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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

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

Myself Road Walk
Never look for a worm in the apple of your eye.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Eyes Love Mistake Relationship Search Yourself
Cheap little rhymes A cheap little tune Are sometimes as dangerous As a sliver of the moon.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Cheap Dangerous Moon Silver
The rhythm of life is a jazz rhythm
LANGSTON HUGHES

Life Music One Liner Rhythm
I wish the rent Was heaven sent.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Heaven Myself
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
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
I stay cool, and dig all jive, That’s the way I stay alive. My motto, as I live and learn, is Dig and be dug In return.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Alive Learning Myself Return Stay
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
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
I swear to the Lord, I still can’t see, why Democracy means, everybody but me.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Democracy God Government Myself See
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Love is a naked shadow, On a gnarled and naked tree.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Love Naked Shadow Tree Yourself
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
Both of them were very good and kind – the one who went to church and the one who didn’t. And no doubt from them I learned to like both Christians and sinners equally well.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Doubt Equality Goodness Kindness Learning Myself Sin
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 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

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