Great Women’s Great Speeches

Gaza StripStatement before the General Assembly of the UN in New York January 17th 1957 I rise to make a statement on the problems of the Sinai Desert, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gaza Strip.On 3 December 1956, the Israeli forces withdrew from the Suez Canal area along the length of the Canal to […]

Eulogy for Rosa Parks Reverend Braxton, family, friends, admirers and this amazing choir: I—I feel it an honour to be here to come and say a final goodbye. I grew up in the South, and Rosa Parks was a hero to me long before I recognized and understood the power and impact that her life

What Is Patriotism?San Francisco, CA, 1908 Men and Women: What is patriotism? Is it love of one’s birthplace, the place of childhood’s recollections and hopes, dreams and aspirations? Is it the place where, in childlike naivete, we would watch the passing clouds, and wonder why we, too, could not float so swiftly? The place where

Gay Rights March on WashingtonApril 25, 1993 Hello lesbian and gay Americans. I am proud to stand before you as a lesbian today. With hearts full of love and the abiding faith in justice, we have come to Washington to speak to America. We have come to speak the truth of our lives and silence

A Left-Handed Commencement AddressMills College, Oakland, California, May 19, 1983 “I want to thank the Mills College Class of ’83 for offering me a rare chance: to speak aloud in public in the language of women.I know there are men graduating, and I don’t mean to exclude them, far from it. There is a Greek

On the Death of Princess DianaSeptember 9, 1997 Since last Sunday’s dreadful news we have seen, throughout Britain and around the world, an overwhelming expression of sadness at Diana’s death.We have all been trying in our different ways to cope. It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is

Responding to LandminesJune 12, 1997 Ladies and Gentlemen,I must begin by saying how warmly I welcome this conference on landmines convened by the Mines Advisory Group and the Landmines Survivors’ Network. It is so welcome because the world is too little aware of the waste of life, limb and land which anti-personnel landmines are causing

Nobel Lecture, The Chinese NovelDecember 12, 1938 Stockholm, Sweden When I came to consider what I should say today it seemed that it would be wrong not to speak of China. And this is none the less true because I am an American by birth and by ancestry and though I live now in my

Growth and Poverty ReductionFebruary 8, 1997 Admirably, our conference moderator, Jeff Sachs, wants to keep things simple by not adding to the list of what must be done in development. I do not want to add to that list either, but I must. Why? Frustration about Latin America— where growth in the 1960s and 1970s

Her Days as a SlaveYear 1925 “He saw my maw on the Kilpatrick place and her man was dead. He told Dr. Kilpatrick, my massa, he’d buy my maw and her three chillun with all the money he had, iffen he’d sell her. But Dr. Kilpatrick was never one to sell any but the old

Discovery Of RadiumVassar College in Poughkeepsie,NY—May 14, 1921 I could tell you many things about radium and radioactivity and it would take a long time. But as we cannot do that, I shall only give you a short account of my early work about radium. Radium is no more a baby; it is more than

Discourse on WomanDecember 17, 1849 There is nothing of greater importance to the well-being of society at large—of man as well as woman-than the true and proper position of woman. Much has been said, from time to time, upon this subject. It has been a theme for ridicule, for satire and sarcasm. We might look

Tribute To Eleanor RooseveltAddress to the first anniversary luncheon of the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Foundation, Hilton Hotel, New York, April 9, 1964 I met Eleanor Roosevelt first in print and admired her. I met her later in person and loved her. As she did to many very young and very timid Congressional wives, she extended

A Tribute to Martin Luther KingNew Delhi, India, January 24, 1969 This is a poignant moment for all of us. We remember vividly your last visit to our country. We had hoped that on this occasion, Dr. King and you would be standing side by side on this platform. That was not to be. He

Strike against WarSpeech at Carnegie Hall, New York City—January 5, 1916 To begin with, I have a word to say to my good friends, the editors, and others who are moved to pity me. Some people are grieved because they imagine I am in the hands of unscrupulous persons who lead me astray and persuade