130+ Powerful Quotes for Any Speech or Presentation
Looking for good quotes for a speech or presentation but overwhelmed by too many random quotes scattered around the internet? Well, I got you covered.
A few years ago, I started curating a diverse selection of quotes to use in welcome speeches and conference presentations. (Heck, I’ve even used them in impromptu speeches.)
Today, I’m sharing that quote collection with you, now expanded with dozens of other relevant quotes that I’ve personally hand-picked.
Below, you’ll find over 130 ready-to-use quotes for your next speech or presentation, covering a variety of common scenarios.
To make it easier to choose the perfect quote, I’ve categorized them into themes (e.g., leadership, teamwork, change management, and so on).
So, whether you want to spark inspiration at the start of your speech, spotlight a key message, or end your speech on a high note, there’s a quote waiting for you.
Why are quotes effective in speeches and presentations?
Quotes from well-regarded public figures add credibility to your ideas, evoke emotion, and help emphasize key points without ever having to overexplain.
From setting the tone with welcome speeches to closing conferences with inspiring words, I’ve seen how the right quote at the right moment can command attention and drive a message home.
A QUICK NOTE ABOUT FACT-CHECKING QUOTES:
I’ve tried my best to fact-check the source of each of these quotes, but I’d strongly recommend doing a quick fact-check before using quotes in high-stakes speeches or presentations.
To learn how to fact-check a quote, see the FAQ section at the end of this article.
Quotes About Problem-Solving
- “To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, who could I ask?” ― Jim Rohn
- “A problem well stated is a problem half-solved.” ― Charles Kettering
- “In every problem, there is an opportunity.” ― John Adams
- “Don’t find fault, find a remedy.” ― Henry Ford
- “A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” ― Duke Ellington
- “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” ― Albert Einstein
- “The first step in solving a problem is to recognize that it does exist.” ― Zig Ziglar
- “You’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem.” ― Eldridge Cleaver
- “The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.” ― Gloria Steinem
- “All problems become smaller if you don’t dodge them but confront them.” ― William Halsey
💡 When to use problem-solving quotes:
- A speech or presentation that explains how a big problem was solved
- Client case studies
- To inspire the team before a troubleshooting or brainstorming session
- Welcome speech at an event where ‘problem-solving’ is the main theme
Quotes That Inspire Curiosity
- “Curiosity is the beginning of knowledge. Action is the beginning of change.” ― James Clear
- “Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.” ― Marie Curie
- “In modern society, most people have access to the same information. People are distinguished much more by the questions they ask than by the answers they have access to.” ― James Pierce
- “I don’t know anything, but I do know that everything is interesting if you go into it deeply enough.” ― Richard Feynman
- “The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” ― Dorothy Parker
- “Curiosity is insubordination in its purest form.” ― Vladimir Nabokov
- “Along with intellectual curiosity, we need interpersonal curiosity. Taking an interest in other people is the beginning of empathy.” ― Adam Grant
- “The day we stop exploring is the day we commit ourselves to live in a stagnant world, devoid of curiosity, empty of dreams.” ― Neil deGrasse Tyson
- “There are no foolish questions, and no man becomes a fool until he has stopped asking questions.” ― Charles Proteus Steinmetz
- “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” ― Steve Jobs
💡 When to use curiosity quotes:
- Educational lectures or scientific keynotes
- Innovation-focused product launches
- Workshops on continued learning
- Welcome speech at entrepreneurial, scientific, or tech events focusing on new ideas and innovation
Quotes About Leadership
- “One voice can change a room.” ― Barack Obama
- “Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” ― Simon Sinek
- “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” ― George Patton
- “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” ― Rosalynn Carter
- “The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.” ― Warren Bennis
- “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” ― John Maxwell
- “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulder of giants.” ― Isaac Newton
- “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: We did it ourselves.” ― Lao Tzu
- “Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position.” ― Brian Tracy
- “The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.” ― Tony Blair
- “One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.” ― Arnold Glasow
- “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” ― Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- “Contrary to popular belief, the best way to climb to the top of the ladder is to take others up there with you.” ― Maria Eitel
💡 When to use leadership quotes:
- Leadership training programs
- Motivational speeches for aspiring managers and team leaders
- Celebrating employees for their leadership
- Welcome speech at a leadership conference
Quotes About Perseverance and Never Giving Up
- “Fall seven times and stand up eight.” ― Japanese Proverb
- “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” ― Mary Anne Radmacher
- “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” ― Lao Tzu
- “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
- “It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” ― J.K. Rowling
- “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.” ― Confucius
- “The moment you give up is the moment you let someone else win.” ― Kobe Bryant
- “No matter how small the step, forward is forward.” ― Mel Robbins
- “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” ― Thomas Edison
