Al Pacino "Inches" Speech, Any Given Sunday (1999)

Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) delivers his inspirational "Inches" speech in the 1999 film Any Given Sunday.

Music: Paul Kelly - Peace (from the album 'Soundings in Film')

"I dont know what to say, really. Three minutes to the biggest battle of our professional lives. All comes down to today, and either, we heal as a team, or we're gonna crumble. Inch by inch, play by play. Until 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 ya, I'm too old. I look around, I see these young faces and I think, I mean, I've made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I, uh, I've 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... that's... that's a part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losin' 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 and 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 add up all those inches, that's gonna make the fucking difference between winning and losing! Between living and dying! I'll tell you this, in any fight it's the guy whose willing to die whose gonna win that inch. And I know, if I'm gonna have any life anymore it's because I'm still willing to fight and die for that inch, because that's what living is, the six inches in front of your face.

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

That's a team, gentlemen, 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?"

• Category

  Entertainment

[ohsins]

me and my tteam listen to this before every game every single year #inspiration

[pablo0832]

this speech gives me goosebumps!

[skatewii90]

what is this song!!!

[vovadrama]

And go to the grocery store instead of eating at McDonalds.

[VFX3D]

If you need inspirational speech to win, to do your job. You should not be doing what you are doing. If a team or a unit needs inspirational speech to succeed, its not a team I want to be on or unit to be part of. It is not a team that is trained to a winning standard or a unit trained for mission success. Oh one more thing, winning and succeeding are mutually exclusive. A team, or a unit, can loose, and still succeed in its task or mission.

[sportjunky4371]

I don't know what to say really.... oh wait yes i do. Give one of the most inspirational speeches of all time!

[Stephen Wanyamawi]

2:53 lol

[richsocaplaya]

listening to the speech for the about 20th time now. Its very important to apply the game of inches to our lives guys. Every small decision can lead to realization of small goals. It's doesn't look enough to get small profit on investment (or sometimes none), but adding all the small victories, achieving small goals inch by inch will make a got damn difference in the end.

[Levan Eliashvili]

That's not football. That's some murican gay shit.

[lam8765]

Every morning I wake up, I ask myself what is the fucking difference between winning and losing, living and dying, and am I going to fight all my day for that inch