Don’t you just love it when celebrities use their voices to share motivational personal stories, raise awareness for the causes that matter and inspire you to do good? From subjects that tackle looking after the environment, empowering women and helping others, here are some of our favorite celebrity speeches that resonate deeply within us:

 

Leonardo DiCaprio on Climate Change:

Leonardo DiCaprio is not just an outstanding actor. He’s also a great humanitarian, an avid climate change advocate and a United Nations Messenger of Peace. The Leonardo Di Caprio Foundation(LDF) is dedicated to the health and wellbeing of all Earth’s inhabitants, focusing on wild lands and oceans conservation, climate change and indigenous rights. With all his power, Leonardo focuses on increasing his ambition to overrun the climate crisis by promoting the best climate solutions, which includes a full transition to 100% renewable energy. In this empowering speech, he reminds us that it’s also on us to protect our planet and that we can either be part of the problem or part of the solution. He hits the nail on the head when he says: “Now think about the shame that each one of us will carry when our children and grandchildren look back and realize that we have the means of stopping this devastation but simply lack the political will to do so“.

 

Emma Watson on Gender Equality:

Just a few years back, you couldn’t think of Emma Watson without directly associating her to her Harry Potter character, Hermione. In recent years however, she went from being a childhood movie superstar of one of the most popular film series in the world to a powerful voice for women and a lashing power towards fighting gender inequality. Now whenever you think of Emma Watson, you cannot but think of women empowerment, sustainable fashion and human rights. What sets Emma apart is that she does not believe that feminism goes hand in hand with attacking men, but in demanding equal rights for both genders. In this beautiful speech, she takes the words right out of every woman’s mouth when she says: “I think it’s right that I am paid the same as my male counterpart. I think it’s right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body.”

 

Angelina Jolie on Being of Use:

Angelina Jolie is known all over the world for her beauty, her humbleness, her charitable efforts, her loving heart and for being a voice for the oppressed, the forgotten and the less fortunate. Through her actions and her words, she continuously inspires people to do good, to care more and to not turn a blind eye towards all the injustice happening in the world. In this heartfelt and emotional speech, Jolie reminds us of our responsibilities towards the less fortunate and that our purpose in life is to always be of use. She talks about the women across the world who are incapable of expressing themselves or having an opinion, and who worry if their families have enough food to eat or if their children will ever return home. In a broken voice, she speaks a line that echoes deep within us: “I don’t know why this is my life and that’s hers.“

 

Matt Damon on Clean Water:

As supporters of Water.org, it comes as no surprise that we’re big fans of Matt Damon and his commitment to ending the water crisis. The multi-talented actor, screenwriter, producer and humanitarian has gained international fame and love for his work both on- and off-screen. Matt has always devoted himself to environmental and social issues, with his biggest passion being providing access to safe water and sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this interview, Matt opens our eyes to what it means to not have water and how “it’s not just a life or death issue, it’s a quality of life issue.“

 

Rihanna on Being a Humanitarian:

If you live on this planet and listen to music, chances are you’re pretty familiar with Rihanna. A diva in her own rights, she’s stolen the hearts of millions with her chart-topping hits, her fashionable style and her strong girl vibes. But Rihanna doesn’t just use her voice for her singing career, she’s also a humanitarian who strives to inspire others to do good. After receiving Harvard’s Humanitarian Award, Rihanna delivered a genuine speech encouraging everyone to make a commitment to help one person. Helping others and saving the world often seems like an overwhelming responsibility, but the beautiful singer breaks it down to just one action, one person, one organization and even just one dollar. As she put is, “if you’ve got a dollar, there’s plenty to share.“