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May 31

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Quotes of the dayfrom previous years:

2004
There is nothing so pitiful as a young cynic because he has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing. ~Maya Angelou
2005
When there are no more memories of heroes and martyrs, And when all life and all the souls of men and women are discharged from any part of the earth, Then only shall liberty or the idea of liberty be discharged from that part of the earth, And the infidel come into full possession. ~Walt WhitmaninLeaves of Grass(born 31 May 1819)
2006
I am for those that have never been master'd,
For men and women whose tempers have never been master'd,
For those whom laws, theories, conventions, can never master.
~Walt WhitmaninLeaves of Grass(born 31 May 1819)
2007
Who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles...
To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle...
~Walt WhitmaninLeaves of Grass~
2008
Be composed — be at ease with me — I am Walt Whitman, liberal and lusty as Nature,
Not till the sun excludes you do I exclude you,
Not till the waters refuse to glisten for you and the leaves to rustle for you, do my words refuse to glisten and rustle for you.
~Walt WhitmaninLeaves of Grass~
2009
Talk not so much… of the great old masters, who but painted and chisell’d. Study not only their productions. There is a still higher school for him who would kindle his fire with coal from the altar of the loftiest and purest art. It is the school of all grand actions and grand virtues, of heroism, of the death of patriots and martyrs — of all the mighty deeds written in the pages of history — deeds of daring, and enthusiasm, devotion, and fortitude. ~Walt Whitman
2010
It is a beautiful truth that all men contain something of the artist in them. And perhaps it is the case that the greatest artists live and die, the world and themselves alike ignorant what they possess.… I think of few heroic actions, which cannot be traced to the artistical impulse. He who does great deeds, does them from his innate sensitiveness to moral beauty. ~Walt Whitman
2011
It is time to explain myself — let us stand up.
What is known I strip away,
I launch all men and women forward with me into the Unknown.
The clock indicates the moment — but what does eternity indicate?
~Walt Whitman~ inSong of Myself
2012

Magnifying and applying come I,
Outbidding at the start the old cautious hucksters,
Taking myself the exact dimensions ofJehovah,
LithographingKronos,Zeushis son, andHerculeshis grandson,
Buying drafts ofOsiris,Isis,Belus,Brahma,Buddha,
In my portfolio placingManitoloose,Allahon a leaf, the crucifix engraved,
WithOdinand the hideous-facedMexitliand every idol and image,
Taking them all for what they are worth and not a cent more,
Admitting they were alive and did the work of their days,
(They bore mites as for unfledg'd birds who have now to rise and fly and sing for themselves,)
Accepting the rough deific sketches to fill out better in myself, bestowing them freely on each man and woman I see…
~Walt Whitman~ inSong of Myself

2013
Ourproblemis to become acquainted with our ownselves,letting ourpersonalitiesloose upon theworldfor the sheeradventureof their full development and in the positivehopethat they may in their own way lift the level ofhumanity.
~Norman Vincent Peale~
2014
Allthistimeand at all times wait thewordsoftruepoems,
The words of true poems do not merelyplease,
The true poets are not followers ofbeautybut the august masters of beauty;
Thegreatnessofsonsis the exuding of the greatness ofmothersandfathers,
The words of true poems are the tuft and final applause ofscience.
~Walt Whitman~
in
~Song of the Answerer~
2015

Thewordsof thetruepoemsgive you more than poems,
They give you to form foryourselfpoems,religions,politics,war,peace,behavior,histories,essays, dailylife,and every thing else,
Theybalanceranks, colors, races, creeds, and the sexes,
They do not seekbeauty,they are sought,
Forevertouching them or close upon them follows beauty, longing, fain,love-sick.

Theypreparefordeath,yet are they not thefinish,but rather the outset,
They bring none to his or her terminus or to becontentand full,
Whom they take they take intospaceto behold thebirthofstars,tolearnone of themeanings,
To launch off with absolutefaith,to sweep through the ceaseless rings and never be quiet again.

~Walt Whitman~
in
~Song of the Answerer~
2016
I answer for him that answers forall,and send thesesigns.

Him all wait for, him all yield up to, hiswordisdecisiveand final,
Him theyaccept,in himlave,in himperceivethemselvesas amidlight,
Him theyimmerseand he immerses them.

