70th Birthday Speech – Examples and Inspiration

My grandad sat me down at a chessboard when I was eight and patiently explained how every piece moved. I genuinely believed that within a couple of years I'd be able to beat him. I'm twenty-five now, and I have still never won a single game against him. Not one.

He also taught me to sail, in an old dinghy he'd restored himself, out on the loch in every kind of weather. I remember how frightened I was the first time we properly heeled over, and how calmly he just said, 'That's supposed to happen. Just hold the sheet.' He carries the same steadiness whether we're sailing or playing chess — nothing ever rattles him when things go sideways along the way.

That's what I admire most about my grandad: he never gives up on anyone, not even on me, when for the twentieth time I move my queen out too early and lose in fifteen moves. He never laughs at me for it. He just asks if I'd like another game.

— 70th birthday speech, grandchild