your future talks!
4- Handling Stress

What steps can I take to manage/cope with public speaking anxiety?

Step 1: Self-Assessment
Begin by identifying problematic thinking patterns (such as those described
previously).
Ask yourself, "What am I really afraid of?" Doing so may help you gain a
more realistic perspective into the realities of what is expected and what is
not expected.
Ask yourself, "What are my strengths as a public speaker?" In other words,
do not overlook the strengths you offer and avoid becoming too focused
upon your weaknesses.

Step 2: Gradual Exposure and Preparation

Look for opportunities to expose yourself to mild-moderate levels of anxiety

that challenge, but do not overwhelm, your ability to succeed.

Consider developing a positive visualization of yourself giving a successful

class speech or presentation.

Practice in front of trusted friends. Review feedback with your friends and
make any adjustments accordingly.

Video or audiotape yourself. Watch yourself and give yourself constructive

feedback, including what was done well and what needs to be improved.

Be thoroughly prepared and rehearsed. Nothing replaces adequate time

spent in practice.

Consider using relaxation techniques to manage feelings of anxiety, such as

meditation, yoga, or muscle relaxation to help the mind and body feel
uplifted and balanced, yet alert and prepared.

Step 3: During the Speech or Presentation

Remember, most speakers and presenters contend with varying levels of
public speaking anxiety. You're not alone!
Rather than blocking out the audience, or seeing them in their underwear,
try viewing them as allies who are generally supportive and want you to
succeed.

Act calmly, even if you feel nervous or anxious. The more you dwell on this
nervousness/anxiety, the more likely you will remain preoccupied with it.

Try to overlook minor errors during the speech/presentation. Overall

impressions are more important to the audience than a word-perfect
speech.
Consider speaking as an opportunity, rather than something you are forced
to do.

Get outside of yourself and connect with the audience. Stay in the moment.

If self-critical thoughts start to surface, make an effort to switch off the left
brain's "critical observer," and try switching on the right brain's "passive,
supportive observer."

Step 4: After the Speech or Presentation

Temper external feedback with internal beliefs and expectations you have
established in Steps 1 and 2.

Asking others afterwards, "how did I do?" without first asking yourself may
deprive yourself of a very significant source of feedback: You! (Your own
evaluation matters more than the feedback of others! Remember again
when I asked you to tell me first how you felt when delivering your speech /
don't be overcritical.

Above all else, take satisfaction in what you have accomplished. Give
yourself credit for making the speech or presentation as successful as
possible.

Other Self-Help Methods

- Slow, deep abdominal breathing, especially before the speech or
presentation.
- Moderate intake of caffeine, nicotine, other substances throughout the
semester.
- Moderate exercise, adequate nutrition throughout the semester.
II- Some example of famous public speeches
1- Oprah Winfrey’s commencement speech at Harvard,
2013

Some questions

1- What are the qualities of Oprah Winfrey as a public speaker?

2- What makes her a conversationalist? Quote examples from her speech
3- What makes her introduction remarkable?
4- Cite some of the stories in her speech?

Commencement address by Oprah Winfrey (as delivered), May 30, 2013.

Oh my goodness! I’m at Harvard! Wow! To President Faust, my fellow

honorans, Carl [Muller] that was so beautiful, thank you so much, and
James Rothenberg, Stephanie Wilson, Harvard faculty, with a special bow
to my friend Dr. Henry Lewis Gates. All of you alumni, with a special bow to
the Class of ’88, your hundred fifteen million dollars. And to you, members
of the Harvard class of 2013! Hello!
I thank you for allowing me to be a part of the conclusion of this chapter of
your lives and the commencement of your next chapter. To say that I’m
honored doesn’t even begin to quantify the depth of gratitude that really
accompanies an honorary doctorate from Harvard. Not too many little girls
from rural Mississippi have made it all the way here to Cambridge. And I
can tell you that I consider today as I sat on the stage this morning getting
teary for you all and then teary for myself, I consider today a defining
milestone in a very long and a blessed journey. My one hope today is that I
can be a source of some inspiration. I’m going to address my remarks to
anybody who has ever felt inferior or felt disadvantaged, felt screwed by life,
this is a speech for the Quad.

Actually I was so honored I wanted to do something really special for you. I

wanted to be able to have you look under your seats and there would see
free master and doctor degrees but I see you got that covered already. I will
be honest with you. I felt a lot of pressure over the past few weeks to come
up with something that I could share with you that you hadn’t heard before
because after all you all went to Harvard, I did not. But then I realized that
you don’t have to necessarily go to Harvard to have a driven obsessive
Type A personality. But it helps. And while I may not have graduated
from here I admit that my personality is about as Harvard as they come.
You know my television career began unexpectedly. As you heard this
morning I was in the Miss Fire Prevention contest. That was when I was 16
years old in Nashville, Tennessee, and you had the requirement of having to
have red hair in order to win up until the year that I entered. So they were
doing the question and answer period because I knew I wasn’t going to win
under the swimsuit competition. So during the question and answer period
the question came “Why, young lady, what would you like to be when you
grow up?” And by the time they got to me all the good answers were gone.
So I had seen Barbara Walters on the “Today Show” that morning so I
answered, “I would like to be a journalist. I would like to tell other people’s
stories in a way that makes a difference in their lives and the world.” And as
those words were coming out of my mouth I went whoa! This is pretty good!
I would like to be a journalist. I want to make a difference. Well I was on
television by the time I was 19 years old. And in 1986 I launched my own
television show with a relentless determination to succeed at first. I was
nervous about the competition and then I became my own competition
raising the bar every year, pushing, pushing, pushing myself as hard as I
knew. Sound familiar to anybody here? Eventually we did make it to
the top and we stayed there for 25 years.
The “Oprah Winfrey Show” was number one in our time slot for 21 years
and I have to tell you I became pretty comfortable with that level of success.
But a few years ago I decided, as you will at some point, that it was time to
recalculate, find new territory, break new ground. So I ended the
show and launched OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. The initials just
worked out for me. So one year later after launching OWN, nearly every
media outlet had proclaimed that my new venture was a flop. Not just a
flop, but a big bold flop they call it. I can still remember the day I opened up
USA Today and read the headline “Oprah, not quite standing on her
OWN.” I mean really, USA Today? Now that’s the nice newspaper! It really
was this time last year the worst period in my professional life. I was
stressed and I was frustrated and quite frankly I was actually I was
embarrassed. It was right around that time that President Faust called and
asked me to speak here and I thought you want me to speak to Harvard
graduates? What could I possibly say to Harvard graduates, some of the
most successful graduates in the world in the very moment when I had
stopped succeeding? So I got off the phone with President Faust and I went
to the shower. It was either that or a bag of Oreos. So I chose the
shower. And I was in the shower a long time and as I was in the shower the
words of an old hymn came to me. You may not know it. It’s “By and by,
when the morning comes.” And I started thinking about when the morning
might come because at the time I thought I was stuck in a hole. And the
words came to me “Trouble don’t last always” from that hymn, “this too
shall pass.” And I thought as I got out of the shower I am going to turn this
thing around and I will be better for it. And when I do, I’m going to go to
Harvard and I’m going to speak the truth of it! So I’m here today to tell you
I have turned that network around!

