Quotes About Public Speaking

Quotes about public speaking to build your courage and grow your love for the subject.

There are several public speaking quotes on the page about getting ideas for speech topics and here are a few more of my particular favorites.

“It's quite simple, (public speaking) Say what you have to say and when you come to a sentence with a grammatical ending, sit down”

Another classic from Winston Churchill which helps to remind us of the importance of keeping it brief.

I've never heard of an audience complaining that a speech was too short, but I've seen plenty of the opposite!

“Unaccustomed as most individuals are to public speaking they still do it”

Let this anonymous quote remind you of a couple of truths.

Most people do it badly. You don't have to.

Never, ever, ever start a speech with something as old and boring as "Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking ..." unless it's part of a set-up for a (good) joke!

“In public speaking, we must appeal either to the prejudices of others, or to the love of truth and justice. If we think merely of displaying our own ability, we shall ruin every cause we undertake.”

By Wiliam Hazlitt, this is pretty long-winded but does make an important point.

Always remember it's not about you impressing the audience.

It's always about you giving them something of value. Do that and you won't ruin any cause you're involved in.

"Every improvement in communication makes the bore more terrible."

Frank Moore Colby's thought goes well with the number one rule of no-fear-public-speaking ... "Don't be boring"

What Mr Colby is suggesting is that if you're determined to bore your audience, any speaking skill will only make things worse.

"Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth."

My esteemed countrywoman Katherine Mansfield could have been talking about public speaking with this lovely quote.

And as I have no way to improve on it I'll leave it for you to go looking for your own favorite quotes about public speaking.




Return from Quotes About Public Speaking to the Home Page