Well, come on. ''O Captain, my Captain.'' Who knows where that comes from? Anybody? Not a clue? It's from a poem by Walt Whitman about Mr Abraham Lincoln. Now in this class you can either call me Mr Keating... or, if you're slightly more daring, ''O Captain, my Captain.'' Now, let me dispel a few rumours so they don't fester into facts. Yes, I, too, attended Hell-ton and survived. And, no, at that time, I was not the mental giant you see before you. I was the intellectual equivalent of a 98-pound weakling. I would go to the beach, and people would kick copies of Byron in my face. Now... Mr Pitts? That's a rather unfortunate name. - Mr Pitts, where are you? Mr Pitts, would you open your hymnal to page 542. Read the first stanza of the poem you find there. ''To the Virgins to Make Much of Time''? Yes, that's the one. - Somewhat appropriate, isn't it? ''Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. ''Old Time is still a-flying. And this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying.'' Thank you, Mr Pitts. ''Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.'' The Latin term for that sentiment is ''Carpe diem. '' Now, who knows what that means? Carpe diem. That's ''Seize the day.'' - Very good, Mister-- - Meeks. Meeks. Another unusual name. Seize the day. ''Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.'' Why does the writer use these lines? - Because he's in a hurry. - No! Ding! Thank you for playing anyway. 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. 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, 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. Do you hear it? Carpe. Hear it? [ Whispering ] Carpe. Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.