Motto

Motto - meaning Summary

Dig and Be Dug

Hughes presents a compact personal credo rooted in jazz-era slang and social reciprocity. The speaker adopts a composed, playful stance — "I play it cool" — and links that attitude to survival. The poem's motto emphasizes mutual appreciation: live, learn, "dig" others and expect to be "dug" in return. It expresses identity, community bonds, and an ethic of give-and-take in a few brisk lines.