I am William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny. You’ve come to fight as free men… and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight? Fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!”
– William Wallace (Mel Gibson), Braveheart (1995), written by Randall Wallace
I am unashamed to admit that I love this film and that this is one of my favorite speeches of all time!
I first saw this film while billeted in a home when I was in high school at a basketball tournament. The other center and I were staying up late. The final game was the next day. We watch the film and were so moved, we played our hearts out the next day and won the tournament.
@clubfritch: So in a way, Braveheart served as a 'pre-battle speech' for you and your mates. I've heard of basketball coaches in the states use the movie Hoosiers the night before a big game to motivate their team.