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Very few people know that these 11 phrases came from famous speeches

Speeches are a great occasion to include a powerful quote that might resonate with someone in the audience and be passed down through the ages. These 12 notable quotes by politicians, activists, businessmen, and other notable individuals are still referenced today because they remain highly relevant and true. Which one is your favorite?

President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address is remembered for its call to public service. Using vivid imagery, he delivered a powerful message.

Its most iconic line, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country," remains one of the most quoted phrases in American history.

The famous and ubiquitous line "I have a dream" comes from Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic 1963 speech during the March on Washington. Though partly improvised, it became the heart of his vision for racial equality and justice.

Inspired by past speeches and by gospel singer Mahalia Jackson’s encouragement, King’s words instilled hope for a future free from discrimination.

The phrase "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" comes from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 inaugural address. He spoke these words to calm a nation gripped by fear during the Great Depression.

Roosevelt’s message was clear: fear can be more damaging than the crisis itself. By facing challenges with courage, people could begin to rebuild and move forward.

"The pen is mightier than the sword" expresses the idea that words can have a greater impact than violence. It highlights the power of writing and communication to inspire change and influence people.

Popularized by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, the idea had been expressed before, but not in the same words.

"Blood, toil, tears, and sweat" comes from Winston Churchill’s first speech as Prime Minister in 1940. He used it to prepare the British people for the hard sacrifices ahead in World War II.

Though similar phrases had existed before, Churchill’s words became iconic. They captured the grit and determination needed to face a long and brutal conflict.

"We are the change we seek," a phrase popularized by Barack Obama, highlights the idea that real change starts with individual action. It encourages people to take responsibility rather than wait for others to lead.

The saying became a central theme of Obama’s 2008 campaign and remains closely associated with him, even though similar iterations of it can be found elsewhere.

While it can sound like a joke, the phrase "speak softly and carry a big stick" was really used in a speech. It refers to using calm diplomacy backed by the ability to act forcefully if necessary.

Theodore Roosevelt popularized the saying as part of his foreign policy. The "big stick" symbolizes power used only when required, while "speaking softly" reflects the value of measured, non-aggressive communication.

"If you can dream it, you can do it" is often linked to Walt Disney, but it was actually written by Disney Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald for the Horizons ride at Epcot.

It encourages people to believe in their dreams and work hard to achieve them. The message is that imagination, paired with determination, can turn vision into reality.

During his famous 2005 Stanford commencement speech, Steve Jobs delivered the phrase "Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life." It is a reminder that life is short and should be lived on your own terms.

Jobs urged people to follow their passions and avoid being trapped by others’ expectations. The message is about staying true to yourself and making the most of the time you have.

An inspiring phrase, "The harder I work, the more luck I seem to have," highlights how effort often leads to success. It suggests that luck favors those who are prepared and persistent.

Though commonly attributed to Thomas Jefferson, its true origin is debated. Regardless of who said it, the message remains clear: hard work increases your chances of good fortune.

This highly inspirational quote closes our list and is attributed to Henry Ford. It reflects his belief in the power of mindset and confidence.

Ford’s message is that your attitude shapes your success. Believing in yourself increases the chances of achieving your goals, while doubt can lead to failure.

Heists and hustles: 10 infamous crimes that shocked the world

Image: Tima Miroshnichenko

People have always been drawn to stories of the impossible, and few tales spark more fascination than a daring heist. There’s something thrilling about the idea of guards, locks, and vaults being outwitted by clever minds with even stranger plans. Sometimes it’s a priceless masterpiece disappearing in broad daylight, other times it’s something as unexpected as maple syrup. From the ingenious to the downright bizarre, history is filled with thefts that sound more like adventure novels than real life. Let’s step into the shadows and explore some of the most astonishing heists ever carried out.

Image: The Free Birds

Before she became the ultimate symbol of art itself, the Mona Lisa pulled off a vanishing act worthy of a magician. In 1911, a sneaky handyman slipped into the Louvre, spent the night hidden among the galleries, and the next morning walked out with Leonardo’s masterpiece tucked under his arm.

Paris was stunned. For two long years, all that remained was a blank space on the wall—and strangely enough, people flocked to the museum just to stare at the absence. When the painting finally resurfaced, the heist had transformed it from a celebrated portrait into a global icon, proving that sometimes disappearing from the public eye can make something even more valuable.

Image: Prahant Designing Studio

In the heart of Antwerp’s diamond district in Belgium sat a vault so secure it was considered untouchable. Motion detectors, magnetic locks, heat sensors—every layer was designed like a fortress of light and steel. Yet in 2003, a band of thieves slipped past it all as if stepping through lace.

