One way to enhance a speech is to include relevant quotations. To

practice this process, first let’s discuss the following quotations.

Quotables

“Oral delivery aims at persuasion and making the listener believe they are converted. Few persons are capable of being convinced; the majority allow themselves to be persuaded.”

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“In a republican nation, whose citizens are to be led by reason and persuasion and not by force, the art of reasoning becomes of first importance.”

– Thomas Jefferson

“Men are not governed by justice, but by law or persuasion. When they refuse to be governed by law or persuasion, they have to be governed by force or fraud, or both.”

-George Bernard Shaw

Quotables

“The tongue can paint what the eye can’t see.”- Chinese Proverb

“Nothing is so unbelievable that oratory cannot make it acceptable.” – Marcus Tulius Cicero

“There is nothing in the world like a persuasive speech to fuddle the mental apparatus and upset the convictions and debauch the emotions of an audience not practiced in the tricks and delusions of oratory.”

- Mark Twain

Quotables

“To resort to power one need not be violent, and to speak to conscience one need not be meek.”

- Barbara Deming

“There is no calamity which a great nation can invite which equals that which follows a supine submission to wrong and injustice.”

-Grover Cleveland

“Let one who wants to move and convince others, first be convinced and moved themselves.”

-Thomas Carlyle

Sentences containing quotes should be varied in structure for greater readability:

• As Flora Davis noted, “ ” (source). • “ ,” claims Noam Chomsky. • Terrance answers ______with the following

analysis: “ ” (source). • In his essay, Smith states “ ” (source).

Basic Signal Phrases:

Adding EthosWhen introducing a quote, add information about the author that will either establish his/her expertise or question his/her credibility or motives:

• Smith, president of the NSS, argues that “. . . ” • Jones, who seems to make a career out of

disagreeing with Smith, has this to say: “. . .” • In the words of researcher Herbert Terrace, “. . .”• The Gardners, Hamilton’s trainers, point out that “. . .”• The National Review, a publication well known for its

conservative stance, includes Smith’s opinions that “. . .”

Connect It!• The best signal phrases connect the quote to the point

you are trying to make, while adding ethos:

____, another supporter of _____ believes ______, as is evident when he states “. . .” (source).

George Smith, another supporter of cloning and the President of the Human Cloning Foundation, believes that science fiction works have created hysteria in the popular media, as is evident when he argues, “From Frankenstein to The Sixth Day, our popular media has done nothing but stir up the public’s anxiety about monsters” (25). His views on the popular media tell us . .

Now that you know what the quotations are about, select two quotations on which you can personally comment. For each of the quotations you choose, create a statement that incorporates the quotation as well as one or two sentences of your own commentary that adds to the message expressed.

Example: In the words of famed philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero, “nothing is so unbelievable that oratory cannot make it acceptable.” In the 21st century, when the words of influential men are broadcast around the world within seconds of the first utterance, we must be careful to weigh the facts and not be convinced that something is true merely because the speaker uses powerful words and a powerful delivery. If we know something to be untrue, those who would attempt to convince us otherwise must not persuade us.

Give credit to person who said it and build ethosEmbedded quote

Commentary

After you have shared your statements with a partner, choose one statement to present to the class. When you present your statement, try to deliver the words with emphasis and enthusiasm. Decide which words to emphasize and what tone you will use for your delivery.