"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly."
"Life for me ain't been no crystal stair"
Source: Langston Hughes (2001). “The Collected Works of Langston Hughes: The poems, 1921-1940”, p.60, University of Missouri Press
About the author
Langston Hughes
Poet, Novelist
Langston Hughes was a prominent American poet and social activist known for his impactful works that explore themes of race, identity, and resilience.
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"I'm so tired of waiting, aren't you, for the world to become good and beautiful and kind?"
"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."
"A world I dream where black or white, Whatever race you be, Will share the bounties of the Earth And every man is free."
"When a man starts out to build a world, He starts first with himself"
"I, too, sing America. 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. Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then. Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed-- I, too, am America."