What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun?
Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking 1959 play, A Raisin in the Sun, masterfully explores this question through the Younger family, whose aspirations collide with the harsh realities of 1950s Chicago.
We’ve collected 42 A Raisin in the Sun quotes with page numbers (the Mass Market Paperback: November 29, 2004 (ISBN-13: 978-0679755333).
Set on Chicago’s South Side, this pivotal American drama captures the Younger family’s struggle for dignity and a better life against racial segregation and economic inequality. When matriarch Lena Younger (Mama) receives a life-changing insurance check, each family member confronts their vision of the future, leading to conflict and growth.
Each quote includes insightful literary analysis, with a deeper exploration of pivotal lines. They illuminate the play’s enduring themes of dreams, dignity, family, money, and identity.
The play opens with the palpable weight of unfulfilled aspirations for each Younger family member, whose lives are confined to their small apartment.. The anticipated insurance check hangs in the air, a symbol of hope that quickly becomes a focal point for their diverse and often conflicting dreams.
The Weight of Deferred Dreams: Aspirations vs. Harsh Realities
Lorraine Hansberry masterfully establishes an atmosphere of constrained lives and yearning from the first scene. The Younger family’s dreams, large and small, constantly rub against the abrasive texture of their daily existence.
These initial quotes reveal simmering frustrations, particularly Walter Lee’s, and the quiet desperation that underpins their hopes, all before the arrival of the money that promises change yet also threatens to tear them apart.
“Not scrambled.”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act I, Scene One, Page 26)
Walter’s curt rejection of Ruth’s question about eggs, immediately followed by her scrambling them anyway, concisely establishes marital tension and Walter’s sense of powerlessness. His desires, even for breakfast, are routinely dismissed, fueling his larger frustrations.
“Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs.”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act I, Scene One, Page 33)
This iconic lament from Walter encapsulates his frustration with what he perceives as an inability from those around him, particularly Ruth, to understand or support his ambitious dreams. The mundane suggestion to “Eat your eggs” becomes symbolic of daily realities that stifle his aspirations.
“DAMN MY EGGS—DAMN ALL THE EGGS THAT EVER WAS!”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act I, Scene One, Page 34)
Walter’s explosive outburst is a raw expression of his deep-seated frustration with his life and perceived lack of opportunity. The eggs symbolize the mundane routine and domesticity that he feels are suffocating his ambitions.
“Baby, don’t nothing happen for you in this world ’less you pay somebody off!”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act I, Scene One, Page 33)
Walter’s cynical remark to Ruth reveals his belief that success often requires navigating a corrupt system. This perspective underscores his desperation and his willingness to consider ethically questionable means for his liquor store dream.
“Yes, life can be a barrel of disappointments, sometimes.”
(Speaker: Ruth Younger, Context: Act I, Scene One, Page 45)
Ruth’s weary observation to Mama reflects the accumulated toll of deferred dreams and daily struggles. Her understated tone conveys a deep-seated resignation and acknowledgment of hardship.
“Sometimes it’s hard to let the future begin!”
(Speaker: Ruth Younger, Context: Act II, Scene Three, Page 125)
Ruth’s poignant admission captures the difficulty of embracing change and stepping into the unknown, even when that future holds promise. It conveys the heaviness of past burdens and the anxiety that often comes with hope.
“What’s the matter with you all! I didn’t make this world! It was give to me this way! Hell, yes, I want me some yachts someday! Yes, I want to hang some real pearls ’round my wife’s neck. Ain’t she supposed to wear no pearls? Somebody tell me—tell me, who decides which women is suppose to wear pearls in this world. I tell you I am a man—and I think my wife should wear some pearls in this world!”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act III, Page 143)
Walter’s impassioned outburst reveals his frustration, defiance, and a distorted assertion of desire. He rails against a world he feels has unfairly limited him, yet his vision of success—yachts and pearls—reflects materialistic aspirations rather than the intrinsic dignity Mama champions.