- “No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.” ― Tony Robbins
💡 When to use perseverance quotes:
- Team meetings during challenging times
- Staff meeting to address a recent setback
- Orientation for PhD candidates or new students
- Highlighting an incredible success story
Quotes on Time Management and Productivity
- “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.” ― Spanish Proverb
- “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent, and not enough time on what is important.” ― Steven Covey
- “It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?” ― Henry David Thoreau
- “Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves.” ― Lord Chesterfield
- “You don’t need a new plan for next year. You need a commitment.” ― Seth Godin
- “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks, but I do fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” ― Bruce Lee
- “I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument, while the song I came to sing remains unsung.” ― Rabindranath Tagore
- “A man who dares to waste one hour of life has not discovered the value of life.” ― Charles Darwin
- “Lack of time is actually lack of priorities.” ― Timothy Ferris
- “When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.” ― Simon Fulleringer
- “If there are nine rabbits on the ground, if you want to catch one, just focus on one.” ― Jack Ma
💡 When to use time management quotes:
- Meetings to address issues with staff productivity
- Training on time management
- Annual team meeting to set goals and priorities
- Product launches introducing a new software or AI tool that will save time
Quotes About Teamwork and Collaboration
- “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” ― African Proverb
- “A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other.” ― Simon Sinek
- “Those who work hard, work alone. Those who work smart, work as a team.” ― Utibe Samuel Mbom
- “An individual can make a change, but a team can make a revolution.” ― Amit Kalantri
- “None of us is as smart as all of us.” ― Ken Blanchard
- “The ratio of We’s to I’s is the best indicator of the development of a team.” ― Lewis B. Ergen
- “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” ― Ryunosuke Satoro
- “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” ― Helen Keller
- “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” ― Phil Jackson
- “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” ― Reid Hoffman
💡 When to use teamwork quotes:
- Before team-building activities
- Project kick-off meeting with collaborators
- Highlighting a success story of good teamwork
- Closing remarks at the end of any event or conference
Quotes that Recognize Hardwork (Employee Appreciation)
- “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.” ― Lucille Ball
- “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” ― Robert Collier
- “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” ― Dale Carnegie
- “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” ― Newt Gingrich
- “It’s not about money or connections. It’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone.” ― Mark Cuban
- “The difference between try and triumph is just a little umph!” ― Marvin Phillip
- “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” ― Henry David Thoreau
- “Work hard in silence, let success be your noise.” ― Frank Ocean
💡 When to use employee appreciation quotes:
- Award ceremonies or recognition events
- Team appreciation speeches
- Welcome speech at a company annual conference
- Introducing a guest speaker with an excellent work ethic
Quotes About Managing Change
- “The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” ― Nathaniel Branden
- “In any given moment, we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.” ― Abraham Maslow
- “You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ― Roy T. Bennett
- “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” ― Maya Angelou
- “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” ― Steve Jobs
- “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” ― Barack Obama
- “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” ― Charles Darwin
- “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” ― Dolly Parton
- “Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by discomforts.” ― Arnold Bennett
- “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” ― Rumi
- “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” ― Oprah Winfrey
- “Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.” ― Sydney J. Harris
💡 When to use change management quotes:
- Speeches or presentations about implementing change
- Embracing new software or AI tools
- Welcome speech at a leadership, management, or healthcare conference
Funny and Light-Hearted Quotes
- “People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.” ― Thomas Sowell
- “Bad decisions make good stories.” ― Ellis Vidler
- “There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.” ― Henry Kissinger
- “Adults are always asking children what they want to be when they grow up because they’re looking for ideas.” ― Paula Poundstone
- “Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.” ― Jim Carrey
- “Change is not a four-letter word… but often your reaction to it is!” ― Jeffrey Gitomer
- “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower
- “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” ― Douglas Adams
💡 When to use funny and light-hearted quotes:
- Casual team meetings
- Icebreakers at conferences
- Addressing the elephant in the room (for example, cost of living)
- Light-hearted speeches at team parties or award nights
Quotes About Effective Communication
- “When ideas are communicated effectively, people follow and change.” ― Nancy Duarte
- “Your number-one mission as a speaker is to take something that matters deeply to you and to rebuild it inside the minds of your listeners.” ― Chris J. Anderson
- “Communication works for those who work at it.” ― John Powell
- “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” ― George Bernard Shaw
- “If you are given only one opportunity to speak, be certain your voice is heard.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert
