By Maxime Lagacé
Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.
Top 10 Quotes – Life – Nature – Inspirational – More Quotes – Takeaways – Further Readings
Here are 83 of the best Walt Whitman quotes.
And they are amazing.
You’ll learn:
- How to get stronger from adversity
- How to embrace your imperfections
- How to appreciate life’s simple pleasures
- And a lot more!
But first, who was Walt Whitman (1819–1892) exactly?
- An American poet, essayist, and journalist
- He’s considered one of the most influential poets in American literature
- He’s known as America’s “world poet” and a successor to figures like Homer and Shakespeare
In sum, there’s a ton you can learn from him.
Even artists like Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, and Kurt Cobain were influenced by him.
So I hope you’ll love his quotes as much as I do.
Enjoy!
Top 10 Walt Whitman Quotes
I exist as I am, that is enough. Walt Whitman
Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you. Walt Whitman
I discover myself on the verge of a usual mistake. Walt Whitman
These are the days that must happen to you. Walt Whitman
The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity. Walt Whitman
I have learned that to be with those I like is enough. Walt Whitman
I and this mystery, here we stand. Walt Whitman
None has begun to think how divine he himself is and how certain the future is. Walt Whitman
What do you suppose will satisfy the soul except to walk free and own no superior? Walt Whitman
Simplicity is the glory of expression. Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman Quotes About Life, Love, Happiness
Happiness, not in another place but this place… not for another hour, but this hour. Walt Whitman
Peace is always beautiful. Walt Whitman
The gift is to the giver, and comes back most to him – it cannot fail. Walt Whitman
Do anything, but let it produce joy. Walt Whitman
We were together. I forget the rest. Walt Whitman
I celebrate myself, and sing myself, and what I assume you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. Walt Whitman
Love, that is day and night – love, that is sun and moon and stars, Love, that is crimson, sumptuous, sick with perfume, no other words but words of love, no other thought but love. Walt Whitman
Day by day and night by night we were together – all else has long been forgotten by me. Walt Whitman
Whatever satisfies the soul is truth. Walt Whitman
I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake at night alone, I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again, I am to see to it that I do not lose you. Walt Whitman
Whoever denies me, it shall not trouble me; Whoever accepts me, he or she shall be blessed, and shall bless me. Walt Whitman
Not til the sun excludes you do I exclude you. Walt Whitman
I am satisfied. I see, dance, laugh, sing. Walt Whitman
When I give, I give myself. Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman Quotes About Nature
I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars. Walt Whitman
Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself; I am large – I contain multitudes. Walt Whitman
Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes. Walt Whitman
I swear to you, there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell. Walt Whitman
This is what you should do; love the Earth and sun and the animals. Walt Whitman
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. Walt Whitman
Oh, to be alive in such an age, when miracles are everywhere, and every inch of common air throbs a tremendous prophecy, of greater marvels yet to be. Walt Whitman
I think I could always live with animals. The more you’re around people, the more you love animals. Walt Whitman
A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books. Walt Whitman
To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, every cubic inch of space is a miracle, every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same, every foot of the interior swarms with the same. To me the sea is a continual miracle, the fishes that swim — the rocks — the motion of the waves—the ships with men in them, what stranger miracles are there? Walt Whitman
Give me the splendid, silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling. Walt Whitman
Each of us inevitable; Each of us limitless-each of us with his or her right upon the earth. Walt Whitman
I say the whole earth and all the stars in the sky are for religion’s sake. Walt Whitman
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. Walt Whitman
Related:
- 100 Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes (On Life, Happiness, Self-Reliance)
- 60 Henry David Thoreau Quotes (On Life, Solitude, Nature)
- 65 John Muir Quotes (On Nature, Conservation, Adventure)
Inspirational Walt Whitman Quotes
Forsake all inhibitions, pursue thy dreams. Walt Whitman
Be curious, not judgmental. Walt Whitman
Resist much, obey little. Walt Whitman
Re-examine all you have been told in school or in church, or in any book; dismiss what insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem. Walt Whitman
What is that you express in your eyes? It seems to me more than all the print I have read in my life. Walt Whitman
I am larger, better than I thought; I did not know I held so much goodness. Walt Whitman
The truth is simple. If it was complicated, everyone would understand it. Walt Whitman
Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. Perhaps it is everywhere – on water and land. Walt Whitman
Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road, healthy, free, the world before me. Walt Whitman