The arrival of the $10,000 insurance check intensifies the family’s conflicting desires, particularly Walter Lee’s belief that wealth is the key. Mama, however, sees the money as a means to a more meaningful security.
“Money is Life?”: The Pursuit of Wealth and Its True Cost
The insurance money becomes a powerful symbol and a catalyst for conflict. For Walter Lee, it represents a chance to escape his chauffeur job and prove his worth. His assertion that “money is life” clashes with Mama’s values, which prioritize family well-being and moral integrity.
These quotes explore the allure and dangers of equating financial success with fulfillment, and the devastating consequences when dreams are pinned entirely on monetary gain.
“Because it is life, Mama!”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act I, Scene Two, Page 74)
Walter’s explosive declaration to Mama that “money is life” encapsulates his desperate belief that financial wealth is the ultimate measure of existence, freedom, and self-worth. This contrasts with Mama’s quiet, sorrowful preceding lines, “Oh—So now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now it’s money. I guess the world really do change…,” which highlight a generational and philosophical divide.
For Mama, freedom and dignity were paramount; for Walter, economic power has become the urgent definition of liberation. His retort, “No—it was always money, Mama. We just didn’t know about it,” underscores his cynical conviction about the underlying reality of their struggle.
“Mama—sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass them cool, quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking ’bout things … sitting there turning deals worth millions of dollars … sometimes I see guys don’t look much older than me—”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act I, Scene Two, Page 74)
Walter’s poignant observation reveals the source of his deep yearning. He sees a world of opportunity and power occupied by white men, harshly contrasted with his reality as a chauffeur (“I open and close car doors all day long… Mama, that ain’t no kind of job”).
This vision of accessible success, seemingly denied to him, fuels his desperate belief that money is the only pathway to achieving similar status and respect. His words paint a vivid picture of the exclusion and envy that drive his obsession with the liquor store investment, highlighting the racial and economic disparities defining his experience.
“Listen to me. I say I been wrong, son. That I been doing to you what the rest of the world been doing to you… Walter—what you ain’t never understood is that I ain’t got nothing, don’t own nothing, ain’t never really wanted nothing that wasn’t for you. There ain’t nothing as precious to me . . . There ain’t nothing worth holding on to, money, dreams, nothing else—if it means—if it means it’s going to destroy my boy.”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act II, Scene Two, Page 106)
This pivotal speech from Mama to Walter, as she entrusts him with the remaining insurance money, is a profound act of faith and love. Recognizing how society has undermined him, she acknowledges her potential role in his despair. Her declaration that nothing is more precious than his well-being underscores her maternal love. By giving him control over the money, she offers him a chance to become the head of the family, placing immense trust in him despite his past recklessness and her misgivings about his obsession with the liquor store.
“THAT MONEY IS MADE OUT OF MY FATHER’S FLESH—”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act II, Scene Three, Page 128)
Walter’s agonized cry after Bobo reveals Willy Harris has absconded with their investment money is a visceral expression of guilt and devastation. The metaphor powerfully conveys that the lost money was not merely currency but the tangible result of Big Walter’s lifelong labor and sacrifice.
“Yeah. Some of us always getting “tooken.” (He laughs) People like Willy Harris, they don’t never get “tooken.” And you know why the rest of us do? ’Cause we all mixed up. Mixed up bad.”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act III, Page 141)
Walter’s bitter realization after calling Mr. Lindner reflects his complete disillusionment. He cynically divides the world into “takers” and the “tooken,” suggesting that attempts to act morally leave them vulnerable. This marks his descent into a bleak pragmatism born of despair.
Despite crushing poverty and discrimination, the Younger family’s quest for dignity remains central. Mama’s dream of a home and Walter’s eventual stand against Mr. Lindner speak to an unyielding desire for self-respect.
Defining Dignity: Family, Home, and Standing Against Oppression
For the Youngers, dignity is fiercely defended against societal prejudice and economic hardship. It’s in Mama’s moral integrity, her dream of a home, and the family’s refusal to be bought out of their right to live where they choose.
