10 Dead Poets Society Lines That Are Unforgettable

Summary

• “Carpe Diem. Seize The Day, Boys. Make Your Lives Extraordinary.” – John Keating encourages the boys to live their lives to the fullest and make a difference in the world.
• “Poetry, Beauty, Romance, Love… These Are What We Stay Alive For.” – Keating emphasizes the importance of art and self-expression in life, balancing the practical with the passionate.
• “I Stand Upon My Desk To Remind Myself That We Must Constantly Look At Things In A Different Way.” – Keating encourages his students to gain new perspectives and break free from routines to find their own voice.

Dead Poets Society tackles the struggles of seven students from an all-boys school as they deal with the pressure from society by following their passion, and there are several Dead Poets Society quotes elevating the movie. Released in 1989, Dead Poets Society stars Robin Williams as an English teacher who spreads the love of poetry to his class, many of whom are drowning under their parents’ expectations. The movie is a strong drama, masterfully written and directed, and it earned Williams an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, a change of pace for the man who mostly performed as a comedic actor over his career.

The movie also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and Best Director (for Peter Weir), but it was the script by Tom Schulman that stood tall, with the screenwriter taking home an Oscar himself for Best Original Screenplay. Several inspirational lines can be found in the film that will surely ignite the writer in anyone. From witty jokes to motivational advice, Williams’ John Keating has a long list of quotes that apply to every life’s dilemma, and it proved that Williams had a talent for more than comedy on the big screen.

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10 “Carpe Diem. Seize The Day, Boys. Make Your Lives Extraordinary.”

John Keating (Robin Williams) To His Class

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A key reason that so many Dead Poets Society quotes have become part of pop cultures (and parodied many times in other movies and shows, including the likes of Family Guy and South Park) is that Robin Williams’ character, John Keating, is the paragon of a dedicated educator. This is evident during a moment when Keating insists that his students go out and make the absolute most of their lives, and not just academically or professionally.

This Dead Poets Society quote comes when John Keating shows the boys some pictures of students from the past which are displayed along the school’s hallway bulletin. He tells them that they are no different. They possess the same levels of testosterone and the same haircuts. Now, they are all dead. He wants to instill into these curious minds that as long as they are young and able, they have to live their lives to the fullest. “Carpe diem, seize the day,” is what Keating says, meaning he wants the boys to enjoy the moment while it lasts.

9 “Poetry, Beauty, Romance, Love… These Are What We Stay Alive For.”

John Keating (Robin Williams) To His Class

John Keating is an English teacher at Welton Academy in Dead Poets Society, an elite boarding school where the focus of education for most of his students is to ensure they become professionally successful in adult life. This is why Keating becomes so endearing to his students, as his focus isn’t on their success but on their fulfillment, and the Dead Poets Society quote that perfectly illustrates this is when he espouses the values of the arts (and some of the more soulful aspects of the wider human experience).

“Medicine, business, law, engineering… these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love… these are what we stay alive for.”

While John acknowledges people need science and technology to survive, he ensures his students understand they also need a channel for self-expression. He believes in balance — of the needs and wants, of the heart and the mind. He reminds them that people write poetry because they are members of the human race, not just because it is “cute.” Humans are filled with and powered by passion, and it will only happen by awakening that part. This is the line John delivers that gets many of the boys in his class ready to express themselves individually and makes this such a great movie for aspiring writers to watch.

8 “I Stand Upon My Desk To Remind Myself That We Must Constantly Look At Things In A Different Way.”

John Keating (Robin Williams) To His Class

One word that absolutely cannot be used to descrbie John Keating’s teaching methods in Dead Poets Society is orthodox, as this quote shows. In one lesson, John’s students arrive to find him standing on his desk rather than sitting behind it. In an attempt to further expound on his lessons, John explains that the reason he is standing on top of his desk is for him to see things differently.

Oftentimes, people only look at the picture in front of them and forget that other sides need to be taken into account as well. He asks his students to stand on top of his desk, so they can experience what it is like to look at things from a new perspective. These students are normally confined within their routines and traditions, and to take the road less traveled can sometimes be good for their souls.

7 “You Must Strive To Find Your Own Voice”

John Keating (Robin Williams) To His Class

“… because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all.”

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There are many inspirational John Keating quotes from Dead Poets Society that come from the many moments when encourage his students to never underestimate the values of introspection and intellectual autonomy. He keeps motivating his students to think freely and for themselves, to find what works best for them, and to find out how to make themselves satisfied with their lives.

It’s a theme of several of John’s lessons in the movie, but this Dead Poets Society quote in particularly captures the idea more succinctly than almost any other. John says one must never resign to living an unfulfilled life, as it leads to lives in desperation. One must break out to find new grounds and explore new ideas, places, and beliefs. While John gets his students to believe in themselves, he also knows that there is always something out there that will try to ruin their individuality.

6 “Language Was Developed For One Endeavor, And That Is … To Woo Women.”

John Keating (Robin Williams) To His Class

While Dead Poets Society is one of the few Robin Williams movies that’s celebrated for reasons other than the late actor’s unrivaled comedic skills, it’s still got several moments where the star manages to elicit laughter from viewers. Not everything that John Keating said was profound, and sometimes he spoke with humor in his lessons. One of the key quotes that demonstrates this is when John explains to his students that, in his view, the complexities of human language were refined for a single reason — better romance.

