It seems that fighting is a game where everybody is the loser.
Zora Neale HurstonRead
I do not pray. . . . I do not expect God to single me out and grant me advantages over my fellow men. . . . Prayer seems to me a cry of weakness, and an attempt to avoid, by trickery, the rules of the game as laid down. I do not choose to admit weakness. I accept the challenge of responsibility.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes personal responsibility over reliance on prayer as a means to seek unfair advantages.
Zora Neale Hurston's quote reflects a strong belief in personal agency and the rejection of using prayer as a means to gain special favor or escape accountability. She suggests that prayer may be viewed as a sign of weakness, implying that true strength lies in confronting challenges head-on rather than seeking divine intervention to overcome them. Hurston advocates for taking responsibility for one's own life and actions, highlighting the importance of individual effort and integrity in the pursuit of one's goals.
Themes
ResponsibilityStrengthAgencyFaithWeakness
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth and accountability.
More from Zora Neale Hurston
All quotes →Lack of power and opportunity passes off too often for virtue.
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From barren brown stems to glistening leaf-buds; from the leaf-buds to snowy virginity of bloom…It was like a flute song forgotten in another existence and remembered again. What? How? Why? This singing she heard that had nothing to do with her ears. The rose of the world was breathing out smell. It followed her through all her waking moments and caressed her in her sleep.
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Someone is always at my elbow reminding me that I am the granddaughter of slaves. It fails to register depression with me.
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Don't you realize that the sea is the home of water? All water is off on a journey unless it's in the sea, and it's homesick, and bound to make its way home someday.
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Two things everybody's got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin' fuh theyselves.
Zora Neale HurstonRead
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