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
Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain-- All, all the stretch of these great green states-- And make America again!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the need for collective action to restore and improve America, reclaiming it from corruption and decay.
Langston Hughes calls for a unified effort by the people to rejuvenate and reclaim America from its current state of moral and social degradation. He highlights the extensive natural and cultural resources that need to be restored and emphasizes that it is the duty of the populace to ensure the nation's rebirth and renewal.
Themes
RedemptionAmericaPeopleChangeRenewal
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech addressing community activism and the importance of civic engagement.
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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