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Reach Up Your Hand… and take a star.

Langston Hughes

To create a market for your writing you have to be consistent, professional, a continuing writer – not just a one-article or a one-story or a one-book man.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Book Creation Man Professional Story Writing
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
I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes, but I laugh, and eat well, and grow strong.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Company Darkness Eat Growth Laughter Myself Strong
Everything there is but lovin’ leaves a rust on your old soul.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Leaving Love Old Soul Yourself
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
We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they aren?t it doesn?t matter.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Artist Creation Darkness Expression Happiness People Skin White Young
The rhythm of life is a jazz rhythm
LANGSTON HUGHES

Life Music One Liner Rhythm
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or does it explode?
LANGSTON HUGHES

Dreams Explode Sun
Road’s in front o’ me, Nothin’ to do but walk.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Myself Road Walk
Money and art are far apart.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Art Money One Liner
Keep your hand on the plow. Hold on.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Hands Hold On Yourself
Blues had the pulse beat of the people who keep on going.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Hard Time Inspirational Motivational People
The past has been a mint Of blood and sorrow. That must not be True of tomorrow.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Blood Past Sorrow Tomorrow True
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
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
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
Most musicians remain poor. But the music that they make, even if it does not bring them millions, gives millions of people happiness.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Happiness Music People Poor
If the government can set aside some spot for a elk to be a elk without being bothered, or a buffalo to be a buffalo without being shot down, there ought to be some place where a Negro can be a Negro without being Jim Crowed.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Animal Be Yourself Equality Government Oppression Place Safety
That Justice is a blind goddess Is a thing to which we black are wise: Her bandage hides two festering sores That once perhaps were eyes.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Black Eyes Hide Justice
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
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
Life is a big sea full of many fish. I let down my nets and pulled. I’m still pulling.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Big Life Myself
Hang yourself, poet, in your own words. Otherwise, you are dead.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Death Poet Word Yourself
There’s a certain amount of traveling in a dream deferred.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Dreams Lost Travel
Life is an egg you have to be patient and careful with it or it will break.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Break Care Life Patience Perspective
I did not believe political directives could be successfully applied to creative writing . . . not to poetry or fiction, which to be valid had to express as truthfully as possible the individual emotions and reactions of the writer.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Believe Creative Direction Politics Reaction Success Thinking Writing
Well, when Christ comes back this time, I hope He comes back mad His own self. I hope He drives the Jim Crowers out of their high places, every living last one of them from Washington to Texas.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Drive God Hope Myself Place Time

Reach Up Your Hand… and take a star.

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Reach Up Your Hand… and take a star.

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