Neil Perry is right in Dead Poets Society – language was developed to communicate. However, in hopes of achieving higher aspirations and conquering new territories, language became the human’s main instrument for expressing desires. The use of language evolved throughout the centuries. John asks the class what other words could substitute for ‘tired’ and “very sad,” to which Knox Overstreet answers “morose.” In this sense, “to woo women” simply means to find affection by using words.

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5 “Sucking The Marrow Out Of Life Doesn’t Mean Choking On The Bone.”

John Keating To Charlie Dalton

Getting expelled because of a prank is not daring, and John warned Charlie Dalton about not getting into trouble again after he pulled a joke in front of the whole student body. He thought Mr. Keating would be happy about it, but clearly, he missed the point. This Dead Poets Society quote delivers an array of meanings that one can not easily grasp unless a specific situation calls for immediate action. Charlie was a jerk, thinking only of himself when he placed their secret society under public scrutiny. John realizes he needs to teach responsibility on top of the freedom to express oneself.

4 “But Only In Their Dreams Can Men Be Truly Free.”

John Keating (Robin Williams) To Another Teacher

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“T’was always thus, and always thus will be.”

The majority of the best Dead Poets Society quotes come from John’s lessons and the advice he gives his students. However, this isn’t exclusively the case, as there are several memorable lines that stem from John’s various discussions (and debates) with other members of the Welton Academy faculty. A prime example is when John Keating explained what he felt the true purpose of education was to one of his colleagues when he was questioned about his different way of teaching.

The school has been upholding the value of tradition and discipline for years. For John, it is only right to shake things up a bit. He believes in free thinkers, just like what he told Mr. Nolan when he confronted him about his “unorthodox” methods of teaching the students. Only by being able to live one’s dreams can a man truly be free. Sadly for John, while his statements ring true, in the confines of this particular school, there is little room for dreams to come true.

3 “I Brought Them Up Here To Illustrate The Point Of Conformity.”

John Keating (Robin Williams) To His Students

“… the difficulty in maintaining your own beliefs in the face of others.”

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John Keating represents the antithesis of everything his class have come to expect from authority figures, and this is a key reason that he becomes such an inspiring presence in their lives. However, that’s not the only reason he stands out to them, as his methods are just as much of a refreshing change of pace for them as his values. In Dead Poets Society, the students at Welton Academy become fascinated with Mr. Keating’s animated and energetic way of teaching.

He would make them walk, run, and climb to get his message out there. He tells three boys from class to take a stroll and, inch by inch, they start to march in unison. This is the point he wants to prove, that humans are bound to conform to society’s standards and lose their own beliefs just to be accepted. He reminds them that no matter how odd or different one’s dream is, be proud of it. This is, once again, Mr. Keating’s desire to see the boys achieve their actual dreams.

2 “I Always Thought The Idea Of Education Was To Learn To Think For Yourself.”

John Keating (Robin Williams) To Mr. Nolan

While there is no shortage of deep, philosophical lines in the thematically layered movie, the core message of Dead Poets Society is encapsulated in this single quote better than any other. It sums up everything that drives John Keating as an educator and, by extension, the thematic lifeblood of the film itself. The quote comes when John has a confrontation with Mr. Nolan, one of the other Welton Academy faculty members.

It’s what John Keating wants to say to his students; use education as a means of knowing more about oneself as well as others. Use it to take a stand and fight for what one believes in, not just stay neutral or compromise. Because Mr. Nolan reprimands him, ending this manner of teaching, Mr. Keating faces a dilemma. His students are greatly affected by his words, and they start to think outside the box. However, the school represses them to stay silent and comply.

1 “I Love Teaching. I Don’t Want To Be Anywhere Else.”

John Keating (Robin Williams) To Neil Perry

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John Keating represents the idea of a perfect educator, one who isn’t only driven by ensuring he leaves his students with the best chance at a fulfilling life possible, but also who understands and values his importance in their lives. However, for John, it heartwarmingly also comes with no small degree of self-sacrifice. When Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) asks John Keating why he chooses to stay in school instead of going to London to be with his wife, John says he loves teaching so much he’d rather be alone than not live his dreams. His passion for education has greatly shaped many lives, especially his students.

A teacher like Mr. Keating is a good mentor and confidante, and it’s this that makes both him and Dead Poets Society so endearing for audiences. He always inspires everyone he meets and radiates vibrant energy that will make them think about how they live their lives. While his time at this school ended in tragedy, John surely helped more than one student there change their way of thinking to become a better person in the end.

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Set in an all-boys prep school in the 1950s, Dead Poets Society follows John Keating (Robin Williams), an English who inspires his students to appreciate poetry, think critically, and see life from a new perspective. The cast also includes Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, and Josh Charles.

Director Peter Weir Release Date June 2, 1989 Cast Robin Williams , Robert Sean Leonard , Ethan Hawke , Josh Charles , Gale Hansen , Dylan Kussman Runtime 128 minutes

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