Quote#Poetry
If the United States haven't grown poets, on any scale of grandeur,…
Quote byWalt Whitman · 1819–1892
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Complete Prose Works (1892), III. Notes Left Over 3. Ventures, on an Old Theme, p.324.
English (original)
If the United States haven't grown poets, on any scale of grandeur, it is certain that they import, print, and read more poetry than any equal number of people elsewhere — probably more than the rest of the world combined. Poetry (like a grand personality) is a growth of many generations — many rare combinations. To have great poets, there must be great audiences too.
— Walt Whitman
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