Words are all thet have

Acceptance speeches aren't usually the kind of thing one watches awards show for. Well, at least, not what an average viewer watches it for. But if you've seen enough over the years, you know they have the potential to become the best watercooler conversations ever. Everybody has their favourites of the awards show acceptance speech that either meant something to them or kept them in splits or brought tears to their eyes. We did a round-up of some such moments over the years and these are our favourites in no particular order...

Graham Moore, Oscars 2015
Award Won: Best Screenplay, The Imitation Game
What he said: When I was 16 years old I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt just did not belong. I would like this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she is weird or she is different or she doesn't fit in anywhere. Yes you do. I promise you do. You do. Stay weird. Stay different and then when it is your turn and you are standing on this stage please pass the same message to the next person who comes along.

Common & John Legend, Oscars 2015
Award Won: Best Original Song/ 'Glory' from 'Selma'
What they said:
Common: Recently, John and I got to go to Selma and perform "Glory" on the same bridge that Dr. King and the people of the civil rights movement marched on 50 years ago. This bridge was once a landmark of a divided nation, but now is a symbol for change.... This bridge was built on hope. Welded with compassion. And elevated by love for all human beings.
John Legend: Thank you. Nina Simone said it's an artist's duty to reflect the times in which we live. We wrote this song for a film that was based on events that were 50 years ago, but we say Selma is now, because the struggle for justice is right now... We know that right now the struggle for freedom and justice is real. We live in the most incarcerated country in the world. There are more black men under correctional control today than were under slavery in 1850. When people are marching with our song, we want to tell you that we are with you, we see you, we love you, and march on.

Kanye West, Grammy Awards 2005
Award Won: Best Rap Album, best Rap Song
What he said: I plan to celebrate and scream and pop champagne every chance I get because I'm at the Grammys, baby! ... Everybody wanted to know what I would do if I didn't win. I guess we'll never know."

Jodie Foster, Golden Globes 2013
Award Won: Cecil B DeMille Award
What she said: "So while I'm here being all confessional, I guess I have a sudden urge to say something that I've never really been able to air in public. So, a declaration that I'm a little nervous about but maybe not quite as nervous as my publicist right now, huh Jennifer? But I'm just going to put it out there, right? Loud and proud, right? So I'm going to need your support on this. I am single. Yes I am, I am single. No, I'm kidding — but I mean I'm not really kidding, but I'm kind of kidding. I mean, thank you for the enthusiasm. Can I get a wolf whistle or something?" [Audio goes out] "…be a big coming-out speech tonight because I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago back in the Stone Age, in those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends and family and co-workers and then gradually, proudly to everyone who knew her, to everyone she actually met. But now I'm told, apparently, that every celebrity is expected to honor the details of their private life with a press conference, a fragrance and a prime-time reality show. You know, you guys might be surprised, but I am not Honey Boo Boo Child. No, I'm sorry, that's just not me. It never was and it never will be. Please don't cry because my reality show would be so boring. I would have to make out with Marion Cotillard or I'd have to spank Daniel Craig's bottom just to stay on the air. It's not bad work if you can get it, though."

Meryl Streep, Oscars 2012
Award Won: Best Actress; The Iron Lady
What she said: Oh my god. Oh, c'mon! Oh! Alright. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you. I -- when they called my name I had this feeling I could hear half of America going, "Oh no! Oh, c'mon why? Her? Again?" You know? But, whatever. [Laughs]

Christopher Plummer, Oscars 2012
Award Won: Best Supporting Actor, Beginners
What he said: You're only two years older than me darling, where have you been all my life? I have a confession to make, when I first emerged from my mother's womb, I was already rehearsing my Academy thank-you speech. But it was so long ago, mercifully for you, I've forgotten it. But I haven't forgotten who to thank...

Jared Leto, Independent Spirit Awards 2014
Award Won: Best Supporting Actor, Dallas Buyers Club
I want to thank all the women I've been with and all the women who think they've been with me… and my future ex-wife Lupita (his co-star from 12 Years A Slave who he was rumouredly dating at the time).

Patricia Arquette, Oscars 2015
Award Won: Best Supporting Actress, Boyhood
What she said: To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer of this nation. It's our time to have wage equality once and for all in the United States of America.

Pawel Pawlikowski, Oscars 2015
Award Won: Best Foreign Language Film
What he said: Aw, God. How did I get here? We made a film about—as you saw, black and white—about the need for silence and withdrawal from the world and contemplation. And here we are at this epicenter of noise and world attention. Fantastic, you know, life is full of surprises."

Michael Moore, Oscars 2003
Award Won: Best Documentary Feature, Bowling For Columbine
What he said: …we are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you. And, whenever you've got the Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you, your time is up.

Angelina Jolie, Oscars 2000
Award Won: Best Supporting Actress, Girl Interrupted
What she said: God, I'm surprised nobody has ever fainted up here. I'm, I'm in shock and I'm so in love with my brother right now. He just held me and said he loved me and I know he's so happy for me. And thank you for that.

Roberto Benigni, Oscars 1999
Award Won: Best Actor, Life Is Beautiful
What he said: Thank you! This is a terrible mistake because I used up all my English. I don't know! I am not able to express all my gratitude, because now, my body is in tumult because it is a colossal moment of joy so everything is really in a way that I cannot express. I would like to be Jupiter! And kidnap everybody and lie down in the firmament making love to everybody, because I don't know how to express.

Matthew McConaughey; Oscars 2014
Award Won: Best Actor, Dallas Buyers Club
What he said: ...to my hero; that's who I chase. Now, when I was 15 years old I had a very important person in my life come to me and say, "Who's 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?" I said, I thought about it. You know who it is? I said, it's me in 10 years. So I turned 25; ten 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's me at 35. So you see every day, every week, every month and every year of my life, my hero's always 10 years away. I'm never gonna be my hero. I'm not gonna attain that; I know I'm not. And that's just fine with me, because that keeps me with somebody to keep on chasin'.

Halle Berry, Oscars 2002
Award Won: Best Actress; Monster's Ball
HALLE BERRY:
Oh my God. Oh my God. I'm sorry. This moment is so much bigger than me. This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll. It's for the women that stand beside me, Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox. And it's for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened. Thank you. I'm so honored. I'm so honored. And I thank the Academy for choosing me to be the vessel for which His blessing might flow.