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
My personal experience has been that in my 25 years of writing, I have not been asked to do more than four or five commercial one-shot scripts. These were performed on major national hook-ups but produced for me no immediate additional jobs or requests. One script for BBC was done around the world with an all-star cast.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Langston Hughes reflects on his experience with commercial writing, expressing that it has not significantly advanced his career.
In this quote, Langston Hughes shares insights from his long career as a writer, noting that despite having worked on prominent commercial scripts, these opportunities did not translate into a continuous stream of employment or requests. This indicates a broader commentary on the nature of creative work, where major successes do not always lead to further advancement, and highlights the often unpredictable landscape of artistic career trajectories.
Themes
WritingExperienceCommercialCareerArtSuccess
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a writer's workshop to discuss the challenges of commercial writing.
More from Langston Hughes
All quotes →My writing has been largely concerned with the depicting of Negro life in America.
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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.
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An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose.
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The calm, Cool face of the river, Asked me for a kiss
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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.
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