Speech on An Influential Personality
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Good afternoon,
From his point of view, Mark Twain, an American lecturer renowned for his humor and writings believes that one acquires the personality and trait of those that s/he identifies with. He insists that great people are very influential and can make an individual to feel great and vice versa. If you have at one time stopped to ask yourself “Which characters or personality do I try to be like most of the time?” then you have become conscious of this fact. This is because sometimes, in order for us to reach our goals in life or achieve our objectives, there must be teachings from those we look up to and have trust in. This compels one to compare his or her achievements, behavior or character to those s/he considers role models. I will use this speech to highlight one special person who has been a great example to me and has greatly assisted me to improve my life standards.
I derive so much inspiration and strength from the wise sayings of Theodore Roosevelt to try no matter the circumstances with the hope of success. His sayings are a clear exemplification of the highest degree of hope and persistence. Nothing is as inspiring to me as the kind of life that he lived and the achievements he made. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States of America was born in New York ( Brinkley 37) He made this quote urging his people to try on and not give room to failure. Having grown up as a weak child, he beat all odds to achieve greatly. He therefore always insisted on success in most of his speeches which are very influential in my life and which have helped to shape my character in a way that I fight hard to achieve my objectives and not give room to feelings of discouragement or failure irrespective of the obstacles.
All our struggles, strengths, and endeavors in life are directed and geared towards a common goal and purpose: this can only be achieved if we take the bold step to try and never give up. According to Roosevelt, mistakes are bound to happen but we must persist by learning to derive important lessons from our failures (Renehan 39). In essence, no one is perfect and we can only succeed if we turn our weaknesses in to strengths. As I stand before you today, I am proud to look back and assess the steps I have made emulating the life and character of Theodore. This is with regards to building my character in terms of self discipline and self image which he always advocated for as he was mostly found stating how almost anything is possible with self discipline in order for an individual to realize his dreams. I have been able to cultivate the right attitude for my purpose.
His life and especially his role in advocating for peace in different countries gives me a lot to desire to copy so as to live at peace with my neighbors and community as well. Generally it gives me an inspiration to want to use my skills to create a better living peaceful environment for all. With these remarks, a challenge is posed for all of us not to rest on our glory but to continue to strive towards even better goals since as Mother Theresa asserted that life is a dream that each of us should learn to fulfill (Testi 1533).
Works Cited
Brinkley Douglas. The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade of America. New York: Harper Collins, 2009. Print.
Renehan, Edward. The Lion’s Pride: Theodore Roosevelt and his family in Peace and War. Oxford: University Press, 1998. Print.
Testi Arnaldo. The Gender Reform Politics: Theodore Roosevelt and the Culture of Masculinity. Journal of American History, 81.4 (1995): 1509-1533.
