Words matter – some quotes from Dead Poets Society

I surround myself day in, day out with words and messages. Why? Because words matter. Language matters. We’ve all felt the sting and hurt of a word – so words matter.
And don’t kid yourself. If they matter in your everyday going-about-your-business life, in your personal life, then they matter in your business and career life too.
And this week the world mourns a loss from Hollywood. A man that entertained and made us think about words.
Robin Williams always reminds me of an old English teacher that I had – Mr Lyons. A wonderful, inspirational man. So when I see Dead Poets Society, I’m instantly back in my classroom.
While I certainly wouldn’t have courageous enough to stand on my desk and say ‘Oh Captain, my Captain’, I find the message in the movie a very powerful one indeed.
Here are some quotes from that movie that I think are wonderful. Words matter – cherish them, appreciate them, be inspired by them, live them.
On old photos of past alumni –
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.
On Poetry
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?
On Words
No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.
RIP Robin Williams. Thanks for the quotes and their perfect delivery.