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
If principles can become dated, they're not principles.
Life has meaning only if one barters it day by day for something other than itself.
No one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the cross. No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ.
Seems to me that the institutions that function in this country are clearly racist, and that they're built upon racism.
There should be a balance between material and spiritual progress, a balance achieved through the principles based on love and compassion.
'Star Trek' episodes always insisted that humanity is on its bumpy way to what will be a glorious future in the 23rd century, in which we will have left most of our old selfishness - and old hatreds and prejudices - far behind us.