And it was all because I wanted to do it by the time I got to speak to you all
so thank you so much. You don’t know what motivation you were for me,
thank you. I’m even prouder to share a fundamental truth that you might
not have learned even as graduates of Harvard unless you studied the
ancient Greek hero with Professor Nagy. Professor Nagy as we were coming
in this morning said, “Please Ms. Winfrey, walk decisively.”

I shall walk decisively.

This is what I want to share. It doesn’t matter how far you might rise. At
some point you are bound to stumble because if you’re constantly doing
what we do, raising the bar. If you’re constantly pushing yourself higher,
higher the law of averages not to mention the Myth of Icarus predicts that
you will at some point fall. And when you do I want you to know this,
remember this: there is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life
trying to move us in another direction. Now when you’re down there in the
hole, it looks like failure. So this past year I had to spoon feed those
words to myself. And when you’re down in the hole, when that moment
comes, it’s really okay to feel bad for a little while. Give yourself time to
mourn what you think you may have lost but then here’s the key, learn from
every mistake because every experience, encounter, and particularly your
mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are.
And then figure out what is the next right move. And the key to life is to
develop an internal moral, emotional G.P.S. that can tell you
which way to go. Because now and forever more when you Google
yourself your search results will read “Harvard, 2013”. And in a very
competitive world that really is a calling card because I can tell y ou as one
who employs a lot of people when I see “Harvard” I sit up a little straighter
and say, “Where is he or she? Bring them in.” It’s an impressive calling card
that can lead to even more impressive bullets in the years ahead: lawyer,
senator, C.E.O., scientist, physicist, winners of Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes or
late night talk show host. But the challenge of life I have found is to build a
résumé that doesn’t simply tell a story about what you want to be but it’s a
story about who you want to be. It’s a résumé that doesn’t just tell a story
about what you want to accomplish but why. A story that’s not just a
collection of titles and positions but a story that’s really about your purpose.
Because when you inevitably stumble and find yourself stuck in a hole that
is the story that will get you out. What is your true calling? What is your
dharma? What is your purpose? For me that discovery came in 1994 when I
interviewed a little girl who had decided to collect pocket change in order to
help other people in need. She raised a thousand dollars all by herself and I
thought, well if that little 9-year-old girl with a bucket and big heart could
do that, I wonder what I could do? So I asked for our viewers to take up
their own change collection and in one month, just from pennies and
nickels and dimes, we raised more than three million dollars that we used to
send one student from every state in the United States to college. That was
the beginning of the Angel Network.

And so what I did was I simply asked our viewers, “Do what you can
wherever you are, from wherever you sit in life. Give me your time or your
talent your money if you have it.” And they did. Extend yourself in kindness
to other human beings wherever you can. And together we built 55 schools
in 12 different countries and restored nearly 300 homes that were
devastated by hurricanes Rita and Katrina. So the Angel Network — I have
been on the air for a long time — but it was the Angel Network that actually
focused my internal G.P.S. It helped me to decide that I wasn’t going to just
be on TV every day but that the goal of my shows, my interviews, my
business, my philanthropy all of it, whatever ventures I might pursue would
be to make clear that what unites us is ultimately far more redeeming and
compelling than anything that separates me. Because what had become
clear to me, and I want you to know, it isn’t always clear in the beginning
because as I said I had been on television since I was 19 years old. But
around ’94 I got really clear. So don’t expect the clarity to come all at once,
to know your purpose right away, but what became clear to me was that I
was here on Earth to use television and not be used by it; to use television to
illuminate the transcendent power of our better angels. So this Angel
Network, it didn’t just change the lives of those who were helped, but the
lives of those who also did the helping. It reminded us that no matter who
we are or what we look like or what we may believe, it is both possible and
more importantly it becomes powerful to come together in common
purpose and common effort. I saw something on the “Bill Moore Show”
recently that so reminded me of this point. It was an interview with David
and Francine Wheeler. They lost their 7-year-old son, Ben, in the Sandy
Hook tragedy. And even though gun safety legislation to strengthen
background checks had just been voted down in Congress at the time that
they were doing this interview they talked about how they refused to be
discouraged. Francine said this, she said, “Our hearts are broken but our
spirits are not. I’m going to tell them what it’s like to find a conversation
about change that is love, and I’m going to do that without fighting them.”
And then her husband David added this, “You simply cannot demonize or
vilify someone who doesn’t agree with you, because the minute you do that,
your discussion is over. And we cannot do that any longer. The problem is
too enormous. There has to be some way that this darkness can be banished
with light.” In our political system and in the media we often see the
reflection of a country that is polarized, that is paralyzed and is self-
interested. And yet, I know you know the truth. We all know that we are
better than the cynicism and the pessimism that is regurgitated throughout
Washington and the 24-hour cable news cycle. Not my channel, by the way.
We understand that the vast majority of people in this country believe in
stronger background checks because they realize that we can uphold the
Second Amendment and also reduce the violence that is robbing us of our
children. They don’t have to be incompatible.
And we understand that most Americans believe in a clear path to
citizenship for the 12,000,000 undocumented immigrants who reside in
this country because it’s possible to both enforce our laws and at the same
time embrace the words on the Statue of Liberty that have welcomed
generations of huddled masses to our shores. We can do both.

