the pelican

Monday, January 01, 2007

this is what you shall do:

love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning god, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body
. . .

~ Walt Whitman

posted by: limine at 21:38 | link | comments (11) |

Comments:

#1 02 January 2007 - 04:58

I love this---many lessons right?

JustMe63

#2 02 January 2007 - 06:24

Leave it to you to find the perfect quote with which to start the new year.

taming

#3 02 January 2007 - 08:47

It is the perfect quote. I've got one covered, not only do i stand up for the stupid and crazy, i w#@k for them too. xxoo

rustymadgal

#4 02 January 2007 - 09:18

We have it on a magnet stuck to the washing machine, next to the, um, toilet. I figure by the time the girls grow up, it will be embedded. Happy New Year, Sweet Limine.

Leigh

#5 02 January 2007 - 18:11

Much to ponder. Happy 2007

cactusandquail

#6 03 January 2007 - 11:09

I love Whitman! I was just musing on "devote your income and labor to others" on New Year's. It inspired one of my own entries.

Happy 2007!

jabberwocky

#7 04 January 2007 - 04:09

Wow! This is absolutely perfect!!!

"re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book,"

Terrific...
Thanx for sharing!

BallAndBiscuit

#8 04 January 2007 - 05:04

Indeed !

Jackal

#9 18 January 2007 - 10:51

and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body. OH I LOVE THE MARRIAGE OF MIND/BODY/HEART. GORGEOUSNESS. THANK YOU!