The Lion Speech is a viral motivational monologue delivered by Christopher Walken in the 2002 film Poolhall Junkies.
In the scene, Walken’s character, Mike, encourages the protagonist to stop tolerating disrespect by comparing him to a lion who must eventually “show the jackals who he is.”
“You got this lion, he’s the king of the jungle. Huge mane out to here. He’s laying down under a tree, in the middle of Africa, he’s so big, he’s so hot! He doesn’t wanna move. Now, the little lion cubs they start messin’ with him, bitin’ his tail, bitin’ his ears, he doesn’t do anything. The lioness, she starts messing with him, coming over making trouble, still nothing. Now the other animals, they notice this, and they start to move in. The jackals, hyenas, they’re barking at him, laughing at him. They nip his toes and eat the food that’s in his domain. They do this and they get closer and closer and bolder and bolder, till one day…that lion gets up and tears the shit outta everybody, runs like the wind, eats everything in his path, ’cause every once in a while, the lion has to show the jackals who he is.”
– Mike from Poolhall Junkies (Christopher Walken)
