Dismiss whatever insults your own soul.

Hailed as the “father of free verse,” poet and essayist Walt Whitman bridged the gap between the transcendentalist and realist movements to become one of the most innovative and influential voices of 19th-century American literature. In his writing, Whitman explores the relationship between the physical and spiritual worlds, examines the symbiotic kinship of nature and humankind, and boldly celebrates the body and soul in sensual, often controversial language. In the preface to his seminal work “Leaves of Grass,” Whitman calls on readers to “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…” With this quote, Whitman reminds us to analyze everything we’ve been taught through a critical lens and to cast off anything that doesn’t feel authentic and honorable to our existence.