“Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman is a foundational work of American poetry, celebrating democracy, nature, and the self. Its most famous lines include, “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, / And what I assume you shall assume, / For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you”.
I first read part of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman as a mini, Penguin Classic book and it spoke to me. I am not usually as interested in poetry but his writing was easy to read and simple and complex at the same time. I often did drawings of Whitman over the years.
On Humanity: “If anything is sacred the human body is sacred”.
I like this quote about humanity and that the human body is sacred and it connects in my mind with Buddhist philosophy that to have a strong mind one must also have a strong body to house it.
On Contradiction: “Do I contradict myself? / Very well the, I contradict myself, / (I am large, I contain multitudes)”.
I love this quote about contradiction as I feel life is messy and things aren’t always black and white and sometimes contradictory ideas can exist simultaneously.
On Self-Acceptance: “I exist as I am, that is enough, / If no other in the world be aware I sit content, / And if each and all be aware I sit content”.
Once again, this quote by Whitman reminds me of Buddhist philosophy and the following Buddhist quote:
“You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.”
Buddha
This Buddha quote reflects the Whitman quote as he writes about being content with who he is and deserves his own self-love and contentment.
In conclusion I didn’t, even read all of Leaves of Grass but the fragments I read really spoke to me and I feel he was wise and wrote about ideas much before his time. By seeing the connection between things that no one else could see.