KEATING: "Oh 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, Oh Captain, My Captain. Now let me dispel¹ a few rumors² so they don't fester into facts. Yes, I too attended Welton and survived. And no, at that time I was not the mental giant you see before you. I was the intellectual equivalent of a ninety-eight 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 and read the first stanza³ of the poem you find there?

PITTS: To the virgins⁴, to make much of time? 

KEATING: Yes, that's the one. Somewhat appropriate, isn't it.

PITTS: Gather ye rosebuds⁵ while ye may, old time is still a flying, and this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying.

KEATING: 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?

MEEKS: Carpe Diem. That's "seize the day".

KEATING: Very good, Mr.-

MEEKS: Meeks.

KEATING: Meeks. Another unusual name. Seize the day. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. Why does the writer use these lines?

CHARLIE: Because he's in a hurry.

KEATING: No, ding!

KEATING: 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.

KEATING: Now I would like you to step forward over here and peruse⁶ 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 hormones⁷, just like you. Invincible⁸, just like you feel. The world is their oyster⁹. They believe they're destined¹⁰ 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 iota¹¹ of what they were capable? Because you see, gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing¹² daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy¹³ to you. Go on, lean in. Carpe. Hear it? Carpe. Carpe. Carpe Diem. Seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.

妙词佳句，活学活用

1. not a clue

“毫无头绪”的意思，有时候也说成not have a clue。这是在口语里经常使用的句子，大家可以试着多多使用。
e.g. I haven't a clue what I'll give Carl for his birthday next year.
明年生日给卡尔买什么礼物我真是一点主意都没有。

clue可以作动词，意思是“提供线索，提供情况”。如：
Clue me in on what's happening.
告诉我发生了什么事。
也可以作名词，意思是“线索”，如：
The police found a clue which will help them catch the robber.
警察发现了能帮助他们抓住强盗的线索。

2. Believe it or not

口语常用句型，意思是“信不信由你”。
e.g. Believe it or not, I met a super football star this morning on the street.
     信不信由你，我今天早晨在街上遇到一个超级球星。

在口语中还有一个句型：Can you believe it? 当说话人对自己说的话都觉得不可思议、不敢相信的时候，就可以用这个句子。比如在电影《阿甘正传》里有一句台词是：Can you believe it? I got to go to college too. （你能相信吗，我居然也上大学了。）

3. The world is their oyster.

oyster的意思是“牡蛎，蚝”，但是这个句子的意思跟这个毫无关系，这是一句非常口语化的表达，意思是“人生最得意（最有前途）的时刻”。
e.g. You're young. You've got a lot of opportunity. The world is your oyster.
     你正年轻，有很多机会。你正是在人生最得意的时候。

4. iota

极微小，极小量

Not an iota (of) 毫不，一点也不

If you say there is not an iota or not one iota of something, you are emphasizing that there is not even a very small amount of it.
e.g. 1）He's never shown an iota of interest in any kind of work.
        他对任何工作都没表示出丝毫的兴趣。
     2）There is not an iota of truth in his story.
        他的故事没有一点是真的。