I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.
I went down to the river, I set down on the bank. I tried to think but couldn't, So I jumped in and sank.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the struggle of trying to find clarity and peace of mind amidst confusion, ultimately leading to a decision to embrace the chaos.
Langston Hughes' quote expresses the frustration of being overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions, resulting in a moment where the speaker chooses to abandon rational thinking in favor of a more instinctive reaction. The act of jumping into the river symbolizes a surrender to the flow of life, suggesting that sometimes, it may be more beneficial to immerse oneself in experiences rather than getting lost in contemplation.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire someone going through a tough decision to take action instead of overthinking.
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
At some point along the way, I stopped being a writer, and I became a black writer. I never used to be a black writer. I used to write 'Spider-Man,' 'Green Lantern,' whatever was lying around. 'Thor,' 'Hulk,' whatever. Now, if the phone rings or when the phone rings, it's almost exclusively some project that has something to do with my ethnicity.
God knows what you've been doing, everything you've been doing. You may fool me, but you can't fool God!
I am not a religious man. I have not attended a service for many years. But I do believe in God. My own practice of religion, you could say, it a nonpractice. I personally feel that it's just as worthy on a weekend to rake the lawns of an elderly neighbor or to climb a mountain and marvel at the beauty of this land we live in as it is to sing hosannas or go to Mass. In other words, I think every many finds his own church- and not all of them have four walls - Judge Haig (Page 399)
To me, God is Truth and Love; God is ethics and morality: God is fearlessness. God is the source of Light and Life and yet He is above and beyond all these. God is conscience... He is a personal God to those who need His personal presence. He is embodied to those who need His touch. He is the purest essence. He simply is to those who have faith. He is all things to all men.
Principles and rules are intended to provide a thinking man with a frame of reference.
Anything that just costs money is cheap.