Walt Whitman’s best phrases about life

Walt Whitman’s phrases are the phrases of the father of modern poetry. Also They represent the voice of a man who perhaps exalted life like no other. A man who unleashed controversies and caused scandals, but never stopped moving.

Whitman wrote poetry that sought to reach all hearts. He shied away from complex canons and convoluted themes. That is why he is also considered the father of free verse, that which simply seeks to leave speak to the heart, without leaving it aside, but preventing intellectuality from predominating.

Walt Whitman’s phrases are also the verses of his poetry. It is not easy to grasp its full meaning outside the context of each poem. However, some of them have enormous value on their own. We have made a compilation of some of those sentences to enjoy part of that great love for life that this poet staged in his verses.

One of Walt Whitman’s phrases about obedience

Walt Whitman’s phrases reflect a revolutionary of thought and of the word. He was never given to following protocols, nor to swallowing whole the laws or customs of his time. He had a happy and vital rebellion, which was contagious.

One of his verses says: “Resist a lot, obey little”. In this small phrase much of what this great poet was is summarized. He was a true innovator and that is why his thing was not to repeat or passively follow what was given, but to build the new.

The future

There is much talk about the uncertainty that the future holds. Time, however, is very imprecise. The now in a second becomes the past . And tomorrow in a second is already present.

One of Walt Whitman’s phrases aims precisely to destroy these myths in relation to time. He says: “The future It is no more uncertain than the present”. He is right. What is so certain about the present that makes it less uncertain than the future?

The simplicity

One of the greatest values ​​of Whitman’s poetry is simplicity, which never conflicts with depth.. This poet thought that the word should be genuine and not hide behind complicated terms or complex structures.

One of his phrases says: “The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of letters is simplicity.”. It is an exaltation of the most authentic. In truth, it is very difficult to convey profound ideas with simple words. More common is the opposite: seeing simple ideas expressed in complex ways.

a blade of grass

Whitman’s crowning work was Leaves of Grass. Its title refers us to what gave identity to this writer. Nature, pure and simple, is at the heart of his poems. He celebrated life in all its forms, like a miracle.

This statement makes it clear: “The smallest leaf of grass teaches us that death does not exist; that if it ever existed, it was only to produce life”. It means that life as a concept is eternal. Every life form would perish only for something new to be born.

Win and lose

Whitman was always involved in political issues. He also served as a volunteer nurse in the American Civil War. He was deeply impacted by the pain and misery seen on the battlefields..

That experience resulted in the work Memories of war. Also many of his verses were dedicated to the subject. One of them says: “Battles are lost in the same spirit with which they are won.”. With this, the fight stands out more than the triumph or defeat.

Everything is ephemeral

Although he was a man full of hope, Walt Whitman’s life was not easy. During his childhood he had to suffer the rigor of economic hardship. He started working at the age of 11 and had to pay for the editing of his first version of Leaves of Grass.

At the end of his life he suffered a stroke that limited him. He suffered a lot while he had his own mausoleum built, preparing for death, he who loved life. One of his sentences says: “Grab the roses while you can. Time flies quickly. The same flower you admire today, tomorrow it will be dead”.

The contradiction

One of Walt Whitman’s phrases says: “Am I contradicting myself? Well yes, I contradict myself. And? I am immense, I contain multitudes”. It is clear that theirs was a multidiverse world, in which the laws of logic operated but did not prevail.

Whitman lived in a world in which rationalism dominated, or, at least, pretended to reign. He shows that the human goes beyond ordinary logic. It also shows that facet that so many rationalists deplore: that of the eternal contradictions in which we all move.

Walt Whitman marked a before and after in poetry. But beyond that, He left us a wonderful legacy of poems that are like a balm. He was brave because he dared to claim happiness and hope, in times that lacked both values.

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