Reading further, one can program it to record many different sayings-- "pick-me-ups", as it were-- and gift the speaking box to another. 

[ A beat, as his forehead wrinkles with displeasure. As soon as he had provided the information, he immediately had thought of ways the gadget could be exploited. Not that he would, but Thoth definitely has at least two students who would record ridiculous messages to prank another with the box.  ] 

...It sounds much more headache-inducing than not.