Tonight I was reminded of one of my favorite movie speeches: Its long but so worth it. Read by Gary Cooper, my favorite actor of all time. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am the man you all know as John Doe. I took that name because it seems to describe -- because it seems to describe the average man, and thats me -- and thats me. Well, it was me -- before I said I was gonna jump off the City Hall roof at midnight on Christmas Eve. Now, I guess Im not average any more. Now, Im getting all sorts of attention, from big shots, too -- the mayor and governor, for instance. They dont like those articles Ive been writing. Well, people like the Governor -- people like the Governor can stop worrying. Im not gonna talk about him. Im gonna talk about us, the average guys, the John Does. If anybody should ask you what the average John Doe is like, you couldnt tell him because hes a million and one things. Hes Mr. Big and Mr. Small. Hes simple and hes wise. Hes inherently honest, but hes got a streak of larceny in his heart. He seldom walks up to a public telephone without shoving his finger into the slot to see if somebody left a nickel there. Hes the man the ads are written for. Hes the fella everybody sells things to. Hes Joe Doakes, the worlds greatest stooge and the worlds greatest strength. Yes, sir -- Yes, sir, were a great family, the John Does. We are the meek who are -- who are supposed to inherit the earth. Youll find us everywhere. We raise the crops; we dig the mines, work the factories, keep the books, fly the planes and drive the buses. And when a cop yells: Stand back there, you! He means us, the John Does! We have existed since time began. We built the pyramids. We saw Christ crucified, pulled the oars for Roman emperors, sailed the boats for Columbus, retreated from Moscow with Napoleon and froze with Washington at Valley Forge. Yes, sir. Weve been in there dodging left hooks since before history began to walk. In our struggle for freedom weve hit the canvas many a time, but we always bounced back! Because were the people -- and were tough. Theyve started a lot of talk about free people going soft -- that we cant take it. Thats a lot of hooeyl A free people can beat the world at anything, from war to tiddle-de-winks, if we all pull in the same direction. I know a lot of you are saying What can I do? Im just a little punk. I dont count. Well, youre dead wrong! The little punks have always counted because in the long run the character of a country is the sum total of the character of its little punks. But, weve all got to get in there and pitch. We cant win the old ballgame unless we have teamwork. And thats where every John Doe comes in. Its up to him to get together with his teammates. And your teammate, my friend, is the guy next door to you. Your neighbor -- hes a terribly important guy that guy next door. Youre gonna need him and hes gonna need you, so look him up. If hes sick, call on him. If hes hungry, feed him. If hes out of a job, find him one. To most of you, your neighbor is a stranger, a guy with a barkin dog and high fence around him. Now, you cant be a stranger to any guy thats on your own team. So tear down the fence that separates you. Tear down the fence and youll tear down a lot of hates and prejudices. Tear down all the fences in the country and youll really have teamwork. I know a lot of you are saying to yourselves, Hes askin for a miracle to happen. Hes expectin people to change all of a sudden. Well, youre wrong. Its no miracle. Its no miracle because I see it happen once every year. And and so do you -- at Christmas time. Theres somethin swell about the spirit of Christmas, to see what it does to people, all kinds of people. Now, why cant that spirit, that same, warm Christmas spirit last the whole year around? Gosh, if it ever did, if each and every John Doe would make that spirit last 365 days out of the year, wed develop such strength, wed create such a tidal wave of good will that no human force could stand against it. Yes sir, my friends, the meek can only inherit the earth when the John Does start lovin their neighbors. You better start right now. Dont wait till the game is called on account of darkness. Wake up, John Doe. Youre the hope of the world.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 01:25:35 +0000
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