Spoken word

Watching Ken Burn’s, “The War” on PBS this week made me think about the power of the spoken word. Roosevelt made speeches that moved Americans. Churchill word’s encouraged and comforted millions of Britons.

On the other hand, Hilter’s rants incited the German people to go to war. He wrote about the spoken word, in Mein Kampf, chapter 6, “Our first meetings were distinguished by the fact that there were tables covered with leaflets, papers, and pamphlets of every kind. But we relied principally on the spoken word. And, in fact, this is the only means capable of producing really great revolutions, which can be explained on general psychological grounds.”

Read quotes about the spoken word to remind members of the importance of “Watching your words.”