Archive for the ‘Good speeches’ Category

An Intriguing Speech–JK Rowling’s 2008 Harvard Commencement Speech: the Fringe Benefits of Failure

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Late yesterday night, when I checked if there was something good at the Website TED, I came across JK Rowling’s 2008 Harvard Commencement Speech. Listening to it for around 20 minutes, I was deeply attracted to her enlightening words.

Then I found this website at which you can listen to and read the speech at the same time. My suggestion is that you first listen to the speech without looking at the script, trying to jot down some important points. Then for the second time, you read the script as you listen.

http://harvardmagazine.com/commencement/the-fringe-benefits-failure-the-importance-imagination (more…)

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Persistence

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

I was touched by the inspiration Mr. Chu gave the students.

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=230367

朱學恒談堅持 建中人鼓掌2分鐘    2010/01/8

【聯合報╱記者邱瓊玉／台北報導】 (more…)

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Don’t Waste Life in Front of the Computer, Said Lian, Jia-en (連加恩)

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

In today’s UDN, I read a news report on Lian, Jia-en’s speech at Tsing-hua University. Mr. Lian joined substitute military service to serve in Africa for 20 months after he graduated from medical school eight years ago. He taught the children there to collect garbage in exchange for old clothes and raised funds to set up an orphanage. (more…)

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Things Will Work Out as They Should…

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

This morning while I was cleaning up my desk in my study, I listened to some talks at TED, a marvelous web site where “riveting talks by remarkable people” are shared.   

Though I didn’t concentrate, I still heard a lot of inspiring sentences.  For example, here’s one in John Wooden’s “True Success,” http://www.ted.com/talks/john_wooden_on_the_difference_between_winning_and_success.html

     “…believe things will work out as they should providing we do what we should.”

 

 

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Follow Your Feelings

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Yesterday while surfing the Net for some information, I came across Oprah Winfrey’s speech at Standord’s Commencement ceremony dated June 15, 2008.  Its title was “Oprah talks to graduates about feelings, failure and finding happiness.”   It was a long speech, so I printed it out.  After I read it and put it down, the words I could recall best was “follow your feelings.”  Oprah advised, “…feelings are really your GPS system for life…. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it…. When you don’t know what to do, get still…. and let your internal motivation be the driver.”  She mentioned her own experience: (more…)

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American President Obama’s Inaugural Speech

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

Last night, for the sake of health, I didn’t stay up to watch American President Obama’s Inauguration.  Thanks to the Internet, I can still watch it anytime.  So many people gathered to be part of history.  The following are the videos and script.  Enjoy them. (more…)

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“I Have a Dream”–an old entry re-posted

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

I’d like to re-post an old entry for the lesson “I Have a Dream.”

http://june.ettachou.com/2007/12/23/martin-luther-kings-famous-speech-i-have-a-dream/

Watch the video, and you’ll be touched by the power of language. I remember a former student of mine told me that, while we were discussing this lesson last year, she went to the entry every time she turned on her computer. She then watched/listened to the speech and read along with Martin Luther King. She is now majoring in English at National Tsing Hua University.

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Randy Pausch’s 2008 commencement speech

Monday, July 28th, 2008

This is Randy Pausch’s 2008 commencement speech at Carnegie-Mellon University, a version with Chinese subtitles.

Randy Pausch\’s Commencement Address at Carnegie-Mellon University

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Martin Luther King's famous speech: I Have a Dream — Video

Sunday, December 23rd, 2007

We are moving on to the lesson “I Have a Dream.” This is a lesson all the three commonly-used high school English textbooks include. Thanks to the Internet, now we have a very easy access to the speech in the video.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

The part we read in our textbook starts at 12:05 and ends at 17:20. At this website, the complete speech text is given below the video. (more…)

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