The pep talk that gives people goosebumps!

Inch-by-Inch / Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) in 'Any Given Sunday' (1999)

Even the most tenderhearted of tinker bells somehow become transformed!

I don’t know if it’s because they (anyone with a pulsing heart) can feel the caring passion coming from Pacino’s face…

I don’t really even know, quite frankly, if Freud himself could analyze the WHY — the core reason this has gone down as "one of the greatest motivational speeches in movie history" and "a classic sports movie moment!”

Nope, at the end of this particular Sunday, I don’t need to get into analyzing the WHY! I just care to add it to my curated list of so-called Pep Talks (i.e., hard-nosed speeches, inspiring but raw lectures, meaningful rants, etc.).

It’s something I’ll be doing more of, on any given Sunday (eh, see what I did there?). And, as you’re one of my raving fans, you’ll be coming along for the ride.

Next up?

The “speech,” from the movie Any Given Sunday (1999) that has become a cultural touchstone for motivation and teamwork. Don’t let the locker room setting fool you, though. The discourse here applies to pretty much every area of your life!

First, the transcript…

“I don’t know what to say, really. Three minutes till the biggest battle of our professional lives all comes down to today. Now either we heal as a team or we’re gonna crumble, inch by inch, play by play, ’til we’re finished.

We’re in hell right now, gentlemen, believe me. And, we can stay here — get the shit kicked out of us — or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell one inch at a time.

Now, I can’t do it for you. I’m too old. I look around. I see these young faces, and I think — I mean — I made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I, uh, I pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who’s ever loved me. And lately, I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror.

You know, when you get old in life things get taken from you. I mean that’s…part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life’s this game of inches. So is football.

Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small — I mean one-half a step too late, or too early, and you don’t quite make it. One-half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it.

The inches we need are everywhere around us.

They’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch.

We claw with our fingernails for that inch because we know when we add up all those inches that are gonna make the f*****’ difference between winning and losing! Between livin’ and dyin’!

I’ll tell you this:

In any fight, it’s the guy who’s willing to die who’s gonna win that inch. And I know if I’m gonna have any life anymore, it’s because I’m still willin’ to fight and die for that inch. Because that’s what livin’ is! The six inches in front of your face!!

Now I can’t make you do it. You got to look at the guy next to you. Look into his eyes! Now I think you’re gonna see a guy who will go that inch with you. You’re gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team because he knows when it comes down to it, you’re gonna do the same for him!

That’s a team, gentleman!

And, either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals.

That’s football guys.

That’s all it is.

Now, what are you gonna do?”

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Next, the video clip…

What say you?

Does it resonate? Or, do you have another pep talk-style “speech” you like?

Related:

My curated list of “pep talks”
More to come

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From my friends across the pond (in the U.K.), Karl Moore & Andrew Roth, they cordially are inviting you to become your own superhero, inch-by-inch…