Quotation Saturday

2 Sam. 22: 2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

Today is one of my favorite poets birthdays, Walt Whitman. Introduced at a very young age to his writing of poetry, I fell in love with expression via the written word.

“The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.”
– Walt Whitman - Introduction to Leaves of Grass

“I am satisfied ... I see, dance, laugh, sing.”
– Walt Whitman - Leaves of Grass

“And as to me, I know nothing else but miracles.”
– Leaves of Grass

''The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it.''
–Leaves of Grass 

Did you ever feel like some people were immortal and they would just always be around like Elvis Presley or Mother Teresa, then they die and you see they’re human after all? To me, Maya Angelou was one of those immoral figures in my mind. Rest in peace sweet soul. Your words ARE immortal, they will live eternally.

“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.”
~ Maya Angelou, Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer

“Soft you day, be velvet soft,
My true love approaches,
Look you bright, you dusty sun,
Array your golden coaches.
Soft you wind, be soft as silk
My true love is speaking.
Hold you birds, your silver throats,
His golden voice I'm seeking.
Come you death, in haste, do come
My shroud of black be weaving,
Quiet my heart, be deathly quiet,
My true love is leaving.”
~ Maya Angelou, The Complete Collected Poems

You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.”
~ Maya Angelou

"I believe that each of us comes from the creator trailing wisps of glory."
~ Interview with the Academy of Achievement (1990)

"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."
~ Excerpted from Letter to My Daughter, a book of essays (2009)

“Maya Angelou entered our lives at Virago in 1984, when we first published I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. "Entered our lives" is too tame. She danced, sang, and laughed her way straight into our hearts. She brought us a best-seller, but more than that, she brought us a reminder that the human need for dignity and recognition is a gift easily given to one another, but also frighteningly easy to withhold.”
  ~ Lennie Goodings

~ INFLUENTIAL ~

“You don't have to be a person of influence to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they've taught me.”
~ Scott Adams

In my life I was always being influenced by something whether good or bad, it shaped who I am today. The two people above, Maya and Walt, had a marked influence on me. I write and love the written word.

~ Joni