Things Worth Remembering: The Men Who Were Worthy of Athens
Pericles’ Funeral Oration, by painter Philipp von Foltz (1852).
In fifth-century BCE Greece, Pericles gave a speech on the sacrifices of war—and the heroes who deserve ‘the noblest of all tombs.’
Welcome to Douglas Murray’s column, Things Worth Remembering, in which he presents great speeches from famous orators we should commit to heart. To listen to Douglas recite Pericles’ funeral oration, scroll to the end of this piece.
Many of the greatest speeches of all time are about war.
Knowingly or not, all great warriors who have rallied their people have been hitting a gong that has sounded for millennia.
Maintaining The Free Press is Expensive!
To support independent journalism, and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is, subscribe below.
Subscriber Benefits:
Full access to all articles, investigations and columns
Access to the comments section on every piece we publish
Weekly columns from Nellie Bowles, Douglas Murray, and Bari Weiss
First chance to purchase tickets for live Free Press events
Already have an account?
Sign In