Skip to content
Linespedia

Says

By Walt Whitman

Topics: classic

I say whatever tastes sweet to the most perfect person, that is finally right. I say nourish a great intellect, a great brain; If I have said anything to the contrary, I hereby retract it. I say man shall not hold property in man; I say the least developed person on earth is just as important and sacred to himself or herself, as the most developed person is to himself or herself. I say where liberty draws not the blood out of slavery, there slavery draws the blood out of liberty, I say the word of the good old cause in These States, and resound it hence over the world. I say the human shape or face is so great, it must never be made ridiculous; I say for ornaments nothing outre can be allowed, And that anything is most beautiful without ornament, And that exaggerations will be sternly revenged in your own physiology, and in other persons' physiology also; And I say that clean-shaped children can be jetted and conceived only where natural forms prevail in public, and the human face and form are never caricatured; And I say that genius need never more be turned to romances, (For facts properly told, how mean appear all romances.) I say the word of lands fearing nothing I will have no other land; I say discuss all and expose all I am for every topic openly; I say there can be no salvation for These States without innovators without free tongues, and ears willing to hear the tongues; And I announce as a glory of These States, that they respectfully listen to propositions, reforms, fresh views and doctrines, from successions of men and women, Each age with its own growth. I have said many times that materials and the Soul are great, and that all depends on physique; Now I reverse what I said, and affirm that all depends on the sthetic or intellectual, And that criticism is great and that refinement is greatest of all; And I affirm now that the mind governs and that all depends on the mind. With one man or woman (no matter which one I even pick out the lowest,) With him or her I now illustrate the whole law; I say that every right, in politics or what-not, shall be eligible to that one man or woman, on the same terms as any.

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

"I say whatever tastes sweet to the most perfect person, that is finally right...."

"Says" is a quintessential example of Walt Whitman's signature style... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

Attribution & Rights

Author:Walt Whitman

Public Domain: This work is in the public domain and free to use.

"I say whatever tastes sweet to the most perfect pe..." by Walt Whitman

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"Afoot and light-hearted, I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose. He"

"Ah poverties, wincings, and sulky retreats! Ah you foes that in conflict have overcome me! (For what is my life, or any man's life, but a conflict w"

"How solemn, as one by one, As the ranks returning, all worn and sweaty--as the men file by where I stand; As the faces, the masks appear--as I glanc"

"One sweeps by, attended by an immense train, All emblematic of peace - not a soldier or menial among them. One sweeps by, old, with black eyes, and"

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Walt Whitman

About Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman (1819–1892) was an American poet who pioneered free verse with his collection "Leaves of Grass" (1855). His poem "Song of Myself" celebrates democracy, the body, and the interconnectedness of all life, and he is often called the father of modern American poetry.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

"Afoot and light-hearted, I take to the open road, ..."

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.