Spoken Gems

The following quotes are from the speeches posted on this blog. Just click the link to get to the speech where the quote’s from.

“If you want to know what the future will look like, don’t ask a scientist – ask an experienced kindergarten teacher.” — Cliffard Stoll

…, the best man’s speech should last as long as the groom makes love. — unknown, Humorous Best Man's speech

A virus is a string of nucleic acid with attitude — Dan Dennett, Ants, terrorism, and the awesome power of memes

An collectively, you,… all of you,… most of whom are I’m not even sure of drinking age,… ermm, you’ve created the best political organization in America and probably the best political organization you’ve seen in the last thirty, forty years. — Barack Obama, Speaking to his Campaign Staff

As my mother used to say, “Never play Russian roulette with an Uzi.” — Guy Kawasaki, The Art of the Start

Be prepared: “luck” is where preparation meets opportunity — Randy Pausch, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” (The Last Lecture)

Don’t you laugh! You were a sperm too! — Jeff Yalden, 2006 Mascenic Regional High School Graduation

Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. — Randy Pausch, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” (The Last Lecture)

Hybrids are like mermaids – when you want a fish you get a woman and when you need a woman, you get a fish. — Shai Agassi, A bold plan for mass adoption of electric cars

I was honored to be in this race with Barack and I am proud that we had a spirited dialogue… That was the nicest way I can think of phrasing it. — Hillary Clinton, Unite for change

I’m proud to admit on camera and on the internet that I will never talk to any police officer under any circumstances. — James Duane, In Praise of the 5th Amendment Right to Not Be a Witness Against Yourself

If throwing lawsuits at your fans becomes a core component of your business model, then you no longer have a good business model. Unless you’re a lawyer. — Matt Mason, The Pirate's Dilemma

If you live each day, as if it was your last, some day you’ll most certainly be right. — Steve Jobs, 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

If you take another job you don’t like, isn’t that a little like saving sex for your old age? — Warren Buffett, Talk to MBA students

It’s not always easy to push yourself – and that’s why they invented mothers. — Richard St. John, Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes

Not enough gets said about the importance of abandoning crap. — Ira Glass, Storytelling

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. — Barack Obama (citing Mark Twain), Speech on Patriotism

Stay hungry, stay foolish! — Steve Jobs (citing “The Whole Earth Catalog”), 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

The brickwalls are there for a reason. The brickwalls are not there to keep us out. The brickwalls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brickwalls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They are there to stop the other people. — Randy Pausch, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” (The Last Lecture)

There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction — J.K. Rowling, The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination (Commencement speech at Harvard,

There must be an end to speculation with other people’s money. — Franklin Delano Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address

We actually can afford the BBC, because we can’t afford not to. — Stephen Fry, The BBC and the future of Public Service Broadcasting

Why did I call it “a magic glass box”? [...] Because he is a 13th century warlord! — Geoff Burch, Selling a Tank to Genghis Khan

You remember, at the beginning people were wondering: “How come he doesn’t have all the support in the African-American community?”. Do you remember that? That was when I wasn’t black enough. Now I’m too black. — Barack Obama, Speech on Father's Day