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Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston Quotes

Anthropologist

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was an American anthropologist, folklorist, and novelist who played a pivotal role in the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Alabama and raised in Eatonville, Florida, she became the first African American student at Barnard College, Columbia University, studying under Franz Boas. Hurston is best known for her novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," now considered a classic of American literature. She conducted extensive anthropological fieldwork in the American South and Caribbean, preserving African American folk traditions. Though largely forgotten after her death, her work was revived by Alice Walker in the 1970s, establishing her as a foundational figure in African American literature and anthropology.

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Famous Zora Neale Hurston Quotes

“Jes' 'cause women folks ain't got no big muscled arm and fistes like jugs, folks claim they's weak vessels, but dass uh lie. Dat piece uh red flannel she got hung 'tween her jaws is equal tuh all the fistes God ever made and man ever seen.”

Men Women Relationships Talking Strength Gender

Book:Jonah's Gourd Vine

Source: Jonah's Gourd Vine

“...Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don’t think none theirselves." "Ah knows a few things, and womenfolks thinks sometimes too!" "Aw naw they don't. They just think they's thinkin'. When Ah see one thing Ah understands ten. You see ten things and don't understand one.”

Thinking Men Women Intelligence

Book:Their Eyes Were Watching God

Source: Their Eyes Were Watching God

“They plan and they fix and they do, and then some kitchen-dwelling fiend slips a scorchy, soggy, tasteless mess into their pots and pans…So when the bread didn’t rise, and the fish wasn’t quite done at the bone, and the rice was scorched, he slapped Janie until she had a ringing sound in her ears and told her about her brains before he stalked on back to the store.”

Book:Their Eyes Were Watching God

Source: Their Eyes Were Watching God

“Don’t you know you can’t git de best of no woman in de talkin’ game? Her tongue is all de weapon a woman got,” George Thomas chided Gene. “She could have had mo’ sense, but she told God no, she’d ruther take it out in hips. So God give her her ruthers. She got plenty hips, plenty mouf and no brains.” “Oh, yes, womens is got sense too,” Mathilda Moseley jumped in. “But they got too much sense to go ‘round braggin’ about it like y’all do. De lady people always got de advantage of mens because God fixed it dat way.”

Men Looks Women Talking Common Sense Brains

Book:Mules and Men

Source: Mules and Men

“Whereupon Jim flopped into a chair and held forth at great length on the necessity of keeping wives in their places; to wit: speechless and expressionless in the presence of their lords and masters and cited several instances where men had met their downfall and utter ruin by ill advisedly permitting their wives to air their ignorance by talking. His audience, composed entirely of males, agreed with him. Wife-beaters are numberous in Poplar Street.”

Men Women Relationships Marriage

Book:Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance

Source: Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance

“Heah! You moufy wimmen! Shet up. Aint Ah done said cote was set? Lum Boger, do yo' duty, Make them wimmen dry up or put 'em outta heah." Marshall Boger who wore his star for the occasion was full of the importance of his office for nineteen is a prideful age; he hurried over to Mrs. Taylor. She rose to meet him. "You better gwan 'way from me, Lum Boger. Ah jes' wish you would lay de weight of yo' han' on me! Ahd kick yo' close up round yo' neck lak a horse-collar. You impident limb you." Lum retreated before the awful prospect of wearing his suit about his neck like a horse-collar.”

Men Women Strong Women

Book:Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance

Source: Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance

“7. Then did Oscar the brother of Hiram speak and answer him saying, "Yea, verily my soul cleaveth to that city upon the Hudson and my feet yearneth to journey thither, but lo, thou knowest that I be married unto a woman called Cal'line. 8. Yea, likewise thou knowest that she beeth an oppressive female that lifteth her voice in all things and prevaileth against me. 9. Behold how she crieth not like unto other women when I strive against her with mine fists. Nay, she weepeth not, but verily taketh stove-wood in the left hand and weighteth the right hand with iron and smiteth me hip and thigh.”

Men Women Relationships Domestic Violence Arguments Marriages

Book:Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance

Source: Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance

“You tries tuh be so much-knowin'. You got tuh learn how tuh speak when you spokin to, come when youse called." "Ah ain't got tuh do but two things--stay black and die," Sister Berry snapped.”

Men Women Knowledge Insults Repartee Gender Relations

Book:Jonah's Gourd Vine

Source: Jonah's Gourd Vine

“Daisy is a walking drum tune. You can almost hear it by looking at the way she walks.”

Women Beauty Walking Attractiveness Sexiness

Book:Their Eyes Were Watching God

Source: Their Eyes Were Watching God

“Lawd, look at Tookie switchin' it and lookin' back at it! She's done gone crazy thru de hips.”

Women Attraction Sexiness

Book:Mules and Men

Source: Mules and Men

“Zora, why do you think dese li'l slim women was put on earth?" "Couldn't tell you to save my life." "Well, dese slim ones was put here to beautify de world." "De big ones, musta been put here for de same reason." "Ah, naw, Zora. Ah don't agree wid you there." "Well then, what was they put here for?" "To show dese slim girls how far they kin stretch without bustin'.”

Women Overweight Fat Women Skinniness Slim Women

Book:Mules and Men

Source: Mules and Men

“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.”