How to Quote a Speech: MLA Format and In-Text Citations
To quote a speech, put the spoken words in quotation marks and cite the speaker, with a Works Cited entry that identifies the speech, the event, and the date. In MLA, the in-text citation is usually just the speaker’s last name in parentheses, plus a timestamp if you are quoting a recording. The details differ depending on whether you attended the speech, watched a recording, or read a transcript. Here is how to handle each.
How to quote a speech in MLA (in-text)
Use the speaker’s last name in parentheses right after the quote: The keynote argued that “curiosity is a skill, not a trait” (Delilo). If you are quoting a recorded or online video of the speech, add the timestamp where the quote appears: (Delilo 12:45). If you name the speaker in your sentence, you can drop the parentheses entirely for a live speech with no timestamp: Delilo argued that “curiosity is a skill, not a trait.”
How to format the Works Cited entry
The MLA Works Cited entry for a speech lists, in order: the speaker’s name, the speech title in quotation marks, the event or conference, the date, the hosting organization, and the location, ending with the type of presentation. For example:
Delilo, Amara. “How to Win at Marketing.” Marketing Masterminds, 16 Mar. 2021, Media Markets Collective, New York City. Keynote address.
If you watched the speech online, format it as a video instead, listing the platform and URL, and treat the timestamp as your locator in the in-text citation.
How to quote a speech you read as a transcript
If you are working from a written transcript, cite it as a text. Use the speaker’s name and, if the transcript has page or paragraph numbers, include them. When the transcript comes from a website, cite the site and note that page numbers are unavailable, using a paragraph number or section heading if you need a locator. For sources without page numbers, see how to quote a website when there’s no page number.
How to quote a famous historical speech
Cite the version you actually used. A line from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” should be cited to the recording, transcript, or published collection you read it in, not just attributed to King. Naming the speech and speaker in your sentence gives context, but the citation still points to your source so a reader can verify the exact wording, which matters because famous speeches are often misquoted.
How to handle long quotes from a speech
If the quoted passage runs longer than four lines, set it as a block quote: start it on a new line, indent the whole block, and drop the quotation marks. The in-text citation goes after the final punctuation of the block, not before it. For the mechanics, see how to quote in MLA, and for the general rules across sources, how to cite a quote in APA and MLA.
FAQ
How do you quote a speech in MLA?
Put the words in quotation marks and cite the speaker’s last name: (Delilo). Add a timestamp for a recording: (Delilo 12:45). The Works Cited entry names the speech, event, date, and location.
How do you cite a quote from a speech you attended?
Use the speaker’s last name in the in-text citation and build a Works Cited entry with the speech title, event, date, host, and location, ending with the presentation type.
How do you quote a recorded speech?
Cite the speaker and add the timestamp as your locator, such as (King 8:12), and format the Works Cited entry as a video with the platform and URL.
How do you quote a long passage from a speech?
Use a block quote: indent the passage, remove the quotation marks, and place the citation after the final punctuation.