Skip to main content

25 Langston Hughes Quotes on Life, Dreams and Never-Ending Hope

Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967), was an African American writer, playwright and social activist, best known as a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance. His work also had an influence on the world of jazz as he was an innovator of the jazz poetry art form.

However, becoming a
famous author wasn’t an easy job for Hughes. Although he regularly contributed
to his school's literary
magazine and other poetry magazines, his work would ultimately be rejected.

He didn’t get
discouraged by that and kept on writing while working various odd jobs to help
ends meet. In 1921, he finally managed to publish his first poem, and in 1926
his first book.

While most
American poets of that period used to write obscure and esoteric poetry, Hughes
adopted a more familiar language that helped increase his audience of readers.

Hughes’ work
continues to be published and translated all around the world. In 1981, his
Harlem home received a New York
City Landmark status and was later added to the National Register of Places.

Here are 25 Langston
Hughes quotes on life, dreams and never-ending hope:

Humor is your own unconscious therapy. Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air, and you.

Hold fast to dreams,/ For if dreams die/ Life is a broken-winged bird,/ That cannot fly.

A dream deferred is a dream denied.

Perhaps the mission of an artist is to interpret beauty to people -- the beauty within themselves.

I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.

Life is for the living. Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note unsaid.

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

When a man starts out to build a world, He starts first with himself.

The past has been a mint of blood and sorrow. That must not be true of tomorrow.

Sometimes when I’m lonely,/ Don’t know why,/ Keep thinkin’ I won’t be lonely/ By and by.

I tire so of hearing people say ‘Let things take their course. Tomorrow is another day’. I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.

Humor is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to have it.

Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.

Folks, I'm telling you,/ birthing is hard/ and dying is mean--/ so get yourself a little loving in between.

The only way to get a thing done is to start to do it, then keep on doing it, and finally you'll finish it.

I'm so tired of waiting, aren't you, for the world to become good and beautiful and kind?

A world I dream where black or white,/ Whatever race you be,/ Will share the bounties of the Earth/ And every man is free.

Road's in front o' me, Nothin' to do but walk.

I look at my own body/ With eyes no longer blind-/ And I see that my own hands can make/ The world that's in my mind.

O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath. But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe.

Because my mouth is wide with laughter and my throat is deep with song, you do not think I suffer after I have held my pain so long? Because my mouth is wide with laughter, you do not hear my inner cry? Because my feet are gay with dancing you do not know I die?

I dream a world... where wretchedness will hang its head and joy, like a pearl, attends the needs of all mankind. Of such I dream, my world!

Liberty! Freedom! Democracy! True anyhow, no matter how many liars use those words.

I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me bang in the face.

When peoples care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul.

The post 25 Langston Hughes Quotes on Life, Dreams and Never-Ending Hope appeared first on Goalcast.



from Quotes – Goalcast https://ift.tt/2HEruen
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

25 Great Immanuel Kant Quotes on Pure Reason and Morality

Immanuel Kant (22 April, 1724 – 12 February, 1804) was a great German philosopher of the Enlightenment Era. His most popular work is the Critique of Pure Reason . Before becoming a full professor at the University of Konigsberg he worked as a tutor while exploring the middle ground between rationalism and empiricism . Kant argues that humans only believe in the things that are sure to exist; things we’ve seen or touched. In reality, there are many other things out there that remain unknown to us yet, but that doesn’t make them less real. Kant focused on ethics and morals and the way they affect our reasoning . He proposed a moral law called the “categorical imperative” -- an unconditional obligation often known as the principle of universalizability. According to it, one cannot make exceptions for oneself if one claims to be moral. Once we accept a wrongdoing by blaming circumstances, we make it a universally acceptable act. We aren't all philosophers, but we can...
Post a Comment
Read more

20 Remember The Titans Quotes That Reveal The Power Of Unity

Remember the Titans is widely recognized as one of the best biographical sports films of all time. The movie is based on the true story of African-American coach Herman Boone (portrayed by Denzel Washington ), who led the T. C. Williams High School football team to a state championship in 1971. The events of the movie take place in a time where racial tensions were still high. In an attempt to reduce racial segregation, the city consolidated all high school students into one public senior high school -- T.C. Williams. In addition, Herman Boone was hired to lead the school's football team At first, both white and black players refused to even speak to each other. Coach Boone decides to take action and after a long struggle, the boys begin to understand the real meaning of 'team'. The ongoing training under the strict guidance of Coach Boone made the players gradually ignore racial prejudice, and ultimately bring their community together. The following ...
Post a Comment
Read more

21 Patricia Highsmith Quotes to Awaken Your Mind

Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 - February 4, 1995), was an American writer, best known for her intriguing psychological thrillers that are a real treat for those who love the genre. However, not all Highsmith’s writings are about sociopaths and murderers. In fact, some of her works are so different, it’s hard to believe that they were written by the same person Sadly, Highsmith lived an unhappy childhood – she didn’t meet her real father until she was 12 years old and her eccentric mother would constantly bug her. By the age of eight she was reading mental illness studies that fascinated her at the time and would later become useful for her writing. She didn’t want her work to be too similar to that of other mystery authors so she preferred to get her inspiration from reading about crimes in the press. Besides, her imagination was vivid enough and did not shy away from the dark places of the human psyche – and this was just about enough to create some of her fi...
Post a Comment
Read more