“this right here is the land of opportunity.”
Why it's great
It turns a trading floor into the whole promise of America, and the room believes it.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
This right here is your big chance.
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Jordan Refuses to Leave, Explained
The Wolf of Wall Street · 2013
Chapter 24 of 30 · 5'03"
Jordan stages a farewell speech, thanks his loyal brokers, and tells the story of one employee he lifted out of poverty — then refuses to leave at all. "I'm not leaving," he insists, canceling the promotions he just promised. The goodbye turns into a power grab.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:04–0:22
❝ Monologue · 4 lines the farewell opening
It sets up a gracious exit only so the reversal lands harder moments later.
18s - 0:51–1:19
Jordan Calls the Firm America
29s
Jordan Refuses to Leave, explained
What happens
Jordan Belfort gathers his staff to announce he is stepping down from Stratton Oakmont, the firm he built with Donnie Azoff. He praises the room, calls the place the land of opportunity, and brings up early broker Kimmie Belzer, recalling how he once wrote her a check when she was broke. Then he tears up the plan.
What's really going on
The speech is a farewell, but it's also a performance, and Jordan plays the room like an instrument. He wraps himself in the immigrant story — 'this right here is the land of opportunity' — then turns one employee's rescue into proof of his own generosity: 'It's because I believed in you.' The crowd shouts its love back at him, and that love is the point. When he admits the deal means 'me taking no for an answer,' he frames quitting as a betrayal of his own gospel, then does exactly what he swore he'd never do — refuse. The sentiment may be real, but it's also a salesman closing the biggest deal in the room.
Key lines & what they mean
- “this right here is the land of opportunity.”
- Jordan's pitch to his staff: the office, like America, is a place where anyone can rise, which flatters the room and his own story.
- “You are the shit. You are the fucking shit.”
- His parting compliment to the brokers: crude slang meaning they are the best, used to send them off feeling like stars.
- “It's me being a hypocrite is what it is.”
- Jordan names his own contradiction: the man who never took no is about to accept a deal that ends his career.
- “It's them selling me, not the other way around.”
- He flips the story: instead of him persuading others, the lawyers and partners are forcing the sale, an excuse that lets him play the victim.
Theme
- Power — Jordan would rather break a signed deal than give up control, and the speech is how he keeps the room, and the firm, his.
- Ambition — He built the firm from nothing and cannot let go; refusing to leave shows ambition hardening into something closer to need.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level6/8
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“You are the shit. You are the fucking shit.”
Why it's great
The crudest phrase becomes the highest praise, and the floor erupts.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
You are the shit for finishing that report.
“It's me being a hypocrite is what it is.”
Why it's great
He names his own hypocrisy mid-speech, which is what makes the turn land.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
It's a mess is what it is.
“It's them selling me, not the other way around.”
Why it's great
A quick reversal makes clear who is really being sold here.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
You report to me, not the other way around.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ the farewell opening
five years ago, when I started Stratton Oakmont with Donnie Azoff, I knew the day would eventually come where I'd have to be moving on. And it's truly with a heavy heart that I'm here to say that... That that day is finally here.
It sets up a gracious exit only so the reversal lands harder moments later.
Up next · 25ring a bellThe scene: Jordan's Deposition: I Do Not RecallTakeaways
What you walk away with- The speech turns on the word no, which he refuses to accept.
- Kimmie's story turns one person's luck into the room's religion.
- The tears are real enough to make the reversal shocking.
- Love and business are fused until he drops the act.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Jordan tell Kimmie's story?
To make his own generosity the emotional center of the speech. By showing how he lifted a broke single mother into wealth, he argues that the firm, and he, changed people's lives for the better.
What deal is Jordan about to sign?
A deal that bars him from the securities industry and from Stratton Oakmont, the firm he built. He describes it as being forced out of his own home.
Why does Jordan change his mind and refuse to leave?
The deal means admitting defeat — 'me taking no for an answer' — which contradicts everything he taught his brokers. Rather than accept it, he tears up the plan and keeps control.
What happens to the promotions he promised Donnie and the others?
He cancels them on the spot. The men who were about to take over are told they are getting nothing, and the power stays with Jordan.
What does 'You are the shit' mean?
It's crude slang for 'you are the best.' Despite the rude wording, it's meant as high praise, and Jordan uses it to fire up his staff.