Rousing Speech/Quotes
Real Life
- Empress Theodora during the Nika Revolt (532). We don't know exactly what she said, but it was something like: "My lords, the present occasion is too serious to allow me to follow the convention that a woman should not speak in a man's council. Those whose interests are threatened by extreme danger should think only of the wisest course of action, not of conventions. In my opinion, flight is not the right course, even if it should bring us to safety. It is impossible for a person, having been born into this world, not to die; but for one who has reigned it is intolerable to be a fugitive. May I never be deprived of this purple robe, and may I never see the day when those who meet me do not call me empress. If you wish to save yourself, my lord, there is no difficulty. We are rich; over there is the sea, and yonder are the ships. Yet reflect for a moment whether, when you have once escaped to a place of security, you would not gladly exchange such safety for death. As for me, I agree with the adage that the royal purple is the noblest shroud." And yes, she did convince Justinian to fight and win.
- Boudicca's final speech to her army (60) has been verbally passed down as such: "But now, it is not as a woman descended from noble ancestry, but as one of the people that I am avenging lost freedom, my scourged , and marked body, the outraged chastity of my daughters. Roman lust has gone so far that not our very person, nor even age or virginity, are left unpolluted. But heaven is on the side of a righteous vengeance; a legion which dared to fight has perished; the rest are hiding themselves in their camp, or are thinking anxiously of flight. They will not sustain even the din and the shout of so many thousands, much less our charge and our blows. If you weigh well the strength of the armies, and the causes of the war, you will see that in this battle you must conquer or die. This is a woman's resolve; as for men, they may live and be slaves, and captive." Her army lost, however.
- French Revolution general Jean-Baptiste Jourdan at the Battle of Fleurus (1794):
"Retreat ? No retreat today ! Victory or Death !" |
- This trope was essentially Cicero's job. All it took was a series of rousing speeches from this man to have the conspirator Catiline executed without a trial.
- Abraham Lincoln: "Four score and seven years ago..."
- Frederick the Great to his fleeing Prussian troops at the Battle of Kolin in 1757 : "Ihr verfluchten Racker, wollt ihr denn ewig leben?" (roughly: "You damned bastards, do you want to live forever?")
- The U.S. Marines in World War I, having just arrived on the Western Front, were sent into battle through retreating French troops. After being implored to retreat with them, one of the Marine officers offered: 'Retreat? Hell no, we just got here!' (the attribution as to which officer offered the quote is sketchy though).
- Queen Elizabeth I (1588, defeat of the Spanish armada): "My loving people, we have been persuaded by some, that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit ourselves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you, I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear; I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good will of my subjects. And therefore I am come amongst you at this time, not as for my recreation or sport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all; to lay down, for my God, and for my kingdom, and for my people, my honor and my blood, even the dust. I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart of a king, and of a king of England, too; and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realms: to which, rather than any dishonor should grow by me, I myself will take up arms; I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, by your forwardness, that you have deserved rewards and crowns; and we do assure you, on the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble and worthy subject; not doubting by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and by your valor in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over the enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people."
- On Omaha Beach on D-Day, Col. George Taylor got his troops off the beach by saying, "There are two kinds of people who are staying on this beach; the dead and those who are going to die! Now let's get the hell out of here!"
- The Patton Speech: "No bastard ever won a war, by dying for his country. He won it, by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."
- Winston Churchill's speeches during World War II. The man was a master of the Rousing Speech.
- May 13, 1940:
- June 4, 1940:
Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. |
- June 18, 1940:
Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour. |
- De Gaulle, this same June 18, 1940. His government surrendered after the hero of the previous war, Pétain, was put to power. He was a brigadier general in London, with no army, with no navy, with no air force. His country was clearly on the track of fallen powers, however the war ended. For everyone else, it would have been the end of the fight. For him... it was only the beginning. When he finished his job, he managed not only to regain everything lost, but to make sure his country was still among the great powers (all the while pissing off a large bunch of his allies).