These quotes illuminate how dignity is asserted through acts of defiance and the courageous choice to uphold values when pressured to capitulate.
“Something always told me I wasn’t no rich white woman . . .”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act I, Scene One, Page 44)
Mama’s quiet reflection underscores her lifelong awareness of her social and economic position. It’s an acknowledgment of a reality that has shaped her expectations and dreams, grounding her aspirations in pragmatism.
“We ain’t never been that poor. (Raising her eyes and looking at him) We ain’t never been that—dead inside.”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act III, Page 143)
In this rebuke to Walter’s plan to accept Lindner’s offer, Mama defines poverty not by material lack but by loss of spirit. She asserts that while they’ve faced hardship, they’ve never sacrificed their core values or self-respect.
“Son—I come from five generations of people who was slaves and sharecroppers—but ain’t nobody in my family never let nobody pay ‘em no money that was a way of telling us we wasn’t fit to walk the earth.”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act III, Page 143)
Mama invokes her family’s history of resilience and pride. She emphasizes a legacy of refusing money that implies inferiority, her ultimate argument against Walter’s proposed capitulation.
“And we have decided to move into our house because my father—my father—he earned it for us brick by brick.”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act III, Page 148)
This is Walter’s pivotal declaration to Mr. Lindner, marking his transformation and reclamation of dignity. By invoking his father’s labor (“he earned it for us brick by brick”), Walter connects the move to a rightful inheritance of effort and sacrifice. He rejects Lindner’s money, choosing instead the family’s collective right to self-determination and respect. This moment signifies Walter stepping into a manhood rooted in integrity, not just the financial success he previously envisioned.
“He finally come into his manhood today, didn’t he? Kind of like a rainbow after the rain…”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act III, Page 151)
Mama’s quiet, satisfied words to Ruth after Walter turns Lindner away affirm his moral victory. Her comparison of Walter’s transformation to “a rainbow after the rain” beautifully captures the hope and hard-won peace following his decision. It signifies Walter has achieved the “manhood” she envisioned, rooted in integrity and family pride. This line is a testament to her faith in him and the play’s affirmation of human dignity over despair.
“This, friends, is the Welcoming Committee!”
(Speaker: Beneatha Younger, Context: Act II, Scene Three, Page 118)
Beneatha’s sarcastic remark about Mr. Lindner cuts through his euphemisms, exposing the hypocrisy of the Clybourne Park “Improvement Association.” Her wit highlights the racial prejudice veiled by Lindner’s polite facade.
“Lord, protect us …”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act II, Scene Three, Page 121)
Mama’s heartfelt plea after grasping Lindner’s veiled threats conveys her apprehension and reliance on faith when facing overt racial hostility, encapsulating their vulnerability despite their resolve.
“You mean you ain’t read ’bout them colored people that was bombed out their place out there?”
(Speaker: Mrs. Johnson, Context: Act II, Scene Two, Page 100)
Mrs. Johnson’s question injects a harsh dose of reality, referencing violence against Black families. This line underscores the tangible dangers the Youngers face, making their decision to move an act of even greater courage.
“Well, I guess there’s going to be some now.”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act II, Scene One, Page 93)
Mama’s simple, matter-of-fact response to Ruth’s statement that no Black people live in Clybourne Park reveals her quiet determination. She asserts their intention to integrate, signaling her resolve to claim their right to a better life.
Beneatha Younger’s journey explores themes of identity, feminism, and the complexities of Black identity. Her interactions with Joseph Asagai and George Murchison highlight contrasting paths.
Beneatha’s Quest: Identity, Assimilation, and “One for Whom Bread Is Not Enough”
Beneatha Younger embarks on a passionate, conflicted search for her identity as an educated Black woman in 1950s America. She experiments with various forms of self-expression and grapples with the opposing influences of her wealthy, assimilationist suitor, George Murchison, and the Nigerian intellectual, Joseph Asagai, who encourages her to embrace her African heritage.
