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Langston Hughes Quotes

79 Inspiring Quotes By Langston Hughes To Live By

Famous As: One of the Earliest Innovators of the Literary Art Form Called Jazz Poetry

Born On: 1901

Died On: 1967

Born In: Joplin, Missouri, United States

Died At Age: 66

James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American social activist, playwright, novelist, poet and essayist. He was associated with the Harlem Renaissance movement that swept across New York City during the 1920s. Hughes was also one of the pioneers of a form of poetry that came to be known as jazz poetry and is regarded as one of its earliest exponents. He had been a poet right from his childhood and his first work titled ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers’ was published in the influential ‘The Crisis magazine’. That poem became one of his most famous works and was published in several other magazines over the years. Hughes produced a vast amount of work throughout his career including poetry collections like ‘The Weary Blues’, ‘Let America be America Again’, short story collections like ‘The Way of White Folks’ and novels like ‘Not Without Laughter’ among many other works. He was truly an icon of the African-American population of New York City at the time, who provided a whole new perspective to social activism through his literary works. We bring to you a treasure trove of quotes that have been excerpted from his novels, books, poems and writings. Read on to explore a compilation of some of the best known quotes by Langston Hughes, covering various aspects of life. The quotes would surely leave a lasting impression on your mind and keep you inspired.

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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.
Dreams
Langston Hughes

Life is for the living.
Death is for the dead.
Let life be like music.
And death a note unsaid.

Life is for the living. Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note unsaid.
Life Death Like Music
Langston Hughes

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
You
Langston Hughes

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.

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.
Think I
Langston Hughes

Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.

I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.

Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.
Life Like I
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.

I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.
You Life I
Langston Hughes

Looks like what drives me crazy
Don't have no effect on you--
But I'm gonna keep on at it
Till it drives you crazy, too.

Looks like what drives me crazy Don't have no effect on you-- But I'm gonna keep on at it Till it drives you crazy, too.
You Me Like
Langston Hughes

I loved my friend
He went away from me
There's nothing more to say
The poem ends,
Soft as it began-
I loved my friend.

I loved my friend He went away from me There's nothing more to say The poem ends, Soft as it began- I loved my friend.
I
Langston Hughes

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.

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.
I
Langston Hughes

Folks, I'm telling you,
birthing is hard
and dying is mean-
so get yourself
a little loving
in between.

Folks, I'm telling you, birthing is hard and dying is mean- so get yourself a little loving in between.
Yourself
Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
for if dreams die
life is a broken-winged bird
that can not fly.

Hold fast to dreams
for when dreams go
life is a barren field
frozen with snow.

Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird that can not fly. Hold fast to dreams for when dreams go life is a barren field frozen with snow.
Dreams
Langston Hughes

Oh, God of Dust and Rainbows,
Help us to see
That without the dust the rainbow
Would not be.

Oh, God of Dust and Rainbows, Help us to see That without the dust the rainbow Would not be.
God
Langston Hughes

Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry--
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.

Though you may hear me holler, And you may see me cry-- I'll be dogged, sweet baby, If you gonna see me die.
You Me
Langston Hughes

So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love--
But for livin' I was born.

So since I'm still here livin', I guess I will live on. I could've died for love-- But for livin' I was born.
Will I
Langston Hughes

Humor is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to have it.

Humor is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to have it.
You
Langston Hughes

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.

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.
Like Soul
Langston Hughes

To some people
Love is given,
To others
Only Heaven.

To some people Love is given, To others Only Heaven.
Langston Hughes

I swear to the Lord,I still can't see,Why Democracy means,Everybody but me.

I swear to the Lord,I still can't see,Why Democracy means,Everybody but me.
Me I
Langston Hughes

Gather out of star-dust,
Earth-dust,
Cloud-dust,
Storm-dust,
And splinters of hail,
One handful of dream-dust,
Not for sale.

Gather out of star-dust, Earth-dust, Cloud-dust, Storm-dust, And splinters of hail, One handful of dream-dust, Not for sale.
Langston Hughes

I asked you, baby,
If you understood-
You told me that you didn't,
But you thought you would.

I asked you, baby, If you understood- You told me that you didn't, But you thought you would.
You Me I
Langston Hughes

Out of love,
No regrets--
Though the goodness
Be wasted forever.

Out of love,
No regrets--
Though the return
Be never.

Out of love, No regrets-- Though the goodness Be wasted forever. Out of love, No regrets-- Though the return Be never.
Never
Langston Hughes

...the only way to get a thing done is to start to do it, then keep on doing it, and finally you'll finish it,....

...the only way to get a thing done is to start to do it, then keep on doing it, and finally you'll finish it,....
Langston Hughes

Yet the ivory gods, And the ebony gods, And the gods of diamond-jade, Are only silly puppet gods That people themselves Have made.-

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

An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose

An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose
Never
Langston Hughes

Good morning, Revolution: You're the very best friend I ever had. We gonna pal around together from now on

Good morning, Revolution: You're the very best friend I ever had. We gonna pal around together from now on
Together I
Langston Hughes

The calm, Cool face of the river, Asked me for a kiss

The calm, Cool face of the river, Asked me for a kiss
Me
Langston Hughes

Believing everything she read
In the daily news,
(No in-between to choose)
She thought that only
One side won,
Not that BOTH
Might lose.

Believing everything she read In the daily news, (No in-between to choose) She thought that only One side won, Not that BOTH Might lose.
Langston Hughes

Cheap little rhymes
A cheap little tune
Are sometimes as dangerous
As a sliver of the moon.

Cheap little rhymes A cheap little tune Are sometimes as dangerous As a sliver of the moon.
Langston Hughes

When peoples care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul.

When peoples care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul.
You Soul
Langston Hughes

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.

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.
Need I
Langston Hughes