But has the last word been said? Must hope disappear? Is defeat final? No! |
Whatever happens, the flame of the French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished. Tomorrow, as today, I will speak on the radio from London. |
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- March 4, 1933:
- December 8, 1941:
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. |
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger. |
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounded determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God. |
- Paratrooper Joseph Beyrle, the only soldier known to have served with both US and Soviet armies, relates how the female commander of his Soviet tank battalion would always use the same stirring phrase, followed by her troops enthusiastic "UH-RAAAAAH!" When Beyrle asked for a translation it turned out to be: "Follow my ass as if you can have it!"
- Martin Luther King, on the 26th of August, 1963:
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." |
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. |
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. |
I have a dream today! |
I have a dream today! |
- And on April 3, 1968, the day before he was kiled:
- Jim Valvano at the 1993 ESPY Awards. After being diagnosed with bone cancer in June of 1992 and discovering it had metastasized the following month, he was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award at the inaugural edition of the ESPYs. In his acceptance speech (with most of his ESPN co-workers in or near tears), he announced the creation of the "V Foundation", which would be dedicated to finding a cure for cancer, and that its motto would be his famous quotation, "Don't give up. Don't ever give up." At one point, the teleprompter flashed that he had 30 seconds to wrap it up, at which point he said, "They got that screen up there flashing 30 seconds, like I care about that screen. I got tumors all over my body and I'm worried about some guy in the back going 30 seconds." The conclusion:
- The 1993 ESPYs were held on March 3. Valvano died April 28, 1993, at the age of 47.
- There was a bit of Defictionalization with the example from Knute Rockne: All-American listed under Film. The actor giving the speech was Ronald Reagan, and he was so effective at giving the speech in the first take, the other actors became so fired up that they just charged towards the door. The problem was, it was just a set, and the group of actors playing the team tore down the whole set in their charge. It had to be rebuilt for an additional take.
- George Washington was really good at these.
- January 3, 1777:
- August 27 1776:
- Say what you will about /b/, but when they get stirred to righteousness it's a sight to behold, as in this message about rescuing a young Anoynmous from his insane mother:
Fiction
"My brothers... we were forged in victory. A victory that ended the great war and brought forth the reign of Mount Olympus. Born from the depths of the underworld, rooted in the river of souls, our mountain emerged out of the Chaos. As it grew, so too did the might of the Olympians. We created a world of peace, a world of prosperity, a world that lives in the shadow and safety of my mountain. A mountain that has come to be the absolute measure of strength and power. Now, on this day, that power is to be tested. The mortal Kratos, seeks to destroy all that I have wrought. Brothers, put aside the petty grievances that have splintered us for so long. We will unite. We will stand together. And I will wipe out this plague! OLYMPUS... WILL PREVAIL!!!"
—Zeus, God of War 3
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We do not know what our chances of survival are, so we fight as if they were zero. We do not know what we are facing, so we fight as if it was the dark gods themselves. No one will remember us now and we may never be buried beneath Titan, so we will build our own memorial here. The Chapter might lose us and the Imperium might never know we existed, but the Enemy - the Enemy will know. The Enemy will remember. We will hurt it so badly that it will never forget us until the stars burn out and the Emperor vanquishes it at the end of time. When Chaos is dying, its last thought will be of us. That is our memorial -carved into the heart of Chaos. We cannot lose, Grey Knights. We have already won.
—Justicar Alaric, Grey Knights
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"Zeon's strength was expended in the Battle of Loum! There is no way they can create new soldiers overnight, and Ghiren Zabi knows it. I therefore appeal to all the citizens of the Earth Federation, to each and every one of you. Zeon is exhausted! Now is not the time for us to kneel before Zeon. It is time for us to rise! Now, more than ever, is our chance to defeat Zeon!"