Beautifulwomen,the haughtiestnations,laws,the landscape,people,animals,
The profoundearthand its attributes and the unquietocean,(so tell I mymorning'sromanza,)
Allenjoymentsandpropertiesandmoney,and whatever money will buy,
The best farms, others toiling and planting and he unavoidably reaps,
Thenoblestand costliestcities,others grading and building and he domiciles there,
Nothingfor any one but what is for him, near and far are for him, theshipsin the offing,
Theperpetualshows and marches on land are for him if they are for anybody.

He puts things in theirattitudes,
He puts to-day out of himself with plasticity andlove,
He places his owntimes,reminiscences,parents,brothersandsisters,associations, employment,politics,so that the rest nevershamethem afterward, norassumeto command them.

He isthe Answerer,
What can be answer'dhe answers, andwhat cannot be answer'dheshows how it cannot be answer'd.

A man is a summons andchallenge,
(It isvaintoskulk— do you hear thatmockingandlaughter?do you hear theironicalechoes?)

~Walt Whitman~
in
~Song of the Answerer~
2017
Time,always without break, indicates itself in parts,
What always indicates thepoetis the crowd of the pleasant company ofsingers,and theirwords,
The words of the singers are the hours or minutes of thelightordark,but the words of the maker of poems are the general light and dark,
The maker of poems settlesjustice,reality,immortality,
Hisinsightandpowerencircle things and thehumanrace,
He is thegloryand extract thus far of things and of thehuman race.

The singers do not beget, only the Poet begets,
The singers are welcom'd,understood,appear often enough, but rare has the day been, likewise the spot, of thebirthof the maker of poems, the Answerer,
(Not every century nor every five centuries has contain'd such a day, forallitsnames.)

~Walt Whitman~
in
~Song of the Answerer~
2018
Happinesswill never come if it's agoalin itself; happiness is a by-product of a commitment toworthycauses.
~Norman Vincent Peale~
2019
Atheoryis only asgoodas itsassumptions.If thepremisesarefalse,the theory has no realscientificvalue.The only scientific criterion forjudgingthe validity of a scientific theory is a confrontation with thedataofexperience.
~Maurice Allais~
2020
Roaming inthoughtover theUniverse,I saw the little that isGoodsteadily hastening towardsimmortality,
And the vast that isevilI saw hastening to merge itself and becomelostanddead.
~Walt Whitman~
in
~Leaves of Grass~
2021
Weave lasting sure, weavedayandnightthe weft, the warp, incessant weave, tire not,
(Weknownot what the use Olife,nor know the aim, theend,nor really aught we know,
But know thework,theneedgoes on and shall go on, the death-envelop'd march ofpeaceas well aswargoes on,)
Forgreatcampaigns of peace the same the wiry threads to weave,
We know not why or what, yet weave,foreverweave.
~Walt Whitman~
in
~Leaves of Grass~
2022
Everyhumanbeingis achildofGodand has moregoodin him thanevil— butcircumstancesand associates can step up the bad and reduce the good. I've got greatfaithin theessentialfairnessanddecency— you may say goodness — of the human being.
~Norman Vincent Peale~


2023
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[edit]

I never look a gift horse in the mouth, but I am not averse to looking an organisation in the motive. ~Fred Allen,an American comedian (born31 May,1956)

—Thisunsignedcomment is byWaluigi Twin(talk•contribs).
  • 2Kalki17:44, 30 May 2007 (UTC) I must confess that there is not likely to be anyone I would favor more than Whitman on his birthday than there is anyone I would favor more thanWilliam Shakespeareon his.
  • 3InvisibleSun19:40, 30 May 2007 (UTC)
  • 1Zarbon05:47, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized. ~Fred Allen

The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised. ~Norman Vincent Peale,The Power Of Positive Thinking(dob)

Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there is something special in them. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only the best, be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. ~Norman Vincent Peale

Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger. ~Norman Vincent Peale

Deep within the individual is a vast reservoir of untapped power awaiting to be used. no person can have the use of all this potential until he learns to know his or her own self. the trouble with many people is that they got through life thinking and writing themselves off as ordinary commonplace persons. having no proper belief in themselves they live aimless and erratic lives largely because they never realize what their lives really can be or what they can become. ~Norman Vincent Peale

Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are. ~Norman Vincent Peale

Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all. ~Norman Vincent Peale

By success, of course, I do not mean that you may become rich, famous, or powerful for that does not, of necessity, represent achievement. Indeed, not infrequently, such individuals represent pathetic failure as persons. By success I mean the development of mature and constructive personality.
Through the application of the principle of constructive thinking you can attain your worthy goals. The natural outcome of living by creative principles is creative results. Believe and create is a basic fact of successful living.
~Norman Vincent Peale~
If you put off everything till you're sure of it, you'll get nothing done.
~Norman Vincent Peale~
Optimism is a philosophy based on the belief that basically life is good, that, in the long run, the good in life overbalances the evil.
~Norman Vincent Peale~
God is vitality. God is life. God is energy. As you breathe God in, as you visualize His energy, you will be reenergized!
~Norman Vincent Peale~
When obstacles or difficulties arise, the positive thinker takes them as creative opportunities. He welcomes the challenge of a tough problem and looks for ways to turn it to advantage.
~Norman Vincent Peale~
Just a moment ago nature put on one of its most spectacular demonstrations. The widest rainbow I have ever seen stretched from the lake over a high snow-clad mountain to touch down in a deep valley in the Alps. There was about this gigantic rainbow a deep benediction of peace and hope. But as ineffable as nature is in the effect of natural beauty on the mind, it cannot match the peace of God in its healing effect on the human mind.
~Norman Vincent Peale~
Change your thoughts and you can change the world.
~Norman Vincent Peale~

He has the pass-key of hearts, to him the response of the prying of hands on the knobs.

His welcome is universal, the flow of beauty is not more welcome or universal than he is,
The person he favors by day or sleeps with at night is blessed.

Every existence has its idiom, every thing has an idiom and tongue,
He resolves all tongues into his own and bestows it upon men, and any man translates, and any man translates himself also,
One part does not counteract another part, he is the joiner, he sees how they join.

He says indifferently and alike How are you friend? to the President at his levee,
And he says Good-day my brother, to Cudge that hoes in the sugar-field,
And both understand him and know that his speech is right.

~Walt Whitman~
in
~Song of the Answerer~
He walks with perfect ease in the capitol,
He walks among the Congress, and one Representative says to another,
Here is our equal appearing and new.

Then the mechanics take him for a mechanic,
And the soldiers suppose him to be a soldier, and the sailors that he has follow'd the sea,
And the authors take him for an author, and the artists for an artist,
And the laborers perceive he could labor with them and love them,
No matter what the work is, that he is the one to follow it or has follow'd it,
No matter what the nation, that he might find his brothers and sisters there.

The English believe he comes of their English stock,
A Jew to the Jew he seems, a Russ to the Russ, usual and near, removed from none.

Whoever he looks at in the traveler's coffee-house claims him,
The Italian or Frenchman is sure, the German is sure, the Spaniard is sure, and the island Cuban is sure,
The engineer, the deck-hand on the great lakes, or on the Mississippi or St. Lawrence or Sacramento, or Hudson or Paumanok sound, claims him.

The gentleman of perfect blood acknowledges his perfect blood,
The insulter, the prostitute, the angry person, the beggar, see themselves in the ways of him, he strangely transmutes them,
They are not vile any more, they hardly know themselves they are so grown.

~Walt Whitman~
in
~Song of the Answerer~
Now we get down to two magic words that tell us how to accomplish just about anything we want to accomplish, two powerful words that can change any situation, two dynamic words that all too few people use. And what are these two amazing words? Do it!
~Norman Vincent Peale~
We consider bibles and religions divine — I do not say they are not divine,
I say they have all grown out of you, and may grow out of you still,
It is not they who give the life, it is you who give the life,
Leaves are not more shed from the trees, or trees from the earth,
than they are shed out of you.
~Walt Whitman~
The sum of all known reverence I add up in you whoever you are,
The President is there in the White House for you, it is not you who are here for him,
The Secretaries act in their bureaus for you, not you here for them,
The Congress convenes every Twelfth-month for you,
Laws, courts, the forming of States, the charters of cities, the going and coming of commerce and malls, are all for you.
~Walt Whitman~
  • 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


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