Memorable Farewell Speeches

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”

Steve Jobs at Stanford Commencement, 2005

“Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

Lou Gehrig’s Farewell to Baseball, 1939

“I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change – but in yours.”

Barack Obama’s Farewell Address, 2017

“The unity of government which constitutes you one people is also now dear to you. It is justly so, for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence.”

George Washington’s Farewell Address, 1796

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Farewell Address, 1961

“She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness.”

Queen Elizabeth II’s Address after Princess Diana’s Death, 1997

“I stand before you filled with deep pride and joy: pride in the ordinary, humble people of this country.”

Nelson Mandela’s Farewell Speech to Parliament, 1999

“I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills.”

Mahatma Gandhi’s Farewell Speech, 1948

“Always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.”

Richard Nixon’s Farewell Speech, 1974

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Winston Churchill’s Speech to the House of Commons, 1955