Latina Quotes

Usually, I'll be auditioning for the third lead, and there will be Latina actresses, Indian actresses, African American actresses because it will be like, 'Let's check off this box. We have our lead white girl, and we need an ethnic slot.' ~ Constance Wu

The Latina spirit translates to every aspect of our lives, from beauty to work to family. We're loving, we're loud, and we're beautiful in our essence. ~ Eva Longoria

El duende is literally the goblin wind or force behind a person's actions and creative life, including the way they walk, the sound of their voice, even the way they lift their little finger. It is a term used in flamenco dance, and is also used to describe the ability to "think" in poetic images. Among Latina curanderas who recollect story, it is understood as the ability to be filled with spirit that is more than one's own spirit. Whether one is the artist or whether one is the watcher, listener, or reader, when el duende is present, one sees it, hears it, reads it, feels it underneath the dance, the music, the words, the art; one knows it is there. When el duende is not present, one knows that too. ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

I happen to think Latinas, Latin women, are the most beautiful women in the world. So that's what I'm going to draw. I love women from all cultures, of course, but if I was going to deal with any of them, that would be No. 1 for me. ~ Gilbert Hernandez

I'm bicultural, and everyone sees me as a Latina, but in my head I see myself as both Latina and American. ~ Genesis Rodriguez

'Latina' has become part of the Becky G family, and I feel very proud to say that. ~ Becky G

I am so proud of my heritage and of being Latina. I would most definitely consider roles in Latin America. ~ Chrissie Fit

Only a bitch of color comes to Harvard to get pregnant. White women don't do that. Asian women don't do that. Only fucking black and Latina women. Why go to all the trouble to get into Harvard just to get knocked up? You could have stayed on the block and done that shit. ~ Junot Diaz

I had dreams, but always told myself, 'Nah, that would never happen.' For a poor Latina, (acting) wasn't a reality. ~ Diane Guerrero

Think of how hard it would be to create a gender-based movement across racial lines as long as one group believes that it has to be strong while seeing the other group as passive and weak. We could also go into the stereotypes of the saucy, mercurial Latina and the docile, easily-dominated Asian woman. ~ Melissa Harris-Perry

To be seen and to be respected for my work and acknowledged as a true American Latina ... means a lot to me. ~ Zoe Saldana

Being Latino means being from everywhere, and that is exactly what America is supposed to be about. ~ Raquel Cepeda

I will never stop working on Spanish-language projects because that's my language, and because I'm a Latina and Mexican before anything else. ~ Kate Del Castillo

Being Latina, I'm super close with my family. I love them, and I love spending time with them. I love being at my grandma's house and eating her food. ~ Emeraude Toubia

When I think of my Latina side, I imagine family barbecues with carne asada, rice, beans, tortillas and a jalapeno on my plate along with 'Vicente Fernandez' blaring out the speakers. Spicy food. Salsa. Tamales. Family. ~ Alicia Sixtos

'Wonder Woman' was on TV when I was growing up, and I knew Lynda Carter was part Latina. It gave me a great sense of pride. ~ Constance Marie

Sometimes, growing up, I tried to be very Latina; I would change my voice ... experiment with my hair a lot, trying to figure out who I was in a primarily white school. ~ Monica Raymund

It is difficult to get Latina and Asian women to speak out. We must make it clear it's not their problem, it's our problem. We need magazines like this one to keep talking about the issue. And know that we women in Congress are with you 100 percent. ~ Juanita Millender-McDonald

When I first came out to L.A., Hollywood's idea of a Latina was Mexican. It was almost like they had never seen or heard of an Afro-Latina before. ~ Lauren Velez

Many artists in Mexico fight to be the Latina Madonna. I don't want that! Never! Maybe she's the American Gloria Trevi! ~ Gloria Trevi

Townsend's wife Rita, a striking, razor-sharp Latina lawyer, who seemed to be the brains in the household, lost her cool in front of the cameras at a rally in Charleston and called C2C a concha de tu madre before she could be hustled off the stage. Her press officer translated the phrase as "the seashell your mother likes," but the several million South Americans in the U.S. knew it to have a slightly different connotation. ~ Doug Magee

