Quotes by Whitman, Walt

"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."

Whitman, Walt on people   

"When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with such applause in the lecture room, how soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick; Till rising and gliding out, I wandered off by myself, in the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time, looked up in perfect silence at the stars."

Whitman, Walt on astronomy   

"To have great poets, there must be great audiences too."

Whitman, Walt on audiences   

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"What a devil art thou, Poverty! How many desires -- how many aspirations after goodness and truth -- how many noble thoughts, loving wishes toward our fellows, beautiful imaginings thou hast crushed under thy heel, without remorse or pause!"

Whitman, Walt on poverty and the poor   

"We convince by our presence."

Whitman, Walt on present   

"And there is no trade or employment but the young man following it may become a hero."

Whitman, Walt on professions and professionals   

"I accept reality and dare not question it."

Whitman, Walt on reality   

"I am as bad as the worst, but, thank God, I am as good as the best."

Whitman, Walt on self-esteem
6 fans of this quote   

"I dote on myself, there is that lot of me and all so luscious."

Whitman, Walt on love   

"Behold I do not give lectures or a little charity, When I give I give myself."

Whitman, Walt on sacrifice   

"The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity."

Whitman, Walt on simplicity   

"The city sleeps and the country sleeps, the living sleep for their time, the dead sleep for their time, the old husband sleeps by his wife and the young husband sleeps by his wife; and these tend inward to me, and I tend outward to them, and such as it is to be of these more or less I am, and of these one and all I weave the song of myself."

Whitman, Walt on sleep
3 fans of this quote   

"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?"

Whitman, Walt on speech   

"He most honors my style who learns under it to destroy the teacher."

Whitman, Walt on style   

"Camerado! This is no book; who touches this touches a man."

Whitman, Walt on books - reading   

"The words of my book nothing, the drift of it everything."

Whitman, Walt on books - reading   

"The beautiful uncut hair of graves."

Whitman, Walt on burial   

"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."

Whitman, Walt on change   

"Nothing endures but personal qualities."

Whitman, Walt on character   

"And whoever walks a furlong without sympathy walks to his own funeral drest in his shroud."

Whitman, Walt on sympathy   

"There is no object so soft but it makes a hub for the wheeled universe."

Whitman, Walt on things and little things
3 fans of this quote   

"Here or henceforward it is all the same to me, I accept Time absolutely."

Whitman, Walt on time   

"O public road, I say back I am not afraid to leave you, yet I love you, you express me better than I can express myself."

Whitman, Walt on travel   

"Whatever satisfies the soul is truth."

Whitman, Walt on truth   

"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."

Whitman, Walt on tyranny   

"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?"

Whitman, Walt on universe   

"Youth, large, lusty, loving -- Youth, full of grace, force, fascination. Do you know that Old Age may come after you with equal grace, force, fascination?"

Whitman, Walt on youth   

"The great city is that which has the greatest man or woman: if it be a few ragged huts, it is still the greatest city in the whole world."

Whitman, Walt on life   

"A great city is that which has the greatest men and women."

Whitman, Walt on life   

"Other lands have their vitality in a few, a class, but we have it in the bulk of our people."

Whitman, Walt on class   

"If you done it, it ain't bragging."

Whitman, Walt on conceit   

"Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes)."

Whitman, Walt on contradiction
4 fans of this quote   

"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."

Whitman, Walt on control   

"It is only the novice in political economy who thinks it is the duty of government to make its citizens happy. Government has no such office. To protect the weak and the minority from the impositions of the strong and the majorityto prevent any one from positively working to render the people unhappy, to do the labor not of an officious inter-meddler in the affairs of men, but of a prudent watchman who prevents outragethese are rather the proper duties of a government. Under the specious pretext of effecting the happiness of the whole community, nearly all the wrongs and intrusions of government have been carried through. The legislature may, and should, when such things fall in its way, lend its potential weight to the cause of virtue and happinessbut to legislate in direct behalf of those objects is never available, and rarely effects any even temporary benefit. "

Whitman, Walt on uncategorised   

"I know nothing grander, better exercise, better digestion, more positive proof of the past, the triumphant result of faith in human kind, than a well-contested American national election. "

Whitman, Walt on uncategorised   

"What is that you express in your eyes? It seems to be more than all the words I have read in my life. "

Whitman, Walt on   

"I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world."

Whitman, Walt on self-confidence