Their Eyes Were Watching God

By Zora Neale Hurston

QUOTATION: Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.
ATTRIBUTION: Zora Neale Hurston (1907–1960), U.S. author, anthropologist. Their Eyes Were Watching God, ch. 1 (1937).

QUOTATION: The spirit of the marriage left the bedroom and took to living in the parlor.
ATTRIBUTION: Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, playwright and anthropologist. Their Eyes Were Watching God, ch. 6, J.P. Lippincott (1937).

QUOTATION: Humph! Talkin’ ‘bout me lookin’ old! When you pull down yo’ britches, you look lak de change uh life.
ATTRIBUTION: Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, playwright and anthropologist. Janie, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, ch. 7, J.P. Lippincott (1937).

QUOTATION: Ah done growed ten feet higher from jus’ listenin’ tuh you, Janie. Ah ain’t satisfied wid mahself no mo’.
ATTRIBUTION: Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, playwright and anthropologist. Phoeby, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, ch. 20, J.P. Lippincott (1937).

QUOTATION: You know, honey, us colored folks is branches without roots and that makes things come round in queer ways.
ATTRIBUTION: Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, playwright and anthropologist. Nanny, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, ch. 2, J.P. Lippincott (1937).

QUOTATION: You can tell ‘em what Ah say if you wants to. Dat’s just de same as me ‘cause mah tongue is in mah friend’s mouf.
ATTRIBUTION: Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, playwright and anthropologist. Janie, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, ch. 1, J.P. Lippincott (1937).

QUOTATION: She had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people; it was important to all the world that she should find them and they find her, but she had been whipped like a cur dog, and run off down a back road after things.
ATTRIBUTION: Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, playwright and anthropologist. Their Eyes Were Watching God, ch. 9, J.P. Lippincott (1937).

QUOTATION: She saw a dust bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister calxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage!
ATTRIBUTION: Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, playwright and anthropologist. Their Eyes Were Watching God, J.P. Lippincott (1937).

QUOTATION: She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder, so much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see.
ATTRIBUTION: Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, playwright and anthropologist. Phoeby, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, ch. 20, J.P. Lippincott (1937).

QUOTATION: He looked like the love thoughts of women. He could be a bee to a blossom—a pear tree blossom in the spring. He seemed to be crushing scent out of the world with his footsteps. Crushing aromatic herbs with every step he took. Spices hung about him. He was a glance from God.
ATTRIBUTION: Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, playwright and anthropologist. Their Eyes Were Watching God, ch. 10, J.P. Lippincott (1937).

QUOTATION: So de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man tuh pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don’t tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks. De nigger woman is demule uh de world so fur as Ah can see. Ah been prayin’ fuh it tuh be different wid you. Lawd, Lawd, Lawd!
ATTRIBUTION: Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, playwright and anthropologist. Nanny, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, ch. 2, J.P. Lippincott (1937).

QUOTATION: 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 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.
ATTRIBUTION: Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, playwright and anthropologist. Their Eyes Were Watching God, ch. 1, J.P. Lippincott (1937).