These quotes trace Beneatha’s intellectual curiosity, fiery independence, and yearning for a life where “bread is not enough.”
“I don’t flit! I—I experiment with different forms of expression—”
(Speaker: Beneatha Younger, Context: Act I, Scene One, Page 48)
Beneatha’s defensive retort to Mama reveals her serious commitment to self-discovery. She reframes her varied interests not as flightiness but as a deliberate “experiment,” underscoring her intellectual curiosity.
“I am going to be a doctor and everybody around here better understand that!”
(Speaker: Beneatha Younger, Context: Act I, Scene One, Page 50)
Beneatha’s forceful declaration asserts her ambition to pursue a medical career, defying traditional gender roles and her family’s skepticism. This establishes her independence and commitment to a life of purpose.
“There simply is no blasted God—there is only man and it is he who makes miracles!”
(Speaker: Beneatha Younger, Context: Act I, Scene One, Page 51)
Beneatha’s provocative statement to Mama is a bold assertion of her intellectual independence and questioning of traditional religious beliefs. She rejects divine intervention, attributing human progress (“miracles”) to “man’s own stubborn effort.”
This establishes Beneatha as a modern thinker, grappling with secular humanism and challenging her family’s faith. It underscores her desire to understand the world through reason and human agency, a key facet of her quest for identity, which causes significant intergenerational conflict.
“And so to accommodate that—you mutilate it every week?”
(Speaker: Joseph Asagai, Context: Act I, Scene Two, Page 62)
Asagai’s pointed question to Beneatha about her straightened hair is pivotal in her journey toward embracing her African identity. By labeling her hair routine as “mutilation,” he challenges her to reconsider Eurocentric beauty standards and see her natural hair as authentic.
This interaction sparks Beneatha’s exploration of her heritage and her eventual decision to wear her hair in a natural Afro style. Asagai acts as a catalyst, pushing her towards a more self-defined and Afrocentric identity by questioning her unconscious conformity.
“It means … it means One for Whom Bread—Food—Is Not Enough.”
(Speaker: Joseph Asagai, Context: Act I, Scene Two, Page 65)
Asagai’s explanation of the Yoruba nickname “Alaiyo” for Beneatha affirms her intellectual and spiritual yearnings. Defining her as “One for Whom Bread—Food—Is Not Enough,” he validates her desire for a life of meaning beyond material sustenance.
This name becomes a touchstone for Beneatha, resonating with her curiosity, ambition, and quest for an identity transcending societal limitations. It acknowledges her hunger for knowledge, cultural understanding, and a deeper connection to her heritage.
“Because I hate assimilationist Negroes!”
(Speaker: Beneatha Younger, Context: Act II, Scene Two, Page 81)
Beneatha’s fiery declaration to George Murchison is a bold rejection of assimilation into dominant white culture. It signifies her growing commitment to embracing her Black identity and African roots, and her disdain for those she perceives as abandoning their own culture.
“It’s simple. You read books—to learn facts—to get grades—to pass the course—to get a degree. That’s all —it has nothing to do with thoughts.”
(Speaker: George Murchison, Context: Act II, Scene Two, Page 97)
George Murchison’s pragmatic view of education contrasts with Beneatha’s intellectual passion. For George, education is a means to an end. His statement that it “has nothing to do with thoughts” reveals his disinterest in deeper engagement, highlighting their incompatibility.
“It isn’t a circle–it is simply a long line–as in geometry, you know, one that reaches into infinity. And because we cannot see the end–we also cannot see how it changes. And it is very odd but those who see the changes–who dream, who will not give up–are called idealists…and those who see only the circle we call them the ‘realists’!”
(Speaker: Joseph Asagai, Context: Act III, Page 134)
Asagai offers this deep counter-narrative to Beneatha’s despairing view of human progress. He presents life as a “long line” reaching towards an unseen future, championing idealism and the power of dreams. He reclaims “idealists” not as naive, but as those perceptive enough to believe in progress, countering them with “realists” trapped in cynicism. This philosophy is crucial in rekindling Beneatha’s hope after Walter loses the money, and her medical school dreams seem dashed.