- “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” ― Peter Drucker
- “The first problem of communication is getting people’s attention.” ― Chip Heath
- “Great stories happen to those who can tell them.” ― Ira Glass
- “Stories are just data with a soul.” ― Brené Brown
- “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou
- “Two monologues do not make a dialogue.” ― Jeff Daly
💡 When to use quotes about effective communication:
- Communication skills training or public speaking workshops
- Training employees on customer service
- Meetings to address and resolve miscommunication
- Welcome speech at a Toastmaster’s conference or public speaking event
Quotes About Building Confidence and Overcoming Self-Doubt
- “Everything you could possibly ever want, have, or need is right here inside of you.” ― Kristin McGee
- “They can knock you down, but they can never knock you out.” ― Kendall Toole
- “Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t, pretend that you do, and at some point, you will.” ― Venus Williams
- “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
- “She remembered who she was and the game changed.” ― Lalah Delia
- “Confidence is not a belief in success. It’s a comfort with failure.” ― Mark Manson
- “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” ― Brené Brown
- “If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” ― Thomas Edison
- “Confidence is not the belief in oneself. Confidence is the willingness to try.” ― Mel Robbins
- “Confidence is not, ‘They will like me.’ Confidence instead is, ‘I’ll be fine if they don’t.’” ― Christina Grimmie
💡 When to use quotes about confidence:
- Speeches and presentations for new entrepreneurs
- Confidence-building or public speaking workshops
- Motivational speeches
Quotes on Diversity and Inclusion
- “You can’t be what you can’t see.” ― Marian Wright Edelman, Founder, Children’s Defense Fund
- “Diversity doesn’t look like anyone. It looks like everyone.” ― Karen Draper, Author
- “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
- “We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.” ― Maya Angelou
- “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.” ― Verna Myers, Vice President of Inclusion at Netflix
- “Equality is leaving the door open for anyone who has the means to approach it; equity is ensuring there is a pathway to that door for those who need it.” ― Caroline Belden, The Inclusion Solution
- “We are greater than, and greater for, the sum of us.” ― Heather McGhee, Author
- “The difference between equity and equality is that equality is when everyone gets the same thing, and equity is when everyone gets the things they deserve.” ― DeRay Mckesson, Civil Rights Activist
- “A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone.” ― Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google
- “A garden’s beauty never lies in one flower.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo, Author
- “No matter who we are or what we look like or what we may believe, it is both possible and, more importantly, it becomes powerful to come together in common purpose and common effort.” ― Oprah Winfrey
💡 When to use diversity and inclusion quotes:
- Diversity and inclusion training
- Team-building workshops
- Welcome speech at an event that celebrates diversity
Quotes About Learning from Mistakes and Doing Better
- “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” ― Arthur Ashe
- “Learn from mistakes, but never regret you made them. We make mistakes because we dare to step outside our comfort zone.” ― Paulo Coelho
- “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” ― James Clear
- “If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.” ― Tallulah Bankhead
- “Pros are just amateurs who know how to gracefully recover from their mistakes.” ― Kevin Kelly
- “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” — Sara Blakely
- “Mistakes are the proof that we are human and flawed, but also capable of growth and improvement.” ― Brené Brown
- “Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” ― Francis of Assisi
- “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one.” ― Elbert Hubbard
- “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” ― Maya Angelou
💡 When to use quotes about learning from mistakes:
- Company review meetings
- Presentations to address shortcomings or mistakes
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I choose the right quote for my speech?
Pick a quote that enhances your message and feels authentic to your style.
What are the best types of quotes for professional presentations?
In professional settings, consider using thought-provoking or industry-relevant quotes by well-regarded experts. Avoid cliches as they may put your audience off. Similarly, avoid using quotes by polarizing public figures as this may offend parts of the audience.
How many quotes should I use in a speech or presentation?
One well-placed quote is typically sufficient to support your message in most speeches. For longer formats, such as full-day events, stick to a maximum of two quotes.
Should I fact-check quotes? How to reliably fact-check a quote’s source?
It’s always a good idea to fact-check a quote source before using it. The internet is rife with wrongfully attributed quotes.
Here’s how I fact-check quotes: Type the words ‘fact check’ and copy-paste the quote and author name into Google. The results typically help you decide whether or not the quote is accurately attributed.
For example, in fact-checking a Nelson Mandela quote, I used the above fact-checking method and came across an article from the Nelson Mandela Foundation ruling the quote as a misattribution.
How do I seamlessly integrate a quote into my speech?
There are three ways to use a quote in a speech or presentation: (1) Start with a quote to set the tone for your entire speech, (2) End with a quote to summarize your speech and leave your audience feeling inspired, or (3) Use a quote in the body of your speech to strengthen an important point.
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