Named source · 1860

Walt Whitman's Caution Quotes by Walt Whitman: Context & Meanings

1 quotation linked to Walt Whitman's Caution by or associated with Walt Whitman, with source notes, explanations and related topics.

About this source

Short poem in the 1860 Leaves of Grass, later retitled “To the States”

Freedom, civic resistance, obedience, independence and Whitman’s democratic political voice.

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Represented passages

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“Resist much, obey little.”

Meaning & context

The compact command favors independent judgment over reflexive obedience, especially when authority conflicts with conscience or freedom.

Source details

Leaves of Grass (1860), poem “Walt Whitman’s Caution,” represented on Wikisource from the 1860 edition.