And we understand. I know you do because you went to Harvard. There are
people from both parties, and no party, [who] believe that indigent mothers
and families should have access to healthy food and a roof over their heads
and a strong public education because here in the richest nation on Earth,
we can afford a basic level of security and opportunity. So the question is,
what are we going to do about it? Really, what are you going to do about it?
Maybe you agree with these beliefs. Maybe you don’t. Maybe you care about
these issues and maybe there are other challenges that you, Class of 2013,
are passionate about. Maybe you want to make a difference by serving in
government. Maybe you want to launch your own television show. Or
maybe you simply want to collect some change. Your parents would
appreciate that about now. The point is your generation is charged with this
task of breaking through what the body politic has thus far made
impervious to change. Each of you has been blessed with this enormous
opportunity of attending this prestigious school. You now have a chance to
better your life, the lives of your neighbors and also the life of our country.
When you do that let me tell you what I know for sure. That’s when your
story gets really good. Maya Angelou always says, “When you learn, teach.
When you get, give. That my friends is what gives your story purpose and
meaning.” So you all have the power in your own way to develop your own
Angel Network and in doing so, your class will be armed with more tools of
influence and empowerment than any other generation in history. I did it in
an analog world. I was blessed with a platform that at its height reached
nearly 20,000,000 viewers a day. Now here in a world of Twitter and
Facebook and YouTube and Tumblr, you can reach billions in just seconds.
You’re the generation that rejected predictions about your detachment and
your disengagement by showing up to vote in record numbers in 2008. And
when the pundits said, they said they talked about you, they said you’d be
too disappointed, you’d be too dejected to repeat that same kind of turnout
in 2012 election and you proved them wrong by showing up in even greater
numbers. That’s who you are.

This generation, your generation I know, has developed a finely honed radar
for B.S. Can you say “B.S.” at Harvard? The spin and phoniness and
artificial nastiness that saturates so much of our national debate. I know
you all understand better than most that real progress requires authentic —
an authentic way of being, honesty, and above all empathy. I have to say
that the single most important lesson I learned in 25 years talking every
single day to people, was that there is a common denominator in our human
experience. Most of us, I tell you we don’t want to be divided. What we
want, the common denominator that I found in every single interview, is we
want to be validated. We want to be understood. I have done over 35,000
interviews in my career and as soon as that camera shuts off everyone
always turns to me and inevitably in their own way asks this question “Was
that okay?” I heard it from President Bush, I heard it from President
Obama. I’ve heard it from heroes and from housewives. I’ve heard it from
victims and perpetrators of crimes. I even heard it from Beyonce and all of
her Beyonceness. She finishes performing, hands me the microphone and
says, “Was that okay?” Friends and family, yours, enemies, strangers in
every argument in every encounter, every exchange I will tell you, they all
want to know one thing: was that okay? Did you hear me? Do you see me?
Did what I say mean anything to you? And even though this is a college
where Facebook was born my hope is that you would try to go out and have
more face-to-face conversations with people you may disagree with.

That you’ll have the courage to look them in the eye and hear their point of
view and help make sure that the speed and distance and anonymity of our
world doesn’t cause us to lose our ability to stand in somebody else’s shoes
and recognize all that we share as a people. This is imperative, for you as an
individual, and for our success as a nation. “There has to be some way that
this darkness can be banished with light,” says the man whose little boy was
massacred on just an ordinary Friday in December. So whether you call it
soul or spirit or higher self, intelligence, there is I know this, there is a light
inside each of you, all of us, that illuminates your very human beingness if
you let it. And as a young girl from rural Mississippi I learned long ago that
being myself was much easier than pretending to be Barbara Walters.
Although when I first started because I had Barbara in my head I would try
to sit like Barbara, talk like Barbara, move like Barbara and then one night I
was on the news reading the news and I called Canada “Can-a-da,” and that
was the end of me being Barbara. I cracked myself up on TV. Couldn’t start
laughing and my real personality came through and I figured out, oh gee, I
can be a much better Oprah than I could be a pretend Barbara.

I know that you all might have a little anxiety now and hesitation about
leaving the comfort of college and putting those Harvard credentials to the
test. But no matter what challenges or setbacks or disappointments you may
encounter along the way, you will find true success and happiness if you
have only one goal, there really is only one, and that is this: to fulfill the
highest most truthful expression of yourself as a human being. You want to
max out your humanity by using your energy to lift yourself up, your family
and the people around you. Theologian Howard Thurman said it best. He
said, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes
you come alive and then go do that, because what the world needs is people
who have come alive.” The world needs … People like Michael Stolzenberg
from Fort Lauderdale. When Michael was just 8 years old Michael nearly
died from a bacterial infection that cost him both of his hands and both of
his feet. And in an instant, this vibrant little boy became a quadruple
amputee and his life was changed forever. But in losing who he once was
Michael discovered who he wanted to be. He refused to sit in that
wheelchair all day and feel sorry for himself so with prosthetics he learned
to walk and run and play again. He joined his middle school lacrosse team
and last month when he learned that so many victims of the Boston
Marathon bombing would become new amputees, Michael decided to
banish that darkness with light. Michael and his brother, Harris, created
Mikeysrun.com to raise $1 million for other amputees — by the time Harris
runs the 2014 Boston Marathon. More than 1,000 miles away from here
these two young brothers are bringing people together to support this
Boston community the way their community came together to support
Michael. And when this 13-year-old man was asked about his fellow
amputees he said this, “First they will be sad. They’re losing something they
will never get back and that’s scary. I was scared. But they’ll be okay. They
just don’t know that yet.” We might not always know it. We might not
always see it, or hear it on the news or even feel it in our dai ly lives, but I
have faith that no matter what, Class of 2013, you will be okay and you will
make sure our country is okay. I have faith because of that 9-year-old girl
who went out and collected the change. I have faith because of David and
Francine Wheeler, I have faith because of Michael and Harris Stolzenberg,
and I have faith because of you, the network of angels sitting here today.
One of them Khadijah Williams, who came to Harvard four years ago.
Khadijah had attended 12 schools in 12 years, living out of garbage bags
amongst pimps and prostitutes and drug dealers; homeless, going in to
department stores, Wal-Mart in the morning to bathe herself so that she
wouldn’t smell in front of her classmates, and today she graduates as a
member of the Harvard Class of 2013.
From time to time you may stumble, fall, you will for sure, count on this, no
doubt, you will have questions and you will have doubts about your path.
But I know this, if you’re willing to listen to, be guided by, that still small
voice that is the G.P.S. within yourself, to find out what makes you come
alive, you will be more than okay. You will be happy, you will be successful,
and you will make a difference in the world.

