Quoting a speech means placing the speaker’s exact words inside quotation marks (for short quotes) or in an indented block (for longer ones), then citing the source. The rules change slightly depending on whether you’re writing an essay, a research paper, or something less formal, but the core mechanics are the same: introduce the speaker, reproduce their words accurately, and tell your reader where the speech came from.
Short Quotes vs. Block Quotes
The length of the passage you’re quoting determines how you format it. For short quotes, generally under 40 words, you weave the speaker’s words directly into your sentence and wrap them in double quotation marks. A short quote might look like this:
In her 2020 commencement address, the senator urged graduates to “carry your failures like luggage you’re willing to set down.”
When your quote hits 40 words or more, switch to a block quote. Start with a sentence that introduces the speaker and the context, then begin the quoted text on a new line. Indent the entire block half an inch from the left margin, keep double spacing, and drop the quotation marks entirely. The indentation itself signals to the reader that this is quoted material. Place your parenthetical citation after the final punctuation mark of the block, not before it.
Introducing the Speaker
Every quote needs a signal phrase, a short clause that tells the reader who is speaking and, ideally, why their words matter. The simplest version is “According to [speaker],” but stronger writing uses a verb that matches the speaker’s tone or intent. If the speaker was making a forceful claim, use “argued” or “asserted.” If they were conceding a point, “acknowledged” works better. If they were pushing back on criticism, try “rejected” or “disputed.”
The tense of your signal phrase depends on your style guide. MLA uses present tense (“King declares”), while APA uses past tense (“King declared”). If you’re not writing for a specific style guide, either tense works as long as you stay consistent throughout your piece.
Good signal phrases also slip in context. Rather than writing “Obama said,” you might write “In his first inaugural address, Obama declared.” That one added detail saves the reader from wondering when, where, and why the speech happened.
Omitting or Clarifying Words
You don’t always need to quote every word of a passage. When you cut material from the middle of a quote, insert an ellipsis (three spaced periods) to show something is missing. If the original speech reads “We will not rest, we will not sleep, we will not waver until justice is done,” and you only need the beginning and end, you’d write: “We will not rest . . . until justice is done.”
If the speech itself already contains an ellipsis, you need to distinguish the speaker’s original pause from your own omission. The standard approach is to place brackets around your ellipsis […] so readers know the cut is yours. An alternative is to leave all ellipses unbracketed and add “(ellipsis in original)” when the speaker’s own pause appears.
Brackets also let you insert a clarifying word that wasn’t in the original. If a speaker said “She changed everything” and it’s unclear who “she” refers to, you can write: “[Justice Ginsburg] changed everything.” Keep bracketed additions minimal. If you need to change more than a word or two, paraphrase instead.
Citing the Speech in MLA Format
MLA citations for speeches follow a straightforward pattern: the speaker’s last name, first name, the title of the speech in quotation marks, the event or occasion, the date, and the location. If you heard it in person, that’s your full citation. If you watched a recording online or read a transcript in a book, add the access information: the website name and URL, or the book title and publisher.
A basic MLA works cited entry for a speech heard live looks like this:
King, Martin Luther, Jr. “I Have a Dream.” March on Washington, 28 Aug. 1963, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.
If you accessed the same speech through a video or published transcript, you’d tack on that source information at the end. Your in-text citation uses the speaker’s last name and, if available, a timestamp or paragraph number instead of a page number.
Citing the Speech in Chicago Style
Chicago style follows a similar structure but uses footnotes or endnotes rather than parenthetical citations. Your note includes the speaker’s full name, the speech title in quotation marks, the date it was given, and relevant access details: the book it was transcribed in, the website and URL where you found it, or the film it appeared in.
A Chicago footnote might read:
Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream,” August 28, 1963, American Rhetoric, https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm.
In your bibliography, flip the name to last-name-first format and follow the same order of details.
Citing the Speech in APA Style
APA doesn’t have a dedicated “speech” category the way MLA and Chicago do, so your approach depends on how you accessed the speech. If you watched a recorded video, cite it as a video. If you read a published transcript, cite the book or webpage where the transcript appears. Your reference entry should include the speaker’s name, the date, the title of the speech or recording, and the source (publisher, website, or platform) along with a URL when applicable.
Your in-text citation uses the speaker’s last name and the year: (King, 1963). If you’re quoting directly, add a timestamp for a video or a paragraph number for an online transcript.
Quoting a Speech You Heard Live
If you attended a lecture, conference talk, or public address in person and want to quote it, treat it as a personal communication or live performance. In MLA, you list it as a live speech with the event name, date, and venue. In APA, personal communications (like an unpublished lecture you attended) are cited in the text only, not in the reference list, because your reader can’t retrieve the source. Write something like: “In her keynote at the 2024 marketing summit, Torres argued that ‘brand loyalty is a myth we keep funding’ (personal communication, March 12, 2024).”
If you’re quoting from memory rather than a recording or transcript, be honest about it. Use a phrase like “speaking at” or “addressing the audience” and keep the quote short. The longer a quote from memory, the less reliable it is.
Paraphrasing vs. Direct Quoting
Not every reference to a speech needs quotation marks. When you’re summarizing a speaker’s overall argument or restating an idea in your own words, a paraphrase works better and keeps your writing smoother. You still need to credit the speaker and cite the source, but you drop the quotation marks and rewrite the idea entirely.
Reserve direct quotes for moments when the speaker’s exact wording matters: a memorable phrase, a controversial claim, or language so precise that paraphrasing would lose the meaning. If you find yourself quoting five consecutive sentences, that’s usually a sign you should paraphrase most of the passage and quote only the sharpest line or two.