ONE OF THE CENTRAL WORKS OF AMERICAN POETRY First published in 1855, this poetry collection by American poet, Walt Whitman is a celebration of his philosophy of life and humanity, and spans the human element from the perspective of both the mind and the body. Instead of focusing on religion or spirituality, Leaves of Grass focuses mainly on celebrating the body, exalting nature, praising the senses, and the material world. He was greatly influenced...

The Sayings Of Confucius - Confucius - Confucius was born in the year 550 b.c. in the land of Lu, in a small village, situated in the western part of the modern province of Shantung. His name was K'ung Ch'iu, and his style (corresponding to our Christian name) was Chung-ni. His countrymen speak of him as K'ung Fu-tzu, the Master, or philosopher K'ung. This expression was altered into Confucius by the Jesuit missionaries who first carried his fame...