—General Revil, Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening by Yoshiyuki Tomino
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- Shakespeare's Henry V gave two memorable Rousing Speeches:
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; —King Henry V, act 3, scene i, by William Shakespeare
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If we are mark'd to die, we are enow —King Henry V, Act 4 Scene iii, by William Shakespeare.
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Humans are no strangers to war. After all, we've been fighting for as long as we can remember. War is all we know. In the past, we fought for Imulsion. We fought for country. We fought for freedom. But all that changed after E-Day. For 15 years, we've been fighting for our very survival against inhuman, genocidal monsters. It is a fight we cannot continue. Humanity faces extinction, unless we end this war... now. We had thought the Lightmass Bomb would decimate the Locust Horde, but they survived, and have returned stronger than ever. They brought with them a force that can sink entire cities. Even Jacinto, our last beacon of hope through all these dark days, is now at risk. Soon we'll have nothing left to defend, and that means we have only one option: ...attack. Gears, what I ask of you now is not an easy thing, but it is necessary. If we are to survive... if we are to live long enough to see the seasons pass, our children grow, and experience a time of peace that we have never known, we must now take this fight to the Locust. We will go to where they live, and where they breed, and we will destroy them! This is the day we take the battle to the heart of the enemy! This is the day we correct the course of human history! This is the day we ensure our survival as a species! Soldiers of the C.O.G.... my fellow Gears... go forth, and bring back the hope of humanity!!
—Coalition of Ordered Governments Chairman Richard Prescott, Gears of War 2
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Marines, the Prophet of Truth doesn't know it yet, but he's about to get kicked right off his throne. We will take our city back, and drive our enemy into the grave they've been so happily digging. One final effort is all that remains!
—UNSC Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood, Halo 3
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You all know the mission, and what is at stake. I have come to trust each of you with my life -- but I have also heard murmurs of discontent. I share your concerns. We are trained for espionage; we would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way. Think of our heroes; the Silent Step, who defeated a nation with a single shot. Or the Ever Alert, who kept armies at bay with hidden facts. These giants do not seem to give us solace here, but they are not all that we are. Before the network, there was the fleet. Before diplomacy, there were soldiers. Our influence stopped the rachni, but before that we held the line! Our influence stopped the krogan, but before that, we held the line! Our influence will stop Saren; in the battle today, we will hold the line!
—Captain Kirrahe, Mass Effect, with appropriate music.
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Words shouldn't matter. People have died. If losing our friends isn't enough, if that doesn't make you want payback, then what are we doing here? —Commander Shepard, Mass Effect 2, final battle at the Collector Base (Renegade version)
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We've lost some good people. They gave everything to get us here. It's up to us to make it mean something and do them justice. —Commander Shepard, Mass Effect 2, final battle at the Collector Base (Paragon version)
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This is the Admiral. You've heard the news, you know the mission. You should also know there is only one way that this mission ends: and that's with the successful rescue of our people, off of New Caprica. Look around you. Take a good look at the men and women that stand next to you. Remember their faces, for one day you will tell your children and your grandchildren that you served with such men and women as the universe has never seen. And together, you'll accomplish the feat that will be told and retold down through the ages, and find immortality as only the gods once knew. I'm proud to serve with you. Good hunting.
—William Adama, Battlestar Galactica
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Here we are in the mouth of Hell, and we made it this far by leanin' on each other. That thing may be the key to stoppin' the Queen of Blades, but it's our sweat and blood that'll make it happen. After everything we've been through, past all the fire and fury, the one thing I know is that we can count on each other to get the job done. Or die trying, if that's what it takes. ...Because some things are just worth fighting for.
—James Raynor, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
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The sky people have sent us a message, that they can take whatever they want and no one can stop them. But we will send them a message. You ride out, as fast as the wind can carry you! You tell the other clans to come. Tell them Toruk Makto calls to them. You fly now, with me, my brothers! my sisters! And we will show the sky people that they cannot take whatever they want. And that this... this is our land!
