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Why should I want to be white? I am a Negro – and beautiful!

Langston Hughes

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

Discover Life Yourself
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
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
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
I am a Negro: Black as the night is black, Black like the depths of my Africa.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Black Identity Myself Personality
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
Life dosent frighten me at all.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Fear Life Myself One Liner Scare
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
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
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!
LANGSTON HUGHES

Dreams Head Kind Man Myself World
Love is a naked shadow, On a gnarled and naked tree.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Love Naked Shadow Tree Yourself
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
Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Head Kiss Rain Sing Yourself
Cheap little rhymes A cheap little tune Are sometimes as dangerous As a sliver of the moon.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Cheap Dangerous Moon Silver
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
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
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
Gather up In the arms of your love—Those who expect No love from above.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Expectation Love Yourself
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
Money and art are far apart.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Art Money One Liner
Let America be America, where equality is in the air we breathe.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Breathe Country Equality
Why should I want to be white? I am a Negro – and beautiful!
LANGSTON HUGHES

Acceptance Beautiful Black Myself Self Love White
I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Deep Growth Human Old River Soul World
The calm, Cool face of the river, Asked me for a kiss.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Calm Cool Face Kiss Myself River
Hang yourself, poet, in your own words. Otherwise, you are dead.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Death Poet Word Yourself
We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Build Freedom Mountain Ourselves Stand Strong Temple
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

Why should I want to be white? I am a Negro – and beautiful!

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Why should I want to be white? I am a Negro – and beautiful!

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