Langston Hughes was a poet, novelist, playwright, and columnist who became one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance, a movement of the 1920s and ’30s that focused on the intellectual and cultural revival of African American artistry, encompassing everything from literature to dance to fashion. Artistically, Hughes was perhaps best known as an early innovator of jazz poetry, of which he published several collections. This quote comes from one such poem, entitled “Dreams.” As a social activist, Hughes wrote an influential weekly column for “The Chicago Defender,” one of the leading Black newspapers at the time. In 1926, he penned “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” a landmark essay that became something of a manifesto for the Harlem Renaissance. In it, he identified the movement’s goals and dreams, writing, “We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves.”

Writer and lecturer Joseph Campbell is best known for his extensive work in the field of comparative mythology and his focus on how the fabled “hero’s journey” is explored across different cultures. At a 1983 seminar at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, Campbell discussed the significance and influence of myths in our lives. This quote from the seminar reflects his beliefs about personal growth and the capacity for profound transformation when we’re confronted with adversity. He further added, “Negativism to the pain and ferocity of life is negativism to life. We are not there until we can say ‘yea’ to it all.” His words are a reminder that we must acknowledge and come to terms with the full range of human experiences to unlock our full potential.