I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.
America never was America to me And yet I swear this oath - America will be!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a disconnection from the ideal of America as it currently stands, while also stemming a hopeful determination for a better future.
In this poignant statement, Langston Hughes articulates his feelings of alienation from the American dream, reflecting on the disparities between the ideals of the nation and the lived experiences of marginalized individuals. Despite feeling that America has never truly represented him, he remains committed to a vision of a future where America lives up to its promises of equality and justice for all, embodying a blend of disillusionment and hope.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during discussions about social justice movements.
More from Langston Hughes
All quotes βMy writing has been largely concerned with the depicting of Negro life in America.
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.
An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose.
The calm, Cool face of the river, Asked me for a kiss
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.
Similar quotes
Everything we do is for the purpose of altering consciousness. We form friendships so that we can feel certain emotions, like love, and avoid others, like loneliness. We eat specific foods to enjoy their fleeting presence on our tongues. We read for the pleasure of thinking another person's thoughts.
Because I'm a woman writing about women who do bad things, that's somehow very 'other.' When men write that, it's called a novel. It's just a book.
I swear the earth shall surely be complete to him or her who shall be complete,_x000D_ _x000D_ The earth remains jagged and broken only to him or her who remains jagged and broken.
Extremes in nature equal ends produce; In man they join to some mysterious use.
Knowledge comes through likeness. And so because the soul may know everything, it is never at rest until it comes to the original idea, in which all things are one. And there it comes to rest in God.
A true worshipper is one whose mind has not been defiled with any false belief.