Inspirational Oscar Speech – Matthew McConaughey

Inspirational Oscar Speech – Matthew McConaughey

Inspirational speech by Matthew McConaughey at the 86th Oscars® in 2014 | Best Actor for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club

Transcript:
There’s a few things, about three things to my count that I need each day.

One I need something to look up to, another something to look forward to, and another is someone to chase.

Now first off I want to thank God, because that’s who I look up to. He has graced my life with opportunities that I know are not of my hand or of any human hand. He has shown me that it is a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates. In the words of the late Charlie Laughton, who said “When you got God, you got a friend, and that friend is you”

To my family, that’s who and what I look forward to. To my Father who I know he is up there right now with a big pot of gumbo. He has got a lemon meringue pie over there, he is probably in his underwear and he has got a cold can of Miller Lite, he is dancing right now. To you Dad, you taught me what it means to be a man.

To my Mother who is here tonight, who taught me and my two older brothers, demanded that we respect ourselves. And what we in turn learned was that we were better able to respect others. Thank you for that Mama.

To my wife Camila, and my kids Levi, Vida, Livingston. The courage and significance you give me every day I go out the door is unparalleled. You are the four people in my life that I want to make the most proud of me, Thank you.

And to my hero, that’s who I chase. Now when I was 15 years old, I have a very important person in my life come to me and say, “Who is your hero?”. And I said I don’t know I gotta think about that, give me a couple of weeks. I come back two weeks later, this person comes up and says “Who’s your hero?” And so I thought about it and I said you know who it is, it’s me in 10 years.

So I turn 25, 10 years later that same person comes to me and goes “so are you a hero?” And I was like, not even close. No, no, no. She said, “Why?” I said because my hero is me at 35. So you see every day, every week, every month and every year of my life, my hero is always 10 years away. I’m never going to beat my hero. I’m not going to obtain that, I know I’m not. And that’s just fine with me because that keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing.

So, to any of us, whatever those things are, whatever that is we look up to, whatever it is we look forward to, and whoever it is we are chasing to that I say amen. To that I say alright, alright, alright. And to that I say just keep living huh. Thank you.

More Memorable Acceptance Speeches:
Inspirational Oscar Speech – Matthew McConaughey
Beautiful & Amazing Oscar Speech – Viola Davis
Nine Rules from Chris Pratt: Generation Award Winner 2018

5 thoughts on “Inspirational Oscar Speech – Matthew McConaughey”

  1. This is an older link and speech but it is new to me.
    I shared this for a few simple reasons – if you watched the speech you should know as well.
    The passion in his voice and power in his words are so present because of the way he believes in all of it.
    As I watched – I listened to every single word with purpose, eagerness, intent and this openness that only after, ( now ) was I able to appreciate and recall. I listened to every single word, breath, emotion, feeling and vision he shared as he intentionally delivered his speech.
    He made me feel as though I was standing there on stage sharing everything with everyone he was. I don’t feel that any person who watches this or watched the Oscars when he won could honestly say that this – was just an act. His words, his conviction, his mottos and his belief system are all proof.
    Everything in life comes from what we believe and how we do it. I am guilty of believing too much, believing the wrong things as well as not believing enough. In other people, other things or even in myself. We all are. It’s the power of knowing at any moment, any time, we can change that.
    I applaud this speech with far more than just my hands. I do it with my heart, I do it with my soul. Both without asking to.
    Seeing this speech doesn’t come at a perfect time for me and now, magically, that’s why I want to affect change within myself. I wanted to continue doing so previous to this.
    I’m okay with a lot of things In my life. Some have been sub par, some average, some great, a few extraordinary. For those that haven’t been great even when I wasn’t certain how I’d ever make it through, somehow, someway the light came from somewhere and that tunnel of tomorrow became today. For that I am grateful. That is proof alone that the unknown does NOT always have to be scary.
    In the world we live in where people spend more time worried about
    How other people became great – when they themselves are not.
    Or putting others down instead
    Of inspiring and lifting them up.
    Something such as this speech happens and it shows you how life can and should be. Most people think that they alone can’t change the world, but if we all let go of
    fear and started as that one, than one by one – it is possible. Anything is.
    It is so true that kindness attracts kindness. Happiness attracts happiness. Bad things are always going to happen, don’t let those
    Things or uncontrollable moments change the way you control the things you can. Stay strong,
    Stay true, stay real, stay present, be yourself despite it all. It’s funny how if you ask most adults their happiest times or moments they recall; aside from being a child. It’s the moments they let go of everything so much so they lived, loved, laughed, saw and felt like a child. That doesn’t ever need to go away. We are here for one life, nobody knows how long we’ve got. Choose to be happy as many seconds, of it as you possibly can. I say seconds because the smaller increment of time we use to look at it – the more control we feel we have over it.
    I write this not for anyone. I write this because I feel it and want to. I do not need a reaction, likes or positive/negative comments in regards. Everyone is welcome to leave something, say anything, be and do what they feel here or anywhere they want. It is the world
    – leave your mark somehow. Up to you to make it what you want.
    Maybe this is a smidgen of the beginning of mine – who knows.
    In closing I say this Matthew McConaughey, @McConaughey
    Thank you! You inadvertently made me believe in your words so much so, that, I too want to thank all the same people that you did for all the same reasons. I want to do so while simultaneously thanking you for that speech and sharing yourself. You are a light, in a dark world that is filled with potential. An inspiration to those who share the same definition of what it means to be a great person, how to be, and what it looks like to believe in everything that has made you, you completely.
    Of course life isn’t always easy or full of positives but if we dilute the negatives by not letting them define us and carry on through with positives and strengths we become anything we believe we are or can be.
    Before I end this, unexpected, unrehearsed piece of writing, to everyone reading this; I want to say hopefully my hero in 10 years will be friends with yours. Thank you again
    And
    Isn’t belief a funny word. It has to start with itself in order to end up truly just being itself in the end, but with all the meaning in the world.

    1. Very well said. For me, given his affluence and fame, he stood out for giving credits to his maker and to his family. His humility is evident. Kudos to him!

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