As college students, we often get stuck in the cog of education and our busy lives. It is inherently difficult to find inspiration in our daily lives. The fact alone that we are pursuing higher education shows that we want to lead an extraordinary life… Dead Poets Society is a movie with a central theme of inspiration and seizing the ordinary day. Robin Williams is revered as one of this generations most beloved actors, and his role as John Keating, an english teacher, is one of his most profound. Here are 3 life-changing quotes from this movie that I hope inspire, motivate, and encourage you.
1. "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. 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."
Another main theme to Dead Poets Society is perspective and how it can be a key to understanding life. This quote flawlessly changes the perspective of the drive behind human nature; defying the idea that we are only on this earth to work a dead-end job, just to make ends meet. We are filled to the brim with passion, and that passion is rooted in the beauty of what we stay alive for. The necessary things in life exist for a reason but we often lose sight of the beauty in creating, thinking, loving, and seizing the day.
2. "No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."
The reassurance that you have a valid and important voice is so vital to the efforts of students. It can easily get lost in the mass amounts of essays, busy work, and projects that college entails. We also live in a world where anyone who is brave enough to share and create, is often shot down. This quote is the most necessary reminder that despite what you are told and despite the beliefs of those around you, ideas and words can change the world. YOUR ideas and words can change the world.
3. “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”
This quote is pulled from one of the most iconic monologues to ever be given. If the quote “carpe diem” feels overused or clique to you, watch this movie again and again. There is so much life in this line; you can feel the compassion and exponential desire Keating has for his students success. This quote simply encompasses everything college students need to hear, it combines the first two quotes flawlessly in two words… “carpe diem.” Don’t get lost in the day to day, don’t lose the passion and the fire that set you to do what you are on the path to doing.
So, if you are caught in a period of uninspired work, longing for something to remind you to live a life worthy of pride, I hope these quotes can revive you. John Keating in Dead Poets Society sought to inspire the minds of the young and the curious; we are the young and the curious. We are a part of the human race, a race driven by passion, ideas, and words. Your ideas and dreams matter. Carpe diem. Seize the day. Live an extraordinary life.