Either define the moment or the moment will define you. Walt Whitman
You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, not look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books. You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, you shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself. Walt Whitman
The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. Walt Whitman
No one can acquire for another — not one. Not one can grow for another — not one. The song is to the singer, and comes back most to him. The teaching is to the teacher, and comes back most to him. The murder is to the murderer, and comes back most to him. The theft is to the thief, and comes back most to him. The love is to the lover, and comes back most to him. The gift is to the giver, and comes back most to him — it cannot fail. Walt Whitman
There is that in me — I do not know what it is — but I know it is in me. Walt Whitman
I now suspect there is something fierce in you eligible to burst forth. Walt Whitman
Not I, not any one else can travel that road for you, You must travel it for yourself….. It is not far, it is within reach, / you have been on it since you were born and did not know. Walt Whitman
We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. So medicine, law, business, engineering… these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love… these are what we stay alive for. Walt Whitman
There is no God any more divine than yourself. Walt Whitman
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. Walt Whitman
It is a beautiful truth that all men contain something of the artist in them. Walt Whitman
If you’ve done it, it isn’t bragging. Walt Whitman
More Walt Whitman Quotes
Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch. Walt Whitman
Battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won. Walt Whitman
The road to wisdom is paved with excess. The mark of a true writer is their ability to mystify the familiar and familiarize the strange. Walt Whitman
All truths wait in all things. The insignificant is as big to me as any. Walt Whitman
If no other in the world be aware, I sit content, and if each and all be aware, I sit content. Walt Whitman
Dismiss whatever insults your soul. Walt Whitman
To have great poets, there must be great audiences. Walt Whitman
Nothing can happen more beautiful than death. Walt Whitman
Stranger, if you passing meet me and desire to speak to me, why should you not speak to me? And why should I not speak to you? Walt Whitman
Henceforth I ask not good fortune. I myself am good fortune. Walt Whitman
A great city is that which has the greatest men and women. Walt Whitman
The clock indicates the moment — but what does eternity indicate? Walt Whitman
All faults may be forgiven of him who has perfect candor. Walt Whitman
I am as bad as the worst, but, thank God, I am as good as the best. Walt Whitman
I like the scientific spirit – the holding off, the being sure but not too sure, the willingness to surrender ideas when the evidence is against them: this is ultimately fine – it always keeps the way beyond open – always gives life, thought, affection, the whole man, a chance to try over again after a mistake – after a wrong guess. Walt Whitman
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? Walt Whitman
The strongest and sweetest songs yet remain to be sung. Walt Whitman
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. Walt Whitman
I have no mockings or arguments; I witness and wait. Walt Whitman
In the faces of men and women I see God. Walt Whitman
I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the wounded person. Walt Whitman
We convince by our presence. Walt Whitman
Conclusion
Life doesn’t give you the people you want, it gives you the people you need: to love you, to hate you, to make you, to break you, and to make you the person you were meant to be. Walt Whitman
Key Takeaways
Here are 5 takeaways from these amazing quotes by Walt Whitman.
- Contentment: “I have learned that to be with those I like is enough.” Pro tip: Like Walt Whitman, limit your desires to the essential and avoid material possessions. You don’t need much to be happy.
- Awe. “I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.” Pro tip: Like Walt Whitman, remember the miracles all around you. Journal daily about 3 things you’re grateful for.
- Nature. “A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books.” Pro tip: Walt Whitman loved simple things and nature. Like him, spend at least 15 minutes outside every day, ideally in a park or forest.
- Move forward. “Forsake all inhibitions, pursue thy dreams.” Pro tip: Walt Whitman believed in human potential. So make sure you don’t let your fears define who you become. Courage is the doorway to your dreams.
- Creation. “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.” Pro tip: Like Walt Whitman said, life is bigger than you, yet you matter within it. Always remember that.
Further Readings
- Topic: Happiness
- 100 Short Quotes That Will Inspire You (Fast)
- 100 One Word Quotes (For Quick Inspiration)
- 87 Deep Quotes That Will Make You Think
- 130 Inspirational Quotes For Men
- Walt Whitman (poetryfoundation.org)
- Walt Whitman on How to Really Own Your Own Life (themarginalian.org)
- Walt Whitman on Amazon
I hope you enjoyed these inspiring quotes by Walt Whitman. If you did, please share them with a friend today!
Did you know about Walt Whitman before? What’s your favorite quote from him? And remember: words can transform your life, if you find the right ones.
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