I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.
Langston HughesRead
Jazz, to me, is one of the inherent expressions of Negro life in America: the eternal tom-tom beating in the Negro soul - the tom-tom of revolt against weariness in a white world, a world of subway trains, and work, work, work; the tom-tom of joy and laughter, and pain swallowed in a smile.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Jazz symbolizes the profound expression of African American life, reflecting both joy and struggle.
In this quote, Langston Hughes captures the essence of jazz music as an authentic expression of African American culture. He describes jazz as the heartbeat of the Negro experience, representing both the struggle against societal challenges and the ability to find joy and beauty in life despite adversity. It conveys the duality of laughter and pain, highlighting the resilience and creativity that emerge from a rich cultural heritage.
Themes
JazzNegro LifeExpressionResilienceCulture
In practice
Example use cases
During a presentation on the impact of jazz on American culture, this quote beautifully illustrates the connection between music and identity.
More from Langston Hughes
All quotes →My writing has been largely concerned with the depicting of Negro life in America.
Langston HughesRead
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 HughesRead
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 HughesRead
The calm, Cool face of the river, Asked me for a kiss
Langston HughesRead
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 HughesRead
Similar quotes
I'm very much of the opinion that theatre is a collective art form, not just one person's vision.
Marianne ElliottRead
Photographs aren't accounts of scrutiny. The shutter is open for a fraction of a second.
David HockneyRead
Rippling, rippling, rippling, like a flapping overlapping of soft flames, soft as feathers, running to points of brilliance, exquisite, exquisite and melting her all molten inside.
D. H. LawrenceRead
I think the most interesting question is, why do you act? I act because I have felt in acting some of the most free moments of my life...I think it's also one thing that scares me the most.
Hugh JackmanRead
Humans like stories. Humans need stories. Stories are good. Stories work. Story clarifies and captures the essence of the human spirit. Story, in all its forms—of life, of love, of knowledge—has traced the upward surge of mankind. And story, you mark my words, will be with the last human to draw breath.
Jasper FfordeRead
The poem is a little myth of man's capacity of making life meaningful.
Robert Penn WarrenRead