When people see a Spanish last name, they have an image in their head of what the typical Latina looks like. I think it's important on television to have different representations of people. And I'm so proud of being Latina. I love it. ~ Kether Donohue

I'm black. I'm Latina. My mom is Cuban. Afro-Cuban. My dad is white and Australian. ~ Soledad O'Brien

Latinas are the fastest growing segment of the minority population, and their perspective deserves to be represented, not denigrated. ~ Linda Sanchez

Sarah Palin is Latina. Pay-leen. She has an infant and a grandkid the same age. Latina! ~ George Lopez

I wrote a pilot for myself. It's about a Latina actress trying to make it in Hollywood. It's pretty funny. ~ Melonie Diaz

I don't know if it's because I'm Latina or something, but I have no problem speaking my mind. ~ Becky G

No Latina woman would be called 'Ms.' - that's an invention of middle-class Anglo women. Latina women are proud to be called 'Mrs.' That simply means that we have a family. ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Because of their low earnings and family obligations, Latinas would not be putting much money into private investment accounts. An average Latina could wind up losing thousands of dollars under this proposal. ~ Grace Napolitano

My hope is that I will take the good from my experiences and extrapolate them further into areas with which I am unfamiliar. I simply do not know exactly what that difference will be in my judging. But I accept there will be some based on my gender and my Latina heritage. ~ Sonia Sotomayor

Almost half of all Latinas currently on Social Security rely exclusively on their benefit check in retirement. ~ Grace Napolitano

I don't understand labels. I don't need anybody to tell me I'm Latina or black or anything else. I've played characters that were written for Caucasian females, I just want to be given the same consideration as everybody else, and so far that has been happening. ~ Zoe Saldana

White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw. ~ Newt Gingrich

I am a woman, and I am a Latina. Those are the things that make my writing distinctive. Those are the things that give my writing power. ~ Sandra Cisneros

Being Latina means I have culture I guess. We party together, cry together, and cook together. Or at least my family does as much as we can. We know where we're from and we have a certain kind of rhythm and understanding. Togetherness. As I get older it becomes more apparent that there is a community in this industry that is working together to rise up and fight against the misinterpretation of Hispanic and what it means to be a Latino-American nowadays. ~ Alicia Sixtos

Halloween is the only day I can dress up like a hot Latina woman with a beer belly. ~ Felipe Esparza

I am Puerto Rican. I think Latinas are sexy, and being one, it has influenced a lot of my style, but being an official Los Angelite, this town has influenced most of my daily style, which is relaxed & easy. ~ Nadine Velazquez

I usually say Latina, Mexican-American or American Mexican, and in certain contexts, Chicana, depending on whether my audience understands the term or not. ~ Sandra Cisneros

The women I love most are Latina - my sister, mother, and daughter. They're spontaneous but spend a majority of their time trying to make others happy. ~ William Levy

What's similar between 'Daily Show' and 'RJ Berger' is that people are grabbing me - not quite the groovy intelligentsia Starbucks barista, but the Latina nurses at my gynecologist's office - and telling me they love the show. ~ Beth Littleford

Evidence tells that black and Latina woman are more accepting of curves, and that's a good thing. ~ Lori Lansens

I love going to the hair salon. I'm Spanish. I think it's more of a Latina thing to go to the hair salon. ~ Paz De La Huerta

The only difference between the Bel Air of the '90s and the Bel Air of my childhood is that now the nannies are Latina instead of British, and the cars European instead of American. ~ Lorna Luft

As a young writer, I was on guard against the Latina in me, the Spanish in me because as far as I could see the models that were presented to me did not include my world. In fact, 'I was told by one teacher in college that one could only write poetry in the language in which one first said Mother. That left me out of American literature, for sure. ~ Julia Alvarez

I definitely have some stereotypical qualities of being a Latina. I talk with my hands, which means I