Langston Hughes Quotes
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
Life is for the living. Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note unsaid.
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?
I swear to the Lord, I still can’t see, why Democracy means, everybody but me.
I am so tired of waiting, aren’t you, for the world to become good and beautiful and kind?
Democracy will not come today, this year, nor ever, through compromise and fear.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean – hungry yet today despite the dream.
We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame.
Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.
An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose.
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.
When peoples care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul.
There are words like Freedom sweet and wonderful to say. On my heartstrings freedom sings all day everyday.
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?
Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.
Humor is laughing at what you haven’t got when you ought to have it.
I am a Negro: Black as the night is black, Black like the depths of my Africa.
When you turn the corner And you run into yourself Then you know that you have turned All the corners that are left.
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
The only way to get ahead is to keep on working.
I never had hatred for whites, only contempt.
There is a dream in the land With its back against the wall.
Life is for the living. Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note unsaid.
All the sweet things of life are perfectly delightful.
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?
Democracy will not come Today, this year Nor ever Through compromise and fear.
Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.
I have known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
The dream never dies, even when people laugh at it or tell you it’s impossible. Don’t give up on your dreams.
Beauty for some provides escape, who gain a happiness in eyeing the gorgeous buttocks of the ape.
The calm, cool face of the river asked me for a kiss.
Remember me to Harlem. I loved you for the short while I saw you – and now I want you to love me back.
A postponed dream can make the heart sick.
We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves.
To my critcs: I make no apologies, no compromise, no concession, and not a step backward.
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.
Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.
Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you.
Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free.
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?
Walking, I am listening to a deeper way. Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands.
Suspect each moment, for it is a thief, tiptoeing away with more than it brings.
When a man starts out to build a world, He starts first with himself.
People who think of themselves as tough-minded and realistic, among them influential political leaders and businessmen as well as go-ahead educators and scientists, have begun to see a need for serious creativity in dealing with the worlds overwhelming problems.