—Jake Sully, Avatar
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Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind. "Mankind." That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it's fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom... Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution... but from annihilation. We are fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!
—President Whitmore, Independence Day
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"My friends, it has often been said that I like war. Friends, I like war. No, friends, I love war! —The Major, Hellsing
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This is - this is the President. —The President of Earth, In The Beginning
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Enemies of the Imperium, hear me: you have come here to die. —Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander, Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, when the Imperial Guard stronghold is attacked.
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Today the enemy is at our doorstep, and thinks he can push us of this world. He is already gloating. He can taste his victory. But what he fails to see is that we will make this his last meal! The Chief Librarian has ordered the purge of this world to protect our Chapter's secrets. Are we to retreat with our duty unfulfilled? Are we to let a black mark stain the banner of the Blood Ravens? I say that we will not! I say our enemies will regret the day they ever decided to face us in battle! Our Battle Barge orbits overhead and will rain the Emperor's holy fury on our opponents! More of our brothers will come to join the fight, but as always our enemy outnumbers us. Each of you must be an army in your own right! Veterans of the First Company, the finest of the entire Chapter, stand with us! Let their valor guide your fire into the enemy's heart! Remember that we are Blood Ravens, brothers. We have all sworn to protect fonts of hidden knowledge. Each one of us must fall before handing this world to the enemy. The Emperor is with us! The Unknown Primarch is with us! They have come for our blood, but they will drown in their own!
—Captain Thule, Dawn of War
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"Space Marines! Today the enemy is at our door. We know our duty and we will do it. We fight for our honor, as Blood Ravens, as Space Marines, and we fight in the name of The Emperor! If we die this day, we die in glory. We die hero's deaths. But we shall not die, no, it is the enemy who will taste death and defeat; As You Know, most of our battle brothers are stationed in space, prepared to deep strike!"
—Commander Boreale, Dawn of War
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"Citizens of Berlin! A ring of steel surrounds your rotten city! We will crush all who still dare to resist the will of the Red Army! Abandon your posts! Abandon your homes! Abandon all hope! Ura!"
—Commissar Markhov, Call of Duty: World At War
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Friends! This island is a great and wonderful place. Never have any been as blessed as we are to live in such a paradise! I love my home, and Jaller loved it too. But, most of all, Jaller respected his duty! Let us repay him by doing our duty! Let us remember him by fulfilling our destiny. Let us go forward together! Let us awaken the Great Spirit!
—Hahli, Bionicle: Mask of Light
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"Never before have so many come together - from all quarters of the galaxy. But never before have we faced an enemy such as this. The Reapers will show us no mercy. We must give them no quarter. They will terrorize our populations. We must stand fast in the face of that terror. They will advance until our last city falls, but we will not fall. We will prevail. Each of us will be defined by our actions in the coming battle. Stand fast. Stand strong. Stand together. Hackett out"
—Admiral Steven Hackett, Mass Effect 3
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You hear that? That's the mating call of the Northmen! They want to fuck us! Well, I haven't had a good fuck in weeks! I'm ready for one! They say every ironborn man is worth a dozen from the mainland. You think they're right? We die today brothers! We die bleeding from a hundred wounds with arrows in our necks and spears in our guts! But our warcries will echo through eternity! They will sing about the Battle of Winterfell until the Iron Islands have slipped beneath the waves! Every man, woman, and child will know who we were and how long we stood! Aggar and Gelmar! Wex and Urzen! Styg and Black Lorren! Ironborn warriors will cry out our names as they leap onto the shores of Seagard and Faircastle! Mothers will name their sons after us! Girls will think of us with their lovers inside them! AND WHOEVER KILLS THAT FUCKING HORNBLOWER WILL STAND IN BRONZE ABOVE THE SHORES OF PYKE! WHAT IS DEAD MAY NEVER DIE!
—Theon Greyjoy, Game of Thrones [1]
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Forty Inspirational Speeches in Two Minutes
- ↑ right before getting whalloped on the head by his own men