Congratulations Class of 2013.

Congratulations to your family and friends.

Good luck, and thank you for listening. Was that okay?

2- Martin Luther King, I Have a Dream

delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial

 
3- I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as
the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
4- 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.
5- But one hundred 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
an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a
shameful condition.
6- In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. 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."
7- But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. 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.
8- 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 quicksands of
racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to
make justice a reality for all of God's children.
9- 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. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And
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. And 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.
10- 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. 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.
11-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.
12- We cannot walk alone.
13- And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always
march ahead.
14- We cannot turn back.
15- 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 self-hood 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." 1
16-
17- 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. And some of you have come from areas where your
quest -- 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.
18- Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my
friends.
19- And 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.
20- 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."
21- 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.
22- 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.
23- 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.
24- I have a dream today!
25- 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 there 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.
26- I have a dream today!
27- I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and
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."2
28- This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South
with.
29- 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.
30- And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's
children will be able to sing with new meaning:
31- My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,    From
every mountainside, let freedom ring!
32- And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
33- And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New
Hampshire.
34- Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
35- Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
Pennsylvania.
36- Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
37- Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
38- But not only that:
39- Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
40- Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
41- Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
42- From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

43-
44- 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:
45- Free at last! Free at last!
46- Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
 3-Barak Obama

Barak Obama’s Newtown Speech

To all the families, first responders, to the community of Newtown, clergy,

guests, scripture tells us, "Do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are
wasting away, inwardly, we are being renewed day by day.

For light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that
far outweighs them all, so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is
unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a

building from God, an eternal house in heaven not built by human hands.

We gather here in memory of 20 beautiful children and six remarkable

adults. They lost their lives in a school that could have been any school in a
quiet town full of good and decent people that could be any town in
America.

Here in Newtown, I come to offer the love and prayers of a nation. I am very
mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can
they heal your wounded hearts.

I can only hope it helps for you to know that you're not alone in your grief,
that our world, too, has been torn apart, that all across this land of ours, we
have wept with you. We've pulled our children tight.

And you must know that whatever measure of comfort we can provide, we
will provide. Whatever portion of sadness that we can share with you to ease
this heavy load, we will gladly bear it. Newtown, you are not alone.

As these difficult days have unfolded, you've also inspired us with stories of
strength and resolve and sacrifice. We know that when danger arrived in the
halls of Sandy Hook Elementary, the school's staff did not flinch. They did
not hesitate.

Dawn Hocksprung and Mary Sherlach, Vicki Soto, Lauren Russeau, Rachel
Davino and Anne Marie Murphy, they responded as we all hope we might
respond in such terrifying circumstances, with courage and with love, giving
their lives to protect the children in their care.

We know that there were other teachers who barricaded themselves inside
classrooms and kept steady through it all and reassured their students by
saying, "Wait for the good guys, they are coming. Show me your smile."

And we know that good guys came, the first responders who raced to the
scene helping to guide those in harm's way to safety and comfort those in
need, holding at bay their own shock and their own trauma, because they
had a job to do and others needed them more.

And then there were the scenes of the schoolchildren helping one another,
holding each other, dutifully following instructions in the way that young
children sometimes do, one child even trying to encourage a grownup by
saying, "I know karate, so it's OK; I'll lead the way out."

As a community, you've inspired us, Newtown. In the face of indescribable

violence, in the face of unconscionable evil, you've looked out for each other.
You've cared for one another. And you've loved one another. This is how
Newtown will be remembered, and with time and God's grace, that love will
see you through.

But we as a nation, we are left with some hard questions. You know,
someone once described the joy and anxiety of parenthood as the equivalent
of having your heart outside of your body all the time, walking around.

With their very first cry, this most precious, vital part of ourselves, our
child, is suddenly exposed to the world, to possible mishap or malice, and
every parent knows there's nothing we will not do to shield our children
from harm. And yet we also know that with that child's very first step and
each step after that, they are separating from us, that we won't -- that we
can't always be there for them.

They will suffer sickness and setbacks and broken hearts and
disappointments, and we learn that our most important job is to give them
what they need to become self-reliant and capable and resilient, ready to
face the world without fear. And we know we can't do this by ourselves.

It comes as a shock at a certain point where you realise no matter how much
you love these kids, you can't do it by yourself, that this job of keeping our
children safe and teaching them well is something we can only do together,
with the help of friends and neighbors, the help of a community and the
help of a nation.

And in that way we come to realise that we bear responsibility for every
child, because we're counting on everybody else to help look after ours, that
we're all parents, that they are all our children.

This is our first task, caring for our children. It's our first job. If we don't get
that right, we don't get anything right. That's how, as a society, we will be
judged.

And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we're meeting our
obligations?

Can we honestly say that we're doing enough to keep our children, all of
them, safe from harm?

Can we claim, as a nation, that we're all together there, letting them know
they are loved and teaching them to love in return?
Can we say that we're truly doing enough to give all the children of this
country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with
purpose?

I've been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we're honest with
ourselves, the answer's no. We're not doing enough. And we will have to
change.

Since I've been president, this is the fourth time we have come together to
comfort a grieving community torn apart by mass shootings, fourth time
we've hugged survivors, the fourth time we've consoled the families of
victims.

And in between, there have been an endless series of deadly shootings

across the country, almost daily reports of victims, many of them children,
in small towns and in big cities all across America, victims whose - much of
the time their only fault was being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

We can't tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them,
we must change.

We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is
true. No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or
prevent every senseless act of violence in our society, but that can't be an
excuse for inaction. Surely we can do better than this.

If there's even one step we can take to save another child or another parent
or another town from the grief that's visited Tucson and Aurora and Oak
Creek and Newtown and communities from Columbine to Blacksburg
before that, then surely we have an obligation to try.

In the coming weeks, I'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my
fellow citizens, from law enforcement, to mental health professionals, to
parents and educators, in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like
this, because what choice do we have? We can't accept events like this as
routine.

Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such
carnage, that the politics are too hard?
Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after
year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?

