black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

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

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
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Hard Time Life Myself Struggle
One of the great difficulties about being a member of a minority race is that so many kindhearted, well-meaning bores gather around to help.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Difficult Greatness Help Minority Race
A dog gets lonesome just like a human. He wants to associate with other dogs, but when they take him out, the poor dog is on a leash and cannot run around.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Dog Human Prison Run
Everything there is but lovin’ leaves a rust on your old soul.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Leaving Love Old Soul 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
Let America be America, where equality is in the air we breathe.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Breathe Country Equality
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
I am the American heartbreak- The rock on which Freedom Stumped its toe.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Freedom Heart Broken Myself
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
Money and art are far apart.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Art Money One Liner
Folks, I’m telling you, birthing is hard and dying is mean- so get yourself a little loving in between.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Born Death Hard Love Yourself
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
There is no color line in art.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Art Color Line One Liner
Beauty for some provides escape, who gain a happiness in eyeing the gorgeous buttocks of the ape or Autumn sunsets exquisitely dying.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Beautiful Death Escape Happiness
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
It has seemed to me that most people are generally good, in every race and in every country where I have been.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Country Goodness Myself People Race
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
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
The past has been a mint Of blood and sorrow. That must not be True of tomorrow.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Blood Past Sorrow Tomorrow True
I do not want no pretty woman. First thing you know, you fall in love with her-then you got to kill somebody about her. She’ll make you so jealous, you’ll bust!
LANGSTON HUGHES

Fall In Love Herself Jealous Woman Yourself
When a man starts out to build a world, He starts first with himself
LANGSTON HUGHES

Build Himself Inspirational Man Start World
Politics can be the graveyard of the poet. And only poetry can be his resurrection.
LANGSTON HUGHES

Grave Himself Poet Poetry Politics
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
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
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 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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Langston Hughes Quotes