QuoteProject
My words itch at your ears till you understand them
Walt Whitman
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the importance of understanding the deeper meanings behind words.

Walt Whitman suggests that his words are not just for superficial listening; they are meant to provoke thought and deeper understanding. The imagery of words 'itching' at one's ears conveys a sense of urgency and insistence on the need for comprehension, as if the listener's awareness and insight are essential for truly grasping what is being communicated.

Themes

WordsUnderstandCommunicationWisdomInsight

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be cited during a lecture about the power of language in literature.

More from Walt Whitman

All music is is what awakes from you when you are reminded by the instruments.
Walt WhitmanRead
Did you, too, O friend, suppose democracy was only for elections, for politics, and for a party name? I say democracy is only of use there that it may pass on and come to its flower and fruit in manners, in the highest forms of interaction between people, and their beliefs - in religion, literature, colleges and schools- democracy in all public and private life.
Walt WhitmanRead
In the confusion we stay with each other, happy to be together, speaking without uttering a single word.
Walt WhitmanRead
A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books.
Walt WhitmanRead
Now, dearest comrade, lift me to your face,_x000D_ _x000D_ We must separate awhileHere! take from my lips this kiss._x000D_ _x000D_ Whoever you are, I give it especially to you;_x000D_ _x000D_ So long!And I hope we shall meet again.
Walt WhitmanRead
And whoever walks a furlong without sympathy walks to his own funeral drest in his shroud.
Walt WhitmanRead

Similar quotes

Of all wild beasts preserve me from a tyrant; and of all tame a flatterer.
Ben JonsonRead
You take a weakness and start making it stronger.. You don't have to build your strengths - that you already possess... It is your weakness that needs the exercise
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
Cleverness is a burden after that. You are supposed to settle down and be a good person, raise your children, and be good to your friends, which you may not have been back when you were clever.
Garrison KeillorRead
Every great man is always being helped by everybody, for his gift is to get good out of all things and all persons.
John RuskinRead
This wealth of experiences, personal and professional, have helped me appreciate the variety of perspectives that present themselves in every case that I hear.
Sonia SotomayorRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.