Dead Poets Society
John Keating (Robin Williams) inspires students with poetry in Dead Poets Society (1989). (Buena Vista Pictures Distribution)


Here’s something to think about, especially if you’re unsure about where you’re headed in your life right now: Our value to society comes in a myriad of ways. None are equivalent to each other; many are incomparable. Some are immediately useful to their particular industries; others hold less-obvious value. For no blueprint is demanded of us; and some results are felt subjectively by our fellow kind.

The following quote is courtesy of John Keating (Robin Williams; pictured) in the brilliantly romantic Dead Poets Society (1989):

'And the human race is full of passion. Medicine, law, business, engineering: these are all noble pursuits, and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love: these are what we stay alive for.'



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