25 Zora Neale Hurston Quotes on Love and Writing

Our latest collection of Zora Neale Hurston quotes on Everyday Power Blog.

Zora Neale Hurston was an influential writer and folklorist who is best known for her popular novels and for the contribution she made to the ‘Harlem Renaissance.’

One of the most important black writers in American history, Hurston was involved with African American rights and used her talent as a writer to portray racial struggles.

Hurston was born in Alabama in 1891, and moved to Eatonville, Florida, with her family as a young child.

Although she achieved great fame in her lifetime, Hurston died in poverty in 1960.

But despite not getting the credit she deserved when she was alive, a revival of interest led to a posthumous recognition of her achievements.

Before we move onto the quotes, here are some of Hurston’s popular books.

• Their Eyes Were Watching God
• Barracoon
• Mules and Men
• Jonah’s Gourd Vine
• Moses, Man of the Mountain
• Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica
• Every Tongue Got to Confess

As someone who used her talent to inspire a positive difference in society, Hurston clearly tapped into her Everyday Power.

To honor her,  here are some inspirational Zora Neale Hurston quotes on love, life, and writing.

Zora Neale Hurston quotes on love and writing

1. “Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

2. “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

3. “The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

4. “Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

5. “I love myself when I am laughing. . . and then again when I am looking mean and impressive.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

6. “If writers were too wise, perhaps no books would get written at all. It might be better to ask yourself ‘Why?’ afterward than before … There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

7. “Love is like the sea. It’s a moving thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from the shore it meets, and it’s different with every shore.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

8. “Life is the flower for which love is the honey.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

9. “When one is too old for love, one finds great comfort in good dinners.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

10. “I did not just fall in love. I made a parachute jump.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

Insightful Zora Neale Hurston quotes

11. “A thing is mighty big when time and distance cannot shrink it.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

12. “Those that don’t got it, can’t show it. Those that got it, can’t hide it.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

13. “The man who interprets Nature is always held in great honor.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

14. “Once you wake up thought in a man, you can never put it to sleep again.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

15. “Happiness is nothing but everyday living seen through a veil.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

16. “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

17. “Nothing that God ever made is the same thing to more than one person.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

18. “It seems to me that trying to live without friends is like milking a bear to get cream for your morning coffee. It is a whole lot of trouble, and then not worth much after you get it.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

19. “It was not death she feared. It was a misunderstanding.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

20. “There is nothing to make you like other human beings so much as doing things for them.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston quotes to motivate you

21. “I do not weep at the world I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.”  ― Zora Neale Hurston

22. “There is no single face in nature, because every eye that looks upon it, sees it from its own angle. So every man’s spice-box seasons his own food.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

23. “No man may make another free.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

24. “An envious heart makes a treacherous ear.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

25. “Everybody has some special road of thought along which they travel when they are alone to themselves. And his road of thought is what makes every man what he is.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

How did you find these Zora Neale Hurston quotes?

Although Hurston was unable to capture a mainstream audience in her lifetime, she inspired the civil rights movement and is remembered as one of the most influential black writers in American history.

Hurston’s works are now getting the recognition they deserve and can provide great inspiration for when fighting for your rights, your freedom or even your acceptance in society.

Hopefully, these quotes have motivated you and made your day better.

Did you enjoy these Zora Neale Hurston quotes?

Which of the quotes was your favorite?

We would love to hear all about it in the comment section below.