David Souter Quotes

When a man is asked to make a speech, the first thing he has to decide is what to say.

I hate speeches.

I happen to have given lots of free speeches.

Always, with speeches, I feel like it's an opportunity to say something.

Making clever speeches takes a lot of work and a lot of time.

There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.

I was on the speech team, we called it forensics.

Hey, I'm not a politician. I'm a ham. I love to give speeches.

One of the areas I have a little less confidence in is giving any kind of a speech.

No man not inspired can make a good speech without preparation.

The curse of speech writing is being part of a team.

Everyone wants a whack at the speech.

Speeches in our culture are the vacuum that fills a vacuum.

Regardless of how lyrical or rhetorically gifted they are in conveying big ideas, any candidate can do a good job of giving a speech if the goal of a speech is more than just delivering it well but achieving some end, whether it's convincing people of some issue or persuading them about you as a person.

When I give a speech, I tell it like a story.

When Demosthenes was asked what were the three most important aspects of oratory, he answered, 'Action, Action, Action.'

I'm liking the idea more and more of just standing up with a microphone and talking.

When Demosthenes was asked what was the first part of Oratory, he answered, "Action," and which was the second, he replied, "action," and which was the third, he still answered "Action.

Using rhetorical questions in speeches is a great way to keep the audience involved. Don't you think those kinds of questions would keep your attention?

This is unusual for me. I have given readings and not lectures. I have told people who ask for lectures that I have no lecture to give. And that is true.

In an easy matter. Anybody can be eloquent.

What I find daunting always is to stand on a stage and talk to people, whether they agree with me or not.

Giving a true speech, a true, passionate speech, is old-school football.

I've never given a speech without being terrified first.

I find doing speeches nerve wrecking.