If the United States haven't grown poets, on any scale of grandeur, it is certain that they import, print, and read more poetry than any equal number… - Walt Whitman

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If the United States haven't grown poets, on any scale of grandeur, it is certain that they import, print, and read more poetry than any equal number of people elsewhere — probably more than the rest of the world combined. Poetry (like a grand personality) is a growth of many generations — many rare combinations. To have great poets, there must be great audiences too.