Robin Williams' best Dead Poets Society quotes: 'Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary'

Fans mourn actor as 'Oh captain! My captain!' trends on Twitter worldwide

Robin Williams stars as inspirational English teacher John Keating in Dead Poets Society (Touchstone Pictures)

Robin Williams' death aged 63 has sent shockwaves around the film world as his legions of fans mourn the loss of one of their most loved Hollywood actors.

Among the movies to get people talking in the wake of the tragic news is 1989's Dead Poets Society, which sees Williams play maverick English teacher John Keating and inspire a class of male students to seize the day and follow their dreams as unique individuals of value.

Robin Williams' best film moments

The striking 'Carpe Diem' speech delivered by Williams some 25 years ago has made thousands of young people determined to "make their lives extraordinary".

But it is not the only memorable moment from the hit film to be on the world's lips today, as "Oh Captain! My Captain!" trends on Twitter worldwide.

Best John Keating quotes

"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’."

"Why do I stand up here? Anybody? I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way."

"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, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary."

"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. 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."

"No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."

"We're not laughing at you - we're laughing near you."

"There's a time for daring and there's a time for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for."

"Now we all have a great need for acceptance, but you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd may go (imitating a goat) “that’s baaaaad”. Robert Frost said, "Two roads diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference."

"I always thought the idea of education was to learn to think for yourself."

"Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." Don't be resigned to that. Break out!"