“this right here is the land of opportunity.”
Por qué es buena
It turns a trading floor into the whole promise of America, and the room believes it.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
This right here is your big chance.
00:00 / 05:03
00:00 / 05:03
Jordan Refuses to Leave, Explained
The Wolf of Wall Street · 2013
Capítulo 24 de 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
❝ Monólogo · 4 frases 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.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel6/8
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“You are the shit. You are the fucking shit.”
Por qué es buena
The crudest phrase becomes the highest praise, and the floor erupts.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
You are the shit for finishing that report.
“It's me being a hypocrite is what it is.”
Por qué es buena
He names his own hypocrisy mid-speech, which is what makes the turn land.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
It's a mess is what it is.
“It's them selling me, not the other way around.”
Por qué es buena
A quick reversal makes clear who is really being sold here.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
You report to me, not the other way around.
Monólogo
Un personaje sostiene la escena: practícalo entero❝ 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.
Siguiente · 25ring a bellLa escena: Jordan's Deposition: I Do Not RecallIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- 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.
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy 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.