“Then isn’t there something wrong in a house—in a world—where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death of a man?”
(Speaker: Joseph Asagai, Context: Act III, Page 135)
Asagai’s penetrating question challenges the foundation of the Younger family’s dreams—the insurance money from Big Walter’s death. He critiques a socio-economic system where opportunities are so scarce that they become dependent on tragic windfalls, highlighting a systemic injustice.
“ASAGAI Nigeria. Home.”
(Speaker: Joseph Asagai, Context: Act III, Page 137)
Asagai’s simple, evocative invitation to Beneatha offers her an alternative vision for her future and identity. It represents a potential spiritual and cultural homecoming, a chance to connect with her African roots and contribute her skills to a newly independent nation.
Lena Younger, or Mama, is the play’s spiritual anchor. Her unwavering faith, deep love for her family, and deep-seated moral convictions guide the Youngers through their most trying times.
Mama’s Wisdom: Love, Faith, and Nurturing Growth Amidst Struggle
Lena Younger (Mama) is the matriarch, embodying resilience, faith, and an unwavering commitment to her family’s well-being. Her wisdom, often expressed in simple yet resonant language, provides a crucial anchor.
These quotes reveal Mama’s core values: her belief in love and family unity above wealth, her steadfast faith, her dreams for a home, and her profound understanding of human frailty. Her plant, a recurring symbol, mirrors her nurturing spirit.
“Lord, if this little old plant don’t get more sun than it’s been getting it ain’t never going to see spring again.”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act I, Scene One, Page 40)
Mama’s concern for her plant symbolizes her nurturing spirit and her family’s struggle in their oppressive environment. The plant, lacking sunlight, mirrors the family’s lack of opportunity, yet her care signifies enduring hope.
“Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams -but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worth while.”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act I, Scene One, Page 45-46)
Recalling Big Walter’s words, Mama articulates a poignant understanding where dreams often seem the only inheritance. Yet, she finds true value in her children, suggesting their future gives purpose to those deferred aspirations.
“Now—you say after me, in my mother’s house there is still God.”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act I, Scene One, Page 51)
After Beneatha denies God, Mama compels her to repeat this affirmation. This forceful assertion establishes Mama’s unwavering faith as a foundational principle of her home and her moral authority.
“When the world gets ugly enough—a woman will do anything for her family. The part that’s already living.”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act I, Scene Two, Page 75)
Mama’s grave statement to Walter about Ruth reveals the desperate measures considered under extreme hardship. It highlights the harsh decisions forced by poverty and her strong instinct to protect.
“Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody the most? When they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well then, you ain’t through learning – because that ain’t the time at all. It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in hisself ’cause the world done whipped him so! when you starts measuring somebody, measure him right, child, measure him right. Make sure you done taken into account what hills and valleys he come through before he got to wherever he is.”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act III, Page 145)
This is Mama’s lesson in unconditional love to Beneatha after Walter loses the family’s money. She challenges Beneatha’s judgment, arguing that the truest test of love is not when a person is successful, but when they are at their “lowest,” most broken, and “can’t believe in hisself ’cause the world done whipped him so!”
Mama advocates for deep empathy that “measures” a person by understanding their struggles, not just their failures. It’s a powerful call for forgiveness, central to the play’s affirmation of family over material loss.
Walter Lee Younger’s journey is one of frustration, flawed ambition, and ultimately, a hard-won dignity. His struggle to define his manhood is central to the play’s tension.
The Unfolding of Manhood: Walter Lee’s Journey to Self-Respect
Walter Lee Younger is driven by immense, often misguided, ambition and frustration with his socio-economic standing as a Black man in 1950s America. He yearns for financial success, viewing it as synonymous with respect and freedom.
