Transcript of John Newton's speech on his confession

John Newton: This is my confession. You must use it. Names, ships' records, ports, people; everything I remember is in here. Although my memory is fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great savior. You must publish it, blow a hole in their boat with it, damn them with it. I wish I could remember all their names, my 20,000 ghosts. They all had names, beautiful African names. We called them with just grunts, noises. We were apes, they were humans. (cries) I'm weeping. I couldn't weep until I wrote this. "I once was blind, but now I see." Didn't I write that, too?

William Wilberforce: Yes, you did.

John Newton: Well now at last it's true.

Transcript of Mr. Keating's speech on poetry

Mr. Keating: Keep ripping, gentlemen! This is a battle. A war. And the casualties could be your hearts and souls. Thank you, Dalton. Armies of academics going forward, measuring poetry. No! We'll not have that here. No more Mr. J. Evans Pritchard. Now, my class, you will learn to think for yourselves again. You will learn to savor words and language. No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. Now I see that look in Mr. Pitts' eye, like 19th- century literature has nothing to do with going to business school or medical school. Right? Maybe. Mr. Hopkins, you may agree with him, thinking, "Yes, we should simply study our Mr. Pritchard and learn our rhyme and meter and go quietly about the business of achieving other ambitions." I've a little secret for you. Huddle up. Huddle up! 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 question of these recurring, Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill'd 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?

Transcript of Mr. Keating's carpe diem speech

Mr. Keating: Seize the day. "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may." Why does the writer use these lines? ... 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. I would like you to step forward over here and peruse some of the faces from the past. You've walked past them many times, but I don't think you've really looked at them. 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, those 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. Do you hear it? Carpe. Hear it? Carpe. Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.

Transcript of Dr. Wick's speech on ambivalence

Dr. Wick: You signed yourself into our care. We decide when you leave. You're not ready for it, Susanna. Your progress has plateaued. Does that disappoint you?

Susanna: I'm ambivalent. In fact, that's my new favorite word.

Dr. Wick: Do you know what that means,ambivalence?

Susanna: I don't care.

Dr. Wick: If it's your favorite word, I would've...

Susanna: It means "I don't care." That's what it means.

Dr. Wick: On the contrary, Susanna. Ambivalence suggests strong feelings, in opposition. The prefix, as in ambidextrous means "both." The rest of it, in Latin, means "vigor." The word suggests that you are torn between two opposing courses of action.

Susanna: Will I stay or will I go?

Dr. Wick: Am I sane or am I crazy?

Susanna: Those aren't courses of action.

Dr. Wick: They can be, dear, for some.

Susanna: Well, then, it's the wrong word.

Dr. Wick: No, I think it's perfect. "What world is this? What kingdom? What shores of what worlds?" It's a very big question you're faced with, Susanna. The choice of your life. How much will you indulge in your flaws? What are your flaws? Are they flaws? If you embrace them, will you commityourself to hospital for life? Big questions, big decisions. Not surprising you profess carelessness about them.

Susanna: Is that it?

Dr. Wick: For now.