Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman

Leaves of Grass (1867)

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STRONGER LESSONS.

HAVE you learned lessons only of those who admired
you, and were tender with you, and stood aside
for you?

Have you not learned the great lessons of those who
         rejected you, and braced themselves against
         you? or who treated you with contempt, or
         disputed the passage with you?

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