Motivational Speech (Charlie Chaplin)
This was speech was written in the voice of Charlie Chaplin. In the speech he is speaking to the inner city youth of Chicago.
I grew up on the streets of England. I was a nobody. Now I’m beyond the status of a somebody. I’m Charles Chaplin, a superstar. People who haven’t even seen my films know me. I revolutionized the industry, working as an actor, director, writer, producer, and composer. I was even played by Robert Downey, Jr. So, how did I achieve all this with my poor upbringing? How did I rise like a phoenix out of the ashes of poverty? There are many reasons why, but the three main reasons were that I worked hard, seized my opportunity, and made sure not to be discouraged by my humble beginnings. These 3 lessons must all be used to achieve a successful life.
The first lesson, is that hard work is not just something you do to make end’s meet. It is a necessity for success in life. You can’t get anywhere without hard work. You can’t give up or become discouraged after failures. You must learn from them. I made several films before my biggest success. During those films I was able to hone my skills to become the legendary artist I am today. I used hard work to transcend my poor upbringings. I had to take on several different odd jobs, ranging from shoemaking to tap dancing, til I finally made it as a comedian on vaudeville. Laziness will not get you anywhere. If any sort of ambition at all, you must learn to never give up.
Another necessity for success is the ability to seize your opportunity. When you have an opportunity for success, don’t be cautious. You should be willing to explore new areas and take risks. These opportunities may come once in a lifetime. If I hadn’t taken my first motion picture deal, which was a risk, I wouldn’t be where I am today. One of my most memorable films, The Great Dictator, was a huge risk at the time. Making a comedy about a controversial world leader is something people still hesitate to do today. You need to take risks, whether it is a job opportunity or a just trying something new. If you’re not ready for your chance to arise and unwilling to take any risks, you’ll never go anywhere. However, if you try to do something new, you may find great success.
The last reason for success, most of us come from humble beginnings. Probably not as humble as my beginnings, but humble nonetheless. However, no matter how humble you began, you can become a success. I should know, since I’ve gone through possibly the biggest rags-to-riches story ever. If a young homeless beggar can end his life as a rich, successful artist anything is possible. You should never let your situation hold you down, and I should know. If I had let my situation define me, I’d probably have died, cold and alone, behind a dumpster. You must remember that greatness can come from anywhere.
I share these lessons I’ve learned with you because I see that you all have the chance to succeed. All of you have the chance to become something. Even those who don’t, you can learn from these lessons, since you can learn from these lessons. If you don’t work hard on something, then it’ll never turn out how it should be. If you don’t seize your opportunity or take risks you may never be able to find anything more than mediocrity. If you let your surroundings inform who you are, you’ll never rise above your surroundings. All of this I have learned over the course of my long life and I hope my hindsight can help you all lead better lives.
The first lesson, is that hard work is not just something you do to make end’s meet. It is a necessity for success in life. You can’t get anywhere without hard work. You can’t give up or become discouraged after failures. You must learn from them. I made several films before my biggest success. During those films I was able to hone my skills to become the legendary artist I am today. I used hard work to transcend my poor upbringings. I had to take on several different odd jobs, ranging from shoemaking to tap dancing, til I finally made it as a comedian on vaudeville. Laziness will not get you anywhere. If any sort of ambition at all, you must learn to never give up.
Another necessity for success is the ability to seize your opportunity. When you have an opportunity for success, don’t be cautious. You should be willing to explore new areas and take risks. These opportunities may come once in a lifetime. If I hadn’t taken my first motion picture deal, which was a risk, I wouldn’t be where I am today. One of my most memorable films, The Great Dictator, was a huge risk at the time. Making a comedy about a controversial world leader is something people still hesitate to do today. You need to take risks, whether it is a job opportunity or a just trying something new. If you’re not ready for your chance to arise and unwilling to take any risks, you’ll never go anywhere. However, if you try to do something new, you may find great success.
The last reason for success, most of us come from humble beginnings. Probably not as humble as my beginnings, but humble nonetheless. However, no matter how humble you began, you can become a success. I should know, since I’ve gone through possibly the biggest rags-to-riches story ever. If a young homeless beggar can end his life as a rich, successful artist anything is possible. You should never let your situation hold you down, and I should know. If I had let my situation define me, I’d probably have died, cold and alone, behind a dumpster. You must remember that greatness can come from anywhere.
I share these lessons I’ve learned with you because I see that you all have the chance to succeed. All of you have the chance to become something. Even those who don’t, you can learn from these lessons, since you can learn from these lessons. If you don’t work hard on something, then it’ll never turn out how it should be. If you don’t seize your opportunity or take risks you may never be able to find anything more than mediocrity. If you let your surroundings inform who you are, you’ll never rise above your surroundings. All of this I have learned over the course of my long life and I hope my hindsight can help you all lead better lives.