Check out the best Langston Hughes quotes that capture hope, struggle, resilience, identity, and the enduring power of dreams.
Langston Hughes was a poet, novelist, playwright, and social activist, celebrated for his powerful voice, rhythmic language, and insightful portrayals of black life in America.
Born in 1901, James Mercer Langston Hughes was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement that reshaped African American art, music, and literature in the early 20th century.
His most famous works include The Weary Blues, Montage of a Dream Deferred, Not Without Laughter, and the iconic poem Harlem (A Dream Deferred).
Hughes work explored themes of racial identity, equality, freedom, resilience, and hope, often drawing inspiration from jazz, blues, and the everyday experiences of ordinary people.
His short stories, plays, and essays reflected the everyday joys, pain, and dreams of Black life with honesty, pride, and emotional depth.
More than a poet, Langston Hughes was a cultural voice for justice, dignity, and hope. His words continue to inspire readers across generations, reminding us that dreams matter, voices matter, and the human spirit endures.
Here are the most famous Langston Hughes quotes that capture his powerful message about dreams, freedom, and humanity.
Top 10 Langston Hughes Quotes
- “A dream deferred is a dream denied.” — Langston Hughes
- “Reach Up Your Hand… and take a star.” — Langston Hughes
- “When a man starts out to build a world, He starts first with himself.” — Langston Hughes
- “Humor is laughing at what you haven’t got when you ought to have it.” — Langston Hughes
- “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” — Langston Hughes
- “Life is for the living. Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note unsaid.” — Langston Hughes
- “Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you.” — 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.” — Langston Hughes
- “Perhaps the mission of an artist is to interpret beauty to people – the beauty within themselves.” — 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.” — Langston Hughes
Best Langston Hughes Quotes From His Poems
- “Money and art are far apart.” — Langston Hughes
- “Come, Let us roam the night together Singing. I love you.” — Langston Hughes
- “When peoples care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul.” — Langston Hughes
- “Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.” — Langston Hughes
- “My writing has been largely concerned with the depicting of Negro life in America.” — Langston Hughes
- “Writing is like travelling. It’s wonderful to go somewhere, but you get tired of staying.” — Langston Hughes
- “Negroes – Sweet and docile, Meek, humble, and kind: Beware the day – They change their mind.” — Langston Hughes
- “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? Or does it explode?” — Langston Hughes
- “Gather quickly Out of darkness All the songs you know And throw them at the sun Before they melt Like snow.” — 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.” — Langston Hughes
- “I look at my own body With eyes no longer blind- And I see that my own hands can make The world that’s in my mind.” — Langston Hughes
- “We Negro writers, just by being black, have been on the blacklist all our lives. Censorship for us begins at the color line.” — Langston Hughes
- “A world I dream where black or white, Whatever race you be, Will share the bounties of the Earth And every man is free.” — Langston Hughes
- “O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe.” — Langston Hughes
- “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
Famous Quotes From Langston Hughes
- “I will not take ‘but’ for an answer.” — Langston Hughes
- “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” — Langston Hughes
- “Violent anger makes me physically ill.” — Langston Hughes
- “My soul has grown deep like the rivers.” — Langston Hughes
- “I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.” — Langston Hughes
- “I must never write when I do not want to write.” — Langston Hughes
- “Let America be America, where equality is in the air we breathe.” — Langston Hughes
- “I swear to the Lord, I still can’t see, why Democracy means, everybody but me.” — Langston Hughes
- “The past has been a mint Of blood and sorrow. That must not be True of tomorrow.” — Langston Hughes
- “I’m so tired of waiting, aren’t you, for the world to become good and beautiful and kind?” — 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.” — Langston Hughes
- “One of the great needs of Negro children is to have books about themselves and their lives that can help them be proud.” — Langston Hughes
- “In all my life, I have never been free. I have never been able to do anything with freedom, except in the field of my writing.” — Langston Hughes
- “Beauty for some provides escape, who gain a happiness in eyeing the gorgeous buttocks of the ape or Autumn sunsets exquisitely dying.” — 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.” — Langston Hughes
Conclusion
What are your favorite Langston Hughes quotes and Langston Hughes sayings listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed, then let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.
Feel free to share with friends and family on Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, X, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more to inspire and motivate them.