These quotes trace Walter’s tumultuous journey: his initial obsession, feelings of being stifled, the intoxicating hope when Mama entrusts him with money, the crushing despair of betrayal, his near capitulation, and finally, his powerful reclamation of dignity.
“How we gets to the place where we scared to talk softness to each other. Why you think it got to be like that? Ruth, what is it gets into people ought to be close?”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act II, Scene One, Page 88)
In a rare moment of vulnerability with Ruth, Walter questions the emotional distance within the family. His pained query reveals a yearning for closeness and understanding, a desire buried beneath his anger.
“You know what, Travis? In seven years you going to be seventeen years old. And things is going to be very different with us in seven years, Travis. … YOU just name it, son … and I hand you the world!”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act II, Scene Two, Page 108)
After Mama entrusts him with money, Walter’s extravagant promises to Travis reveal his desire to provide and embody success. This vision, tragically inflated, foreshadows his reckless handling of the funds.
“And my father—(With sudden intensity) My father almost beat a man to death once because this man called him a bad name or something, you know what I mean?”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act III, Page 147)
As Walter prepares to confront Lindner, he invokes this memory of his father’s fierce defense of dignity. This fortifies Walter’s resolve, connecting his decision to a legacy of proud resistance.
“No. Travis, you stay right here. And you make him understand what you doing, Walter Lee. You teach him good. Like Willy Harris taught you. You show where our five generations done come to.”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act III, Page 147)
Mama’s powerful directive, insisting that Travis witness his father’s decision, is a moral reckoning. Her ironic reference to Willy Harris contrasts Willy’s deception with the integrity she hopes Walter will now embody, calling on him to represent their family’s enduring legacy.
“And you—you people just put the money in my hand and you won’t have to live next to this bunch of stinking n*****s! …”
(Speaker: Walter Lee Younger, Context: Act III, Page 144)
Walter, in despair after losing the money, imagines this degrading speech to Lindner, performing the role of subservience. His use of the racial slur, directed at his own family in this imagined scenario, shows his broken spirit and internalized racism. Hansberry’s inclusion of this word from Walter’s anguished perspective is a raw depiction of racism’s psychological violence.
“Darling, that ain’t no bale of cotton, please handle it so we can sit in it again! I had that chair twenty-five years …”
(Speaker: Lena Younger (Mama), Context: Act III, Page 150)
Mama’s admonishment to the moving men about her old chair underscores the sentimental value she places on her possessions. These items are tangible links to her past and family history, embodying memories far more precious than their monetary worth.
The Enduring Power of Dreams and Dignity
These 42 quotes from Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun chart the Younger family’s struggle for a better life. Through their powerful words, we witness their deferred dreams, pursuit of dignity, and the complicated tapestry of love and conflict that binds them.
Hansberry’s masterpiece explores universal themes of aspiration, identity, and racial injustice. Walter’s painful journey, Beneatha’s quest for self, and Mama’s wisdom resonate deeply, affirming the human spirit’s resilience.
The Youngers’ decision to move to Clybourne Park is a courageous claim of their right to exist and dream. A Raisin in the Sun remains a vital testament to hope and the timeless quest for a place to call home.
To explore more enduring lines from groundbreaking American plays, see our full collection: Explore More Enduring Lines from Classic American Drama.
A Note on Page Numbers & Edition:
Like the Younger family navigating the complex map of their aspirations, the exact placement of these powerful words can shift between different printings of A Raisin in the Sun. By hand, we’ve referenced page numbers (e.g., Page 33) from the A Raisin in the Sun Mass Market Paperback: November 29, 2004 (ISBN-13: 978-0679755333). Always consult your specific copy to ensure precise location for academic essays or personal reference.
Jeremy Mortis, founder of Ageless Investing, applies a rigorous analytical approach (the AAM framework) to distill timeless wisdom and contextualized quotes from classic literature, saving you time while deepening understanding. Learn more about Jeremy’s unique background and methodology on his author bio page.