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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

For my best poems were all written when I felt the worst. When I was happy, I didn’t write anything.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Best Feeling Happiness Myself Poem Worst Writing
When a man starts out to build a world, He starts first with himself
LANGSTON HUGHES

Build Himself Inspirational Man Start World
Life is for the living. Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note unsaid.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Death Life Live Music Note
Life dosent frighten me at all.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Fear Life Myself One Liner Scare
Words Like Freedom There are words like Freedom Sweet and wonderful to say. On my heartstrings freedom sings All day everyday. There are words like Liberty That almost make me cry. If you had known what I know You would know why.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Freedom Heart Myself Sing Wonderful Word
Never look for a worm in the apple of your eye.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Eyes Love Mistake Relationship Search Yourself
Good morning, Revolution: You’re the very best friend I ever had. We gonna pal around together from now on.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Best Friendship Morning Myself Togetherness
A picture, to be an interesting picture, must be more than a picture, otherwise it is only a reproduction of an object, and not an object of value in itself.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Interest Object Photograph Reproduction Value
I went down to the river, I set down on the bank. I tried to think but couldn’t, So I jumped in and sank.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Jump Myself River Thinking
Out of love, No regrets– Though the goodness Be wasted forever. Out of love, No regrets– Though the return Be never.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Forever Goodness Love Regret Return Wasted
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night And I love the rain.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Love Myself Night Play Rain Song
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.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Course Death Freedom Live Myself People
I am the American heartbreak- The rock on which Freedom Stumped its toe.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Freedom Heart Broken Myself
The rhythm of life is a jazz rhythm
LANGSTON HUGHES

Life Music One Liner Rhythm
Sometimes a crumb falls From the tables of joy, Sometimes a bone Is flung. To some people Love is given, To others Only heaven.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Heaven Love Time
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
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Bird Break Death Deep Dreams Fast Fly Hold Life Wings
A world I dream where black or white, Whatever race you be, Will share the bounties of the Earth And every man is free.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Black Dreams Earth Freedom Man Race White World Yourself
Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Earth Rain Summer Welcome Yourself
We Negro writers, just by being black, have been on the blacklist all our lives. Censorship for us begins at the color line.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Beginning Black Live Oppression Ourselves Poet Writing
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.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Breathe Equality Freedom Land Liberty Life Myself Patriot
Peace We passed their graves: The dead men there, Winners or losers, Did not care. In the dark They could not see Who had gained The victory.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Death Grave Man Peace Victory
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
The depression brought everybody down a peg or two. And the Negroes had but few pegs to fall.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Alcohol Depression Fall
Summer was made to give you a taste of what hell is like. Winter was made for landladies to charge high rents and keep cold radiators and make a fortune off of poor tenants.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Fortune Hell Summer Taste Winter 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
Everybody should take each other as they are, white, black, Indians, Creole. Then there would be no prejudice, nations would get along.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Care Different Each Other Ethnicity Nation Togetherness Unity

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.

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Popular Authors

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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Langston Hughes Quotes