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
Even the 'Negro' shows like 'Amos and Andy' and 'Beulah' are written largely by white writers - the better to preserve the stereotypes, I imagine.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote criticizes the portrayal of African Americans in media, suggesting that it reinforces harmful stereotypes.
Langston Hughes highlights the issue of representation in media, specifically how shows like 'Amos and Andy' and 'Beulah' are created by white writers. This fact suggests that these portrayals are not authentic but rather vehicles for perpetuating stereotypes about Black individuals, indicating a deeper commentary on race and identity in America.
Themes
MediaStereotypesRepresentationRaceIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about diversity in media, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of authentic representation.
More from Langston Hughes
All quotes βMy 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
There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
Douglas AdamsRead
Tis strange,-but true; for truth is always strange; Stranger than fiction: if it could be told, How much would novels gain by the exchange! How differently the world would men behold!
Lord ByronRead
..the United States is subject to the scrutiny of a candid world ... what the United States does, for good or for ill, continues to be watched by the international community, in particular by organizations concerned with the advancement of the rule of law and respect for human dignity.
Ruth Bader GinsburgRead
Let's be honest - tracking down, rounding up, and deporting millions of people isn't realistic. Anyone who suggests otherwise isn't being straight with you. It's also not who we are as Americans.
Barack ObamaRead
We don't need legitimacy. We exist. Therefore we are legitimate.
Menachem BeginRead
It is not larger, cleaner cages that justice demands...but empty cages; not traditional animal agriculture but a complete end to all commerce in the flesh of dead animals; not more humane hunting and trapping, but the total eradication of these barbarous practices.
Tom ReganRead