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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

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.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Blind Body Eyes Hands Inspirational Mindset Motivational Power See World
Teach us all to do right, Lord, please, and to get along together with that atom bomb on this earth because I do not want it to fall on me-nor Thee-nor anybody living. Amen!
LANGSTON HUGHES

Earth God Live Right Teaching Togetherness
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
The depression brought everybody down a peg or two. And the Negroes had but few pegs to fall.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Alcohol Depression Fall
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
Books -where if people suffered, they suffered in beautiful language, not in monosyllables.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Beautiful Book Language People Suffering
Life is a system of half-truths and lies, Opportunistic, convenient evasion.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Life Lying Opportunity System Truth
There is no color line in art.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Art Color Line One Liner
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
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
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
I swear to the Lord, I still can’t see, why Democracy means, everybody but me.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Democracy God Government Myself See
Gather quickly Out of darkness All the songs you know And throw them at the sun Before they melt Like snow.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Darkness Quick Snow Song Sun
The first of the month falls every month, too, North or South. And them white folks who sends bills never forgets to send them-the phone bill, the furniture bill, the water bill, the gas bill, insurance, house rent.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Fall Forget Home Insurance Phone
Keep your hand on the plow. Hold on.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Hands Hold On 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

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.

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Popular Authors

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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Langston Hughes Quotes