Walt Whitman Quotes And Sayings

Walter “Walt” Whitman was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse. His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality. Whitman’s major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money.

Keep Your Face Always Toward The Sunshine - And Shadows Will Fall Behind You.

The Genius Of The United States Is Not Best Or Most In Its Executives Or Legislatures, Nor In Its Ambassadors Or Authors Or Colleges, Or Churches, Or Parlors, Nor Even In Its Newspapers Or Inventors, But Always Most In The Common People.

Simplicity Is The Glory Of Expression.

Re-examine All That You Have Been Told... Dismiss That Which Insults Your Soul.

We Convince By Our Presence.

And Your Very Flesh Shall Be A Great Poem.

The Future Is No More Uncertain Than The Present.

I Believe A Leaf Of Grass Is No Less Than The Journey-work Of The Stars.

The Dirtiest Book Of All Is The Expurgated Book.

I Say That Democracy Can Never Prove Itself Beyond Cavil, Until It Founds And Luxuriantly Grows Its Own Forms Of Art, Poems, Schools, Theology, Displacing All That Exists, Or That Has Been Produced Anywhere In The Past, Under Opposite Influences.

To Me, Every Hour Of The Day And Night Is An Unspeakably Perfect Miracle.

I Am As Bad As The Worst, But, Thank God, I Am As Good As The Best.

Seeing, Hearing, Feeling, Are Miracles, And Each Part And Tag Of Me Is A Miracle.

Whatever Satisfies The Soul Is Truth.

Now I See The Secret Of Making The Best Person: It Is To Grow In The Open Air And To Eat And Sleep With The Earth.

I Accept Reality And Dare Not Question It.

And There Is No Trade Or Employment But The Young Man Following It May Become A Hero.

After You Have Exhausted What There Is In Business, Politics, Conviviality, And So On - Have Found That None Of These Finally Satisfy, Or Permanently Wear - What Remains? Nature Remains.

I Say To Mankind, Be Not Curious About God. For I, Who Am Curious About Each, Am Not Curious About God - I Hear And Behold God In Every Object, Yet Understand God Not In The Least.

I No Doubt Deserved My Enemies, But I Don't Believe I Deserved My Friends.

I Cannot Be Awake For Nothing Looks To Me As It Did Before, Or Else I Am Awake For The First Time, And All Before Has Been A Mean Sleep.

There Is That Indescribable Freshness And Unconsciousness About An Illiterate Person That Humbles And Mocks The Power Of The Noblest Expressive Genius.

Let Your Soul Stand Cool And Composed Before A Million Universes.

If You Done It, It Ain't Bragging.

Oh While I Live, To Be The Ruler Of Life, Not A Slave, To Meet Life As A Powerful Conqueror, And Nothing Exterior To Me Will Ever Take Command Of Me.

All Faults May Be Forgiven Of Him Who Has Perfect Candor.

The Beauty Of Independence, Departure, Actions That Rely On Themselves.

Freedom - To Walk Free And Own No Superior.

I Celebrate Myself, And Sing Myself.

Have You Heard That It Was Good To Gain The Day? I Also Say It Is Good To Fall, Battles Are Lost In The Same Spirit In Which They Are Won.

If Any Thing Is Sacred, The Human Body Is Sacred.

I Exist As I Am, That Is Enough.

Behold I Do Not Give Lectures Or A Little Charity, When I Give I Give Myself.

Why Are There Trees I Never Walk Under But Large And Melodious Thoughts Descend Upon Me?

I Have Learned That To Be With Those I Like Is Enough.

I See Great Things In Baseball. It's Our Game - The American Game.

A Morning-glory At My Window Satisfies Me More Than The Metaphysics Of Books.

Do I Contradict Myself? Very Well, Then I Contradict Myself, I Am Large, I Contain Multitudes.

The Shallow Consider Liberty A Release From All Law, From Every Constraint. The Wise Man Sees In It, On The Contrary, The Potent Law Of Laws.

Speech Is The Twin Of My Vision, It Is Unequal To Measure Itself, It Provokes Me Forever, It Says Sarcastically, Walt You Contain Enough, Why Don't You Let It Out Then?

I Heard What Was Said Of The Universe, Heard It And Heard It Of Several Thousand Years; It Is Middling Well As Far As It Goes - But Is That All?

The Beautiful Uncut Hair Of Graves.

Let That Which Stood In Front Go Behind, Let That Which Was Behind Advance To The Front, Let Bigots, Fools, Unclean Persons, Offer New Propositions, Let The Old Propositions Be Postponed.

Every Moment Of Light And Dark Is A Miracle.

The Whole Theory Of The Universe Is Directed Unerringly To One Single Individual.

Have You Learned The Lessons Only Of Those Who Admired You, And Were Tender With You, And Stood Aside For You? Have You Not Learned Great Lessons From Those Who Braced Themselves Against You, And Disputed Passage With You?

There Is No Week Nor Day Nor Hour When Tyranny May Not Enter Upon This Country, If The People Lose Their Roughness And Spirit Of Defiance.

And Whoever Walks A Furlong Without Sympathy Walks To His Own Funeral Drest In His Shroud.

Nothing Can Happen More Beautiful Than Death.

The Real War Will Never Get In The Books.