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Negro blood is sure powerful, because just one drop of black blood makes a colored man. One drop–you are a Negro! . . . Black is powerful.

Langston Hughes

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed – Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Dreams Greatness Kind Man Oneself Strong
But there are certain very practical things American Negro writers can do. And must do. There’s a song that says, “the time ain’t long.” That song is right. Something has got to change in America-and change soon. We must help that change to come.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Change Difference Help Practical Time Transformation Writing
When poems stop talking about the moon and begin to mention poverty, trade unions, color, color lines and colonies, somebody tells the police.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Beginning Color Moon Poem Police Stop Talk
The rhythm of life is a jazz rhythm
LANGSTON HUGHES

Life Music One Liner Rhythm
Yet the ivory gods, And the ebony gods, And the gods of diamond-jade, Are only silly puppet gods That people themselves Have made.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Build Fake God Imagination People
When peoples care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Care Cry People Soul Yourself
Go home and write / a page tonight. / And let that page come out of you – / Then, it will be true.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Home Page Poet True Writing Yourself
I’m so tired of waiting, aren’t you, for the world to become good and beautiful and kind?
LANGSTON HUGHES

Beautiful Goodness Kind Myself Wait World
Everything there is but lovin’ leaves a rust on your old soul.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Leaving Love Old Soul Yourself
Politics in any country in the world is dangerous. For the poet, politics in any country had better be disguised as poetry. Politics can be the graveyard of the poet. And only poetry can be his resurrection.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Country Dangerous Grave Himself Poet Poetry Politics World
I don’t dare start thinking in the morning. I don’t dare start thinking in the morning. If I thought thoughts in bed, Them thoughts would bust my head– So I don’t dare start thinking in the morning.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Dare Morning Myself Start Thinking
If you want to honor me, give some young boy or girl who’s coming along trying to create arts and write and compose and sing and act and paint and dance and make something out of the beauties of the Negro race-give that child some help.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Beautiful Children Help Honor Man Race Respect Woman Writing Young
Love is a naked shadow, On a gnarled and naked tree.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Love Naked Shadow Tree Yourself
Let America be America, where equality is in the air we breathe.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Breathe Country Equality
An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Afraid Artist Choice Fear Freedom
When you turn the corner And you run into yourself Then you know that you have turned All the corners that are left.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Corner Run Yourself

Negro blood is sure powerful, because just one drop of black blood makes a colored man. One drop–you are a Negro! . . . Black is powerful.

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Negro blood is sure powerful, because just one drop of black blood makes a colored man. One drop–you are a Negro! . . . Black is powerful.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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