7) “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” Dead Poets Society, 1989
This line, ranked number 29 on the AFI list, is delivered by Robin Williams, and has become a cliché piece of advice used by English teachers who harbor a secret desire to have their students spontaneously address them as “O captain, my captain.”
In Dead Poets Society, Williams plays a college professor who teaches young students about poetry exactly the way you would imagine Robin Williams teaching students about poetry: by doing his John Wayne and Marlon Brando impressions.
“Carpe diem” is Williams’ mantra, and it has quite a profound effect on some of his students. Even today, you’ll hear many fans of the film quoting it, although there is one thing these people seem to forget about the line: (spoiler alert!) it actually ends up being really terrible advice.
When one of Williams’ students, inspired by his teacher, decides to go into acting, it leads to some pretty tragic results for him (and for Williams, who is forced to resign). So if there is really one piece of advice to take away from Dead Poets Society, it’s this: do not, under any circumstances, seize the day.
Published: Nov 9, 2012 12:41 pm