Dead Poets Society

'O Captain! My Captain!': 16 Quotes From 'Dead Poets Society' That'll Inspire You To Carpe Diem

Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all.
Katie Mather
October 17, 2016
“We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, 'O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?' Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”
— John Keating, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Poetry, beauty, Writing, Verse, Life
“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”
— John Keating, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Words, Ideas, Change
“They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it?—Carpe—hear it?—Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.”
— John Keating, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Life, Hope, Carpe Diem, Seize The Day
“Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, 'Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.' Don't be resigned to that. Break out!”
— John Keating, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: voice
“Todd Anderson [Stands up on his desk]: 'O Captain! My Captain!'

Nolan: 'Sit down, Mr. Anderson! Do you hear me? Sit down! Sit down! This is your final warning, Anderson. How dare you? Do you hear me?'

Knox [Climbs up onto his desk]: 'O Captain! My Captain!'

Nolan: 'Mr. Overstreet, I warn you! Sit down!'

[Pitts climbs onto his desk, followed by Meeks, then over half the class, one by one.]

Nolan: 'Sit down! Sit down. All of you. I want you seated. Sit down. Leave, Mr. Keating. All of you, down. I want you seated. Do you hear me? Sit down!'

John Keating: 'Thank you, boys. Thank you.'”
— John Keating, Todd Anderson, Nolan, Knox Overstreet, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: voice, inspiration
“Sucking the marrow out of life doesn't mean choking on the bone.”
— John Keating, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Life
“John Keating: 'Why do I stand up here? Anybody?'

Dalton: 'To feel taller!'

John Keating: 'No! Thank you for playing Mr. Dalton. I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.'”
— John Keating, Dalton, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Life, Perspective
“Neil Perry: 'I just talked to my father. He's making me quit the play at Henley Hall. Acting's everything to me. I- But he doesn't know! He- I can see his point; we're not a rich family, like Charlie's. We- But he's planning the rest of my life for me, and I- He's never asked me what I want!'

John Keating: 'Have you ever told your father what you just told me? About your passion for acting? You ever showed him that?'

Neil Perry: 'I can't.'

John Keating: 'Why not?'

Neil Perry: 'I can't talk to him this way.'

John Keating: 'Then you're acting for him, too. You're playing the part of the dutiful son. Now, I know this sounds impossible, but you have to talk to him. You have to show him who you are, what your heart is!'

Neil Perry: 'I know what he'll say! He'll tell me that acting's a whim and I should forget it. They're counting on me; he'll just tell me to put it out of my mind for my own good.'

John Keating: 'You are not an indentured servant! It's not a whim for you, you prove it to him by your conviction and your passion! You show that to him, and if he still doesn't believe you - well, by then, you'll be out of school and can do anything you want.'

Neil Perry: 'No. What about the play? The show's tomorrow night!'

John Keating: 'Then you have to talk to him before tomorrow night.'

Neil Perry: 'Isn't there an easier way?'

John Keating: 'No.'

Neil Perry [laughs]: 'I'm trapped!'

John Keating: 'No you're not.'”
— John Keating, Neil Perry, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Life, Living, trapped, Family, hapiness
“For the first time in my whole life, I know what I wanna do! And for the first time, I'm gonna do it! Whether my father wants me to or not! Carpe diem!”
— Neil Perry, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Life, Carpe Diem
“John Keating: 'I always thought the idea of education was to learn to think for yourself.'

Nolan: 'At these boys' age? Not on your life!'”
— John Keating, Nolan, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Education, Thinking, Original Thought, Life
“I was good. I was really good.”
— Neil Perry, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Life, Carpe Diem, Acting
“John Keating: 'Mr. Pitts, would you open your hymnal to page 542 and read the first stanza of the poem you find there.'

Pitts: '"To the Virgins To Make Much of Time"?'

John Keating: 'Yes, that's the one. Somewhat appropriate, isn't it?'”
— John Keating, Pitts, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: humor, Poetry
“John Keating: '"Seize the day. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may." Why does the writer use these lines?'

Charlie Dalton: 'Because he's in a hurry?'

John Keating: 'No. Ding! Thank you for playing anyway. Because we are food for worms, lads. Because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold and die.'”
— John Keating, Charlie Dalton, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Life, Perspective, Death
“You must strive to find your own voice because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are going to find it at all.”
— John Keating, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Life, voice
“Keating: 'Mr. Anderson, I see you sitting there in agony. Come on, Todd, step up. Let's put you out of your misery.'

Todd: 'I, I didn't do it. I didn't write a poem.'

Keating: 'Mr. Anderson thinks that everything inside of him is worthless and embarrassing. Isn't that right, Todd? Isn't that your worst fear? Well, I think you're wrong. I think you have something inside of you that is worth a great deal.'”
— John Keating, Todd Anderson, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Life, voice, Poetry, Fear
“McAllister: 'You take a big risk by encouraging them to be artists, John. When they realize they're not Rembrandts, Shakespeares or Mozarts, they'll hate you for it.'

Keating: 'We're not talking artists George, we're talking free thinkers.'

McAllister: 'Free thinkers at seventeen?'

Keating: 'Funny, I never pegged you as a cynic.'”
— John Keating, George McAllister, Dead Poets Society
Tagged: Life, voice, Free Thinkers, Artists