The robbers picked the locks with surgical precision, tricked cameras with clever decoys, and even masked their body heat to fool the sensors. By the time the heist was discovered, more than $100 million in diamonds and jewels had vanished into the night. What makes the story legendary is that most of the treasure has never resurfaced, leaving the world to wonder how the "heist of the century" was pulled off so cleanly.

Image: Tanya Barrow

Picture this: a moonlit night in the quiet English countryside, the steady rhythm of a Royal Mail train echoing through the dark. Suddenly, the train screeches to a halt—robbers in masks have stopped it dead in its tracks. Inside, sacks stuffed with banknotes are waiting to be claimed. The gang managed to escape with £2.6 million—worth about £73.7 million today—, a sum that was never recovered.

Although they were captured a short time later, the audacity of the crime captured the world’s imagination, inspiring headlines, numerous books, and films. Even decades later, the Great Train Robbery of 1963 feels less like history and more like the plot of a thrilling adventure novel.

Image: Jamie Davies

High above the clouds, a mystery took flight. In 1971, a calm, neatly dressed passenger who gave the name D. B. Cooper handed a note to a flight attendant—he was hijacking the plane. His demands were unusual yet precise: $200,000 in small bills and four parachutes.

Once the ransom was delivered, the Boeing 727 lifted off again into a stormy night over the Pacific Northwest. Then came the moment that turned him into a legend: Cooper opened the rear stairway and leapt into the darkness, vanishing into the wind and rain. No trace of him—or the cash—was ever found. Decades later, his daring escape remains America’s favorite riddle in the sky.

Image: Eric Tompkins

On a chilly March night in 1990, two men in police uniforms knocked politely on the side door of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The guards, thinking it was routine business, let them inside. By the time the sun rose, the museum had been stripped of 13 masterpieces—including works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Degas—worth an estimated half a billion dollars.

The strangest detail? The thieves left behind other valuable paintings, choosing their loot with puzzling precision. To this day, the crime remains unsolved, and the museum has kept the empty frames on the walls. Visitors still stop to stare, as if those blank outlines tell a story louder than the art itself: a mystery frozen in time.

Image: Deng Xiang

Legends linger long on island shores, and Bermuda has one that still stirs the imagination. In 1975, the Tucker’s Cross—a 22-karat gold cross set with brilliant emeralds—was stolen from a local museum. The artifact had been pulled from the depths of a centuries-old Spanish shipwreck, a jewel of history as much as of craftsmanship. Its disappearance was swift, its recovery nonexistent. Decades later, no trace has surfaced, ensuring the Tucker’s Cross remains one of the Caribbean’s most enduring unsolved mysteries.

Image: Matt Barnard

Who says a heist has to be about diamonds and cash? In Quebec, between 2011 and 2012, thieves quietly tapped into a warehouse and siphoned away nearly 3,000 tons of maple syrup—that’s over 6 million pounds of the sticky stuff.

Valued at around $18 million, it became known as "liquid gold." The thought is almost comical: breakfast pancakes crowned with a topping more valuable than some gemstones. Even the sweetest prize can tempt the cleverest crooks!

Image: Pixabay

In 1950, an ordinary winter night turned remarkable when a band of thieves, their faces hidden behind cheap Halloween masks, slipped into the Brink’s armored car depot in Boston. Moving with military precision, they bound the guards and hauled away $2.7 million in cash, checks, and money orders—worth more than $30 million in today’s money.

For years, the trail stayed ice cold, and the job was praised as flawless. So perfect was the plan that investigators dubbed it the "crime of the century," and it set the benchmark for every heist that followed.

Image: mathewbrowne

December 1978, New York’s JFK Airport. What began as just another shift in the cargo terminal suddenly shifted into crime lore. A crew of thieves bypassed security and stormed the vault, vanishing with roughly $5 million in cash and close to $1 million in glittering jewels.

The sheer audacity—pulling off a multimillion-dollar heist in one of the busiest airports in the world—left Americans both shocked and fascinated. Decades later, the Lufthansa robbery still ranks among the boldest airport crimes in history.

Image: Tyler Mower

Imagine pulling off one of the biggest bank heists in California history—only to be spoiled by a pizza party. That’s exactly what happened in 1972, when a group of burglars spent weeks digging a tunnel into the United California Bank in Laguna Niguel. Their prize was staggering: about $9 million in cash, worth more than $60 million in today’s money.

For a moment, it looked like the perfect crime. But after the adrenaline wore off, the crew sat down to celebrate with pizza, leaving greasy fingerprints on the plates. Those smudges became the breadcrumbs that led investigators right to them, proving that sometimes the smallest slip can topple the grandest scheme.