When They Go Low, We Go High: Speeches that shape the world and why we need them

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A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR

For all those who believe in the politics of principle and hope this a wonderful reminder that they do not always lose. For all those who despair that politics can ever be inspiring again this is a must-read to shake you out of your misery Paddy Ashdown
There is a serious prospect that, in our time, we are losing faith in politics. The words of politicians float by, practised and polished, but profligate. The respect, veneration and hope first expressed by Pericles, has gone missing. It is the grand purpose of this book to help to call it back.

In his work as a speechwriter to senior politicians and business leaders around the world, Philip Collins has become well versed in understanding what it is that makes a speech great.

When They Go Low, We Go High explores the ways in which the most notable speeches in history have worked, analysing the rhetorical tricks to uncover how the right speech at the right time can profoundly shape the world.

Travelling across continents and centuries, Collins reveals what Thomas Jefferson owes to Cicero and Pericles, who really gave the Gettysburg Address and what Elizabeth I shares with Winston Churchill.

While we are bombarded by sound bites and social media, fake news and sloganeering, and while populists are winning support, democratic politicians need to find words that inspire and give us hope. Because disenchantment with politics fosters the dangerous illusion that there is an alternative.

Informed by Collinss own experiences as a speech writer, When They Go Low, We Go High is a passionate defence of the power of good public speaking to propagate and protect democracy and an urgent reminder of how words can change the world.

Reviews

Anyone interested in the past, present and future of speeches and speechwriting will find it a fascinating read. For those of us who like nothing better than to marvel at effective use of an anaphoric tricolon, its an absolute must. Spectator

Wonderfully sharp and well informed Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday

It deserves to find a home in many Christmas stockings, in the library of anyone interested in oratory or political theory, and on the odd A-level reading list he brings to his analyses a deep understanding of the pragmatics of speech-making Guardian

Collins understands intimately the mechanics of rhetoric. He believes that we, as human beings, possess the capacity to extract ourselves from the swamp in which we have sunk. Great speeches, the author suggests, are the solution to Trump The Times

Perfect conference reading Andrew Marr

'No writer today understands the art of the speech so well as Philip Collins. His brilliant new book is an urgent tour through 2000 years of human history, revealing how the greatest addresses were shaped, while reminding us that politics and politicians still matter, and that when the greatest men and women speak to us, their words have the power to change the world'
Dan Jones, bestselling author of The Plantagenets

An utter gem of a book: Collins takes some of the finest speeches ever made and breathes new life into words you thought you knew well. Whether it's the inaugural addresses of US presidents or the revolutionary writing of Castro, Pankhurst and Mandela Collins' deft touch illuminates and contextualises these moments in history with wit and sensitivity and the conviction that rhetoric may yet be our most powerful tool for changing the world
Emily Maitlis

Author Bio

Philip Collins, now director of the Social Market Foundation, was Head of UK Strategy for an international bank, tutor at Cambridge, and producer at the BBC. He writes for numerous newspapers and magazines and is a frequent contributor to Newsnight and World Service.