You know, all the world's religions, so many of them represented here
today, start with a simple question.

Why are we here? What gives our life meaning? What gives our acts
purpose?

We know our time on this Earth is fleeting. We know that we will each have
our share of pleasure and pain, that even after we chase after some earthly
goal, whether it's wealth or power or fame or just simple comfort, we will, in
some fashion, fall short of what we had hoped. We know that, no matter
how good our intentions, we'll all stumble sometimes in some way.

We'll make mistakes, we'll experience hardships and even when we're trying
to do the right thing, we know that much of our time will be spent groping
through the darkness, so often unable to discern God's heavenly plans.

There's only one thing we can be sure of, and that is the love that we have
for our children, for our families, for each other. The warmth of a small
child's embrace, that is true.

The memories we have of them, the joy that they bring, the wonder we see
through their eyes, that fierce and boundless love we feel for them, a love
that takes us out of ourselves and binds us to something larger, we know
that's what matters.

We know we're always doing right when we're taking care of them, when
we're teaching them well, when we're showing acts of kindness. We don't go
wrong when we do that.

That's what we can be sure of, and that's what you, the people of Newtown,
have reminded us. That's how you've inspired us. You remind us what
matters. And that's what should drive us forward in everything we do for as
long as God sees fit to keep us on this Earth.

"Let the little children come to me," Jesus said, "and do not hinder them, for
to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."
Charlotte, Daniel, Olivia, Josephine, Ana, Dylan, Madeline, Catherine,
Chase, Jesse, James, Grace, Emilie, Jack, Noah, Caroline, Jessica,
Benjamin, Avielle, Allison, God has called them all home.

For those of us who remain, let us find the strength to carry on and make
our country worthy of their memory. May God bless and keep those we've
lost in His heavenly place. May He grace those we still have with His holy
comfort, and may He bless and watch over this community and the United
States of America.

… we have a small favour to ask. Millions are turning to the Guardian for
open, independent, quality news every day, and readers in 180 countries
around the world now support us financially.
We believe everyone deserves access to information that’s grounded in
science and truth, and analysis rooted in authority and integrity. That’s why
we made a different choice: to keep our reporting open for all readers,
regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This means
more people can be better informed, united, and inspired to take
meaningful action.
In these perilous times, a truth-seeking global news organization like the
Guardian is essential. We have no shareholders or billionaire owner,
meaning our journalism is free from commercial and political influence –
this makes us different. When it’s never been more important, our
independence allows us to fearlessly investigate, challenge and expose those
in power.
Donald Trump campaign speech in Wisconsin August 17, 2016

It’s so great to be here tonight. I am honored to also be joined this evening

by Governor Scott Walker, Chairman Reince Priebus, and Mayor Rudy
Giuliani.

We are at a decisive moment in this election.

Last week, I laid out my plan to bring jobs back to our country. Yesterday, I
laid out my plan to defeat Radical Islamic Terrorism. Tonight, I am going to
talk about how to make our communities safe again from crime and
lawlessness.

Let me begin by thanking the law enforcement officers here in this city, and
across this country, for their service and sacrifice in difficult times.

The violence, riots and destruction that have taken place in Milwaukee is an
assault on the right of all citizens to live in security and peace.

Law and order must be restored. It must be restored for the sake of all, but
most especially the sake of those living in the affected communities.
The main victims of these riots are law-abiding African-American citizens
living in these neighborhoods. It is their jobs, their homes, their schools and
communities which will suffer as a result.

There is no compassion in tolerating lawless conduct. Crime and violence is

an attack on the poor, and will never be accepted in a Trump
Administration.

The narrative that has been pushed aggressively for years now by our
current Administration, and pushed by my opponent Hillary Clinton, is a
false one. The problem in our poorest communities is not that there are too
many police, the problem is that there are not enough police.

More law enforcement, more community engagement, more effective

policing is what our country needs.

Just like Hillary Clinton is against the miners, she is against the police. You
know it, and I know it.
 Transcript: the Full Text of Hillary
Clinton's Campaign Launch
Speech / 2015

Hillary Clinton 2016 Campaign Launch Highlight

00:49
00:49

 
Thank you! Oh, thank you all! Thank you so very, very much.

It is wonderful to be here with all of you.

To be in New York with my family, with so many friends, including

many New Yorkers who gave me the honor of serving them in the
Senate for eight years.

To be right across the water from the headquarters of the United

Nations, where I represented our country many times.

To be here in this beautiful park dedicated to Franklin Roosevelt’s

enduring vision of America, the nation we want to be.

And in a place… with absolutely no ceilings.

You know, President Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms are a testament to our

nation’s unmatched aspirations and a reminder of our unfinished work
at home and abroad. His legacy lifted up a nation and inspired
presidents who followed. One is the man I served as Secretary of State,
Barack Obama, and another is my husband, Bill Clinton.

Two Democrats guided by the — Oh, that will make him so happy. They
were and are two Democrats guided by the fundamental American
belief that real and lasting prosperity must be built by all and shared by
all.

President Roosevelt called on every American to do his or her part, and

every American answered. He said there’s no mystery about what it
takes to build a strong and prosperous America: “Equality of
opportunity… Jobs for those who can work… Security for those who
need it… The ending of special privilege for the few… The preservation
of civil liberties for all… a wider and constantly rising standard of
living.”

That still sounds good to me.

It’s America’s basic bargain. If you do your part you ought to be able to
get ahead. And when everybody does their part, America gets ahead
too.

That bargain inspired generations of families, including my own.

It’s what kept my grandfather going to work in the same Scranton lace
mill every day for 50 years.

It’s what led my father to believe that if he scrimped and saved, his
small business printing drapery fabric in Chicago could provide us with
a middle-class life. And it did.

When President Clinton honored the bargain, we had the longest

peacetime expansion in history, a balanced budget, and the first time in
decades we all grew together, with the bottom 20 percent of workers
increasing their incomes by the same percentage as the top 5 percent.

When President Obama honored the bargain, we pulled back from the
brink of Depression, saved the auto industry, provided health care to 16
million working people, and replaced the jobs we lost faster than after a
financial crash.
But, it’s not 1941, or 1993, or even 2009. We face new challenges in our
economy and our democracy.

We’re still working our way back from a crisis that happened because
time-tested values were replaced by false promises.

Instead of an economy built by every American, for every American, we

were told that if we let those at the top pay lower taxes and bend the
rules, their success would trickle down to everyone else.

What happened?

Well, instead of a balanced budget with surpluses that could have

eventually paid off our national debt, the Republicans twice cut taxes
for the wealthiest, borrowed money from other countries to pay for two
wars, and family incomes dropped. You know where we ended up.

Except it wasn’t the end.

As we have since our founding, Americans made a new beginning.

You worked extra shifts, took second jobs, postponed home repairs…
you figured out how to make it work. And now people are beginning to
think about their future again – going to college, starting a business,
buying a house, finally being able to put away something for
retirement.

So we’re standing again. But, we all know we’re not yet running the way
America should.
You see corporations making record profits, with CEOs making record
pay, but your paychecks have barely budged.

While many of you are working multiple jobs to make ends meet, you
see the top 25 hedge fund managers making more than all of America’s
kindergarten teachers combined. And, often paying a lower tax rate.

So, you have to wonder: “When does my hard work pay off? When does
my family get ahead?”

“When?”

I say now.

Prosperity can’t be just for CEOs and hedge fund managers.

Democracy can’t be just for billionaires and corporations.

Prosperity and democracy are part of your basic bargain too.

You brought our country back.

Now it’s time — your time to secure the gains and move ahead.

And, you know what?

America can’t succeed unless you succeed.

That is why I am running for President of the United States.

Here, on Roosevelt Island, I believe we have a continuing rendezvous
with destiny. Each American and the country we cherish.

I’m running to make our economy work for you and for every
American.

For the successful and the struggling.

For the innovators and inventors.

For those breaking barriers in technology and discovering cures for

diseases.

For the factory workers and food servers who stand on their feet all
day.

For the nurses who work the night shift.

For the truckers who drive for hours and the farmers who feed us.

For the veterans who served our country.

For the small business owners who took a risk.

For everyone who’s ever been knocked down, but refused to be knocked
out.

I’m not running for some Americans, but for all Americans.
Our country’s challenges didn’t begin with the Great Recession and
they won’t end with the recovery.

For decades, Americans have been buffeted by powerful currents.

Advances in technology and the rise of global trade have created whole
new areas of economic activity and opened new markets for our
exports, but they have also displaced jobs and undercut wages for
millions of Americans.

The financial industry and many multi-national corporations have

created huge wealth for a few by focusing too much on short-term
profit and too little on long-term value… too much on complex trading
schemes and stock buybacks, too little on investments in new
businesses, jobs, and fair compensation.

Our political system is so paralyzed by gridlock and dysfunction that

most Americans have lost confidence that anything can actually get
done. And they’ve lost trust in the ability of both government and Big
Business to change course.

Now, we can blame historic forces beyond our control for some of this,
but the choices we’ve made as a nation, leaders and citizens alike, have
also played a big role.

Our next President must work with Congress and every other willing
partner across our entire country. And I will do just that — to turn the
tide so these currents start working for us more than against us.
At our best, that’s what Americans do. We’re problem solvers, not
deniers. We don’t hide from change, we harness it.

But we can’t do that if we go back to the top-down economic policies

that failed us before.

Americans have come too far to see our progress ripped away.

Now, there may be some new voices in the presidential Republican

choir, but they’re all singing the same old song…

A song called “Yesterday.”

You know the one — all our troubles look as though they’re here to
stay… and we need a place to hide away… They believe in yesterday.

And you’re lucky I didn’t try singing that, too, I’ll tell you!

These Republicans trip over themselves promising lower taxes for the
wealthy and fewer rules for the biggest corporations without regard for
how that will make income inequality even worse.

We’ve heard this tune before. And we know how it turns out.

Ask many of these candidates about climate change, one of the defining
threats of our time, and they’ll say: “I’m not a scientist.” Well, then,
why don’t they start listening to those who are?
They pledge to wipe out tough rules on Wall Street, rather than rein in
the banks that are still too risky, courting future failures. In a case that
can only be considered mass amnesia.

They want to take away health insurance from more than 16 million
Americans without offering any credible alternative.

They shame and blame women, rather than respect our right to make
our own reproductive health decisions.

They want to put immigrants, who work hard and pay taxes, at risk of
deportation.

And they turn their backs on gay people who love each other.

Fundamentally, they reject what it takes to build an inclusive economy.

It takes an inclusive society. What I once called “a village” that has a
place for everyone.

Now, my values and a lifetime of experiences have given me a different

vision for America.

I believe that success isn’t measured by how much the wealthiest

Americans have, but by how many children climb out of poverty…

How many start-ups and small businesses open and thrive…

How many young people go to college without drowning in debt…

How many people find a good job…

How many families get ahead and stay ahead.

I didn’t learn this from politics. I learned it from my own family.

My mother taught me that everybody needs a chance and a champion.

She knew what it was like not to have either one.

Her own parents abandoned her, and by 14 she was out on her own,
working as a housemaid. Years later, when I was old enough to
understand, I asked what kept her going.

You know what her answer was? Something very simple: Kindness from
someone who believed she mattered.

The 1st grade teacher who saw she had nothing to eat at lunch and,
without embarrassing her, brought extra food to share.

The woman whose house she cleaned letting her go to high school so
long as her work got done. That was a bargain she leapt to accept.

And, because some people believed in her, she believed in me.

That’s why I believe with all my heart in America and in the potential of
every American.

To meet every challenge.

To be resilient… no matter what the world throws at you.

To solve the toughest problems.

I believe we can do all these things because I’ve seen it happen.

As a young girl, I signed up at my Methodist Church to babysit the

children of Mexican farmworkers, while their parents worked in the
fields on the weekends. And later, as a law student, I advocated for
Congress to require better working and living conditions for farm
workers whose children deserved better opportunities.

My first job out of law school was for the Children’s Defense Fund. I
walked door-to-door to find out how many children with disabilities
couldn’t go to school, and to help build the case for a law guaranteeing
them access to education.

As a leader of the Legal Services Corporation, I defended the right of

poor people to have a lawyer. And saw lives changed because an
abusive marriage ended or an illegal eviction stopped.

In Arkansas, I supervised law students who represented clients in

courts and prisons, organized scholarships for single parents going to
college, led efforts for better schools and health care, and personally
knew the people whose lives were improved.

As Senator, I had the honor of representing brave firefighters, police

officers, EMTs, construction workers, and volunteers who ran toward
danger on 9/11 and stayed there, becoming sick themselves.

It took years of effort, but Congress finally approved the health care
they needed.
There are so many faces and stories that I carry with me of people who
gave their best and then needed help themselves.

Just weeks ago, I met another person like that, a single mom juggling a
job and classes at community college, while raising three kids.

She doesn’t expect anything to come easy. But she did ask me: What
more can be done so it isn’t quite so hard for families like hers?

I want to be her champion and your champion.

If you’ll give me the chance, I’ll wage and win Four Fights for you.

The first is to make the economy work for everyday Americans, not just
those at the top.

To make the middle class mean something again, with rising incomes
and broader horizons. And to give the poor a chance to work their way
into it.

The middle class needs more growth and more fairness. Growth and
fairness go together. For lasting prosperity, you can’t have one without
the other.

Is this possible in today’s world?

I believe it is or I wouldn’t be standing here.

Do I think it will be easy? Of course not.

But, here’s the good news: There are allies for change everywhere who
know we can’t stand by while inequality increases, wages stagnate, and
the promise of America dims. We should welcome the support of all
Americans who want to go forward together with us.

There are public officials who know Americans need a better deal.

Business leaders who want higher pay for employees, equal pay for
women and no discrimination against the LGBT community either.

There are leaders of finance who want less short-term trading and more
long-term investing.

There are union leaders who are investing their own pension funds in
putting people to work to build tomorrow’s economy. We need
everyone to come to the table and work with us.

In the coming weeks, I’ll propose specific policies to:

Reward businesses who invest in long term value rather than the quick
buck – because that leads to higher growth for the economy, higher
wages for workers, and yes, bigger profits, everybody will have a better
time.

I will rewrite the tax code so it rewards hard work and investments here
at home, not quick trades or stashing profits overseas.

I will give new incentives to companies that give their employees a fair
share of the profits their hard work earns.
We will unleash a new generation of entrepreneurs and small business
owners by providing tax relief, cutting red tape, and making it easier to
get a small business loan.

We will restore America to the cutting edge of innovation, science, and

research by increasing both public and private investments.

And we will make America the clean energy superpower of the 21st
century.

Developing renewable power – wind, solar, advanced biofuels…

Building cleaner power plants, smarter electric grids, greener

buildings…

Using additional fees and royalties from fossil fuel extraction to protect
the environment…

And ease the transition for distressed communities to a more diverse

and sustainable economic future from coal country to Indian country,
from small towns in the Mississippi Delta to the Rio Grande Valley to
our inner cities, we have to help our fellow Americans.

Now, this will create millions of jobs and countless new businesses, and
enable America to lead the global fight against climate change.

We will also connect workers to their jobs and businesses. Customers

will have a better chance to actually get where they need and get what
they desire with roads, railways, bridges, airports, ports, and
broadband brought up to global standards for the 21st century.
We will establish an infrastructure bank and sell bonds to pay for some
of these improvements.

Now, building an economy for tomorrow also requires investing in our

most important asset, our people, beginning with our youngest.

That’s why I will propose that we make preschool and quality childcare
available to every child in America.

And I want you to remember this, because to me, this is absolutely the
most-compelling argument why we should do this. Research tells us
how much early learning in the first five years of life can impact
lifelong success. In fact, 80 percent of the brain is developed by age
three.

One thing I’ve learned is that talent is universal – you can find it
anywhere – but opportunity is not. Too many of our kids never have the
chance to learn and thrive as they should and as we need them to.

Our country won’t be competitive or fair if we don’t help more families

give their kids the best possible start in life.

So let’s staff our primary and secondary schools with teachers who are
second to none in the world, and receive the respect they deserve for
sparking the love of learning in every child.

Let’s make college affordable and available to all …and lift the crushing
burden of student debt.
Let’s provide lifelong learning for workers to gain or improve skills the
economy requires, setting up many more Americans for success.

Now, the second fight is to strengthen America’s families, because

when our families are strong, America is strong.

And today’s families face new and unique pressures. Parents need more
support and flexibility to do their job at work and at home.

I believe you should have the right to earn paid sick days.

I believe you should receive your work schedule with enough notice to
arrange childcare or take college courses to get ahead.

I believe you should look forward to retirement with confidence, not

anxiety.

That you should have the peace of mind that your health care will be
there when you need it, without breaking the bank.

I believe we should offer paid family leave so no one has to choose

between keeping a paycheck and caring for a new baby or a sick
relative.

And it is way past time to end the outrage of so many women still
earning less than men on the job — and women of color often making
even less.

This isn’t a women’s issue. It’s a family issue. Just like raising the
minimum wage is a family issue. Expanding childcare is a family issue.
Declining marriage rates is a family issue. The unequal rates of
incarceration is a family issue. Helping more people with an addiction
or a mental health problem get help is a family issue.

In America, every family should feel like they belong.

So we should offer hard-working, law-abiding immigrant families a

path to citizenship. Not second-class status.

And, we should ban discrimination against LGBT Americans and their

families so they can live, learn, marry, and work just like everybody
else.

You know, America’s diversity, our openness, our devotion to human

rights and freedom is what’s drawn so many to our shores. What’s
inspired people all over the world. I know. I’ve seen it with my own
eyes.

And these are also qualities that prepare us well for the demands of a
world that is more interconnected than ever before.

So we have a third fight: to harness all of America’s power, smarts, and

values to maintain our leadership for peace, security, and prosperity.

No other country on Earth is better positioned to thrive in the 21st

century. No other country is better equipped to meet traditional threats
from countries like Russia, North Korea, and Iran – and to deal with
the rise of new powers like China.
No other country is better prepared to meet emerging threats from
cyber attacks, transnational terror networks like ISIS, and diseases that
spread across oceans and continents.

As your President, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Americans safe.

And if you look over my left shoulder you can see the new World Trade
Center soaring skyward.

As a Senator from New York, I dedicated myself to getting our city and
state the help we needed to recover. And as a member of the Armed
Services Committee, I worked to maintain the best-trained, best-
equipped, strongest military, ready for today’s threats and tomorrow’s.

And when our brave men and women come home from war or finish
their service, I’ll see to it that they get not just the thanks of a grateful
nation, but the care and benefits they’ve earned.

I’ve stood up to adversaries like Putin and reinforced allies like Israel. I
was in the Situation Room on the day we got bin Laden.

But, I know — I know we have to be smart as well as strong.

Meeting today’s global challenges requires every element of America’s

power, including skillful diplomacy, economic influence, and building
partnerships to improve lives around the world with people, not just
their governments.

There are a lot of trouble spots in the world, but there’s a lot of good
news out there too.
I believe the future holds far more opportunities than threats if we
exercise creative and confident leadership that enables us to shape
global events rather than be shaped by them.

And we all know that in order to be strong in the world, though, we first
have to be strong at home. That’s why we have to win the fourth fight –
reforming our government and revitalizing our democracy so that it
works for everyday Americans.

We have to stop the endless flow of secret, unaccountable money that is

distorting our elections, corrupting our political process, and drowning
out the voices of our people.

We need Justices on the Supreme Court who will protect every citizen’s
right to vote, rather than every corporation’s right to buy elections.

If necessary, I will support a constitutional amendment to undo the

Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United.

I want to make it easier for every citizen to vote. That’s why I’ve
proposed universal, automatic registration and expanded early voting.

I’ll fight back against Republican efforts to disempower and

disenfranchise young people, poor people, people with disabilities, and
people of color.

What part of democracy are they afraid of?

No matter how easy we make it to vote, we still have to give Americans

something worth voting for.
Government is never going to have all the answers – but it has to be
smarter, simpler, more efficient, and a better partner.

That means access to advanced technology so government agencies can

more effectively serve their customers, the American people.

We need expertise and innovation from the private sector to help cut
waste and streamline services.

There’s so much that works in America. For every problem we face,

someone somewhere in America is solving it. Silicon Valley cracked the
code on sharing and scaling a while ago. Many states are pioneering
new ways to deliver services. I want to help Washington catch up.

To do that, we need a political system that produces results by solving

problems that hold us back, not one overwhelmed by extreme
partisanship and inflexibility.

Now, I’ll always seek common ground with friend and opponent alike.
But I’ll also stand my ground when I must.

That’s something I did as Senator and Secretary of State — whether it

was working with Republicans to expand health care for children and
for our National Guard, or improve our foster care and adoption
system, or pass a treaty to reduce the number of Russian nuclear
warheads that could threaten our cities — and it’s something I will
always do as your President.

We Americans may differ, bicker, stumble, and fall; but we are at our
best when we pick each other up, when we have each other’s back.
Like any family, our American family is strongest when we cherish
what we have in common, and fight back against those who would drive
us apart.

People all over the world have asked me: “How could you and President
Obama work together after you fought so hard against each other in
that long campaign?”

Now, that is an understandable question considering that in many

places, if you lose an election you could get imprisoned or exiled – even
killed – not hired as Secretary of State.

But President Obama asked me to serve, and I accepted because we

both love our country. That’s how we do it in America.

With that same spirit, together, we can win these four fights.

We can build an economy where hard work is rewarded.

We can strengthen our families.

We can defend our country and increase our opportunities all over the
world.

And we can renew the promise of our democracy.

If we all do our part. In our families, in our businesses, unions, houses

of worship, schools, and, yes, in the voting booth.
I want you to join me in this effort. Help me build this campaign and
make it your own.

Talk to your friends, your family, your neighbors.

Text “JOIN” J-O-I-N to 4-7-2-4-6.

Go to hillaryclinton.com and sign up to make calls and knock on doors.

It’s no secret that we’re going up against some pretty powerful forces
that will do and spend whatever it takes to advance a very different
vision for America. But I’ve spent my life fighting for children, families,
and our country. And I’m not stopping now.

You know, I know how hard this job is. I’ve seen it up close and
personal.

All our Presidents come into office looking so vigorous. And then we
watch their hair grow grayer and grayer.

Well, I may not be the youngest candidate in this race. But I will be the
youngest woman President in the history of the United States!

And the first grandmother as well.

And one additional advantage: You’re won’t see my hair turn white in
the White House. I’ve been coloring it for years!

So I’m looking forward to a great debate among Democrats,

Republicans, and Independents. I’m not running to be a President only
for those Americans who already agree with me. I want to be a
President for all Americans.

And along the way, I’ll just let you in on this little secret. I won’t get
everything right. Lord knows I’ve made my share of mistakes. Well,
there’s no shortage of people pointing them out!

And I certainly haven’t won every battle I’ve fought. But leadership
means perseverance and hard choices. You have to push through the
setbacks and disappointments and keep at it.

I think you know by now that I’ve been called many things by many
people — “quitter” is not one of them.

Like so much else in my life, I got this from my mother.

When I was a girl, she never let me back down from any bully or
barrier. In her later years, Mom lived with us, and she was still
teaching me the same lessons. I’d come home from a hard day at the
Senate or the State Department, sit down with her at the small table in
our breakfast nook, and just let everything pour out. And she would
remind me why we keep fighting, even when the odds are long and the
opposition is fierce.

I can still hear her saying: “Life’s not about what happens to you, it’s
about what you do with what happens to you – so get back out there.”

She lived to be 92 years old, and I often think about all the battles she
witnessed over the course of the last century — all the progress that was
won because Americans refused to give up or back down.
She was born on June 4, 1919 — before women in America had the right
to vote. But on that very day, after years of struggle, Congress passed
the Constitutional Amendment that would change that forever.

The story of America is a story of hard-fought, hard-won progress. And

it continues today. New chapters are being written by men and women
who believe that all of us – not just some, but all – should have the
chance to live up to our God-given potential.

Not only because we’re a tolerant country, or a generous country, or a

compassionate country, but because we’re a better, stronger, more
prosperous country when we harness the talent, hard work, and
ingenuity of every single American.

I wish my mother could have been with us longer. I wish she could have
seen Chelsea become a mother herself. I wish she could have met
Charlotte.

I wish she could have seen the America we’re going to build together.

An America, where if you do your part, you reap the rewards.

Where we don’t leave anyone out, or anyone behind.

An America where a father can tell his daughter: yes, you can be
anything you want to be. Even President of the United States.

Thank you all. God bless you. And may God bless America.