Quote by: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Nationality is a good thing to a certain extent, but universality is better. All that is best in the great poets of all countries is not what is national in them, but what is universal. Their roots are in their native soil; but their branches wave in the unpatriotic air, that speaks the same language unto all men, and their leaves shine with the illimitable light that pervades all lands. Let us throw all the windows open; let us admit the light and air on all sides; that we may look towards the four corners of the heavens, and not always in the same direction.


Author Bio


  • NameHenry Wadsworth Longfellow
  • DescriptionAmerican poet
  • AliasesHenry W. Longfellow; H. W. Longfellow
  • BornFebruary 27, 1807
  • DiedMarch 24, 1882
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionWriter; Poet; Novelist; Professor
  • AwardsOrder Of Merit For Arts And Science