Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston

Novelist, Anthropologist

Zora Neale Hurston was a prominent African American author and anthropologist known for her influential work, 'Their Eyes Were Watching God,' which explores themes of identity and empowerment.

Men People Race Eye Life White
Born
January 7, 1891
Died
January 28, 1960
Quotes
215
Rank
#167

About Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston — Life and Legacy

Zora Neale Hurston was a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance, celebrated for her contributions to literature and anthropology. Her major work, 'Their Eyes Were Watching God,' delves into the complexities of African American womanhood and the quest for self-identity. Hurston's writing is characterized by its rich dialect and deep emotional resonance, reflecting her belief in the importance of personal freedom and cultural heritage. One of her notable quotes, 'I am not ashamed of my grandparents,' underscores her pride in her roots and the significance of cultural identity in shaping one's narrative. Through her exploration of themes like resilience and autonomy, Hurston challenged societal norms, particularly regarding race and gender. Her insights into the struggles faced by black women remain relevant today, as they resonate with ongoing conversations about identity and empowerment. Hurston's legacy continues to inspire readers, encouraging them to embrace their identities and pursue their own paths to freedom.

Quote collection

Zora Neale Hurston quotes (page 1 of 11)

215 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.

Zora Neale Hurston Novelist, Anthropologist
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"If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it."

Pain Silent Harlem Renaissance
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"Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It's beyond me."

Inspiring Happiness Success
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"I have the nerve to walk my own way, however hard, in my search for reality, rather than climb upon the rattling wagon of wishful illusions."

Courage Reality Nerves
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"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place."

Love Inspirational Life
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"I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all hurt about it. Even in the helter-skelter skirmish that is my life, I have seen that the world is to the strong regardless of a little pigmentation more or less. No, I do not weep at the world—I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife."

Strong Hurt Dirty
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"All my skinfolk ain't kinfolk."

Kinfolk
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"There are years that ask questions and years that answer."

Life Inspiring Time
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"Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose."

Writing Science Curiosity
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"I love myself when I am laughing. . . and then again when I am looking mean and impressive."

Mean Laughing I Love Myself
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"Bitterness is the coward's revenge on the world for having been hurt."

Hurt Revenge Coward
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"Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the same horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly."

Life Dream Women
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"If writers were too wise, perhaps no books would get written at all. It might be better to ask yourself 'Why?”'afterwards than before There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you."

Wise Book Agony
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"Once you wake up thought in a man, you can never put it to sleep again."

Motivational Sleep Men
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"That is the way with people ... If they do you wrong, they invent a bad name for you, a good name for their acts and then destroy you in the name of virtue."

Names People Prejudice
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"Grab the broom of anger and drive off the beast of fear."

Happiness Inspiring Fear
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Zora Neale Hurston Novelist, Anthropologist
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"Justice, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder."

Beauty Beautiful Eye
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Zora Neale Hurston Novelist, Anthropologist
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"I will fight for my country, but I will not lie for her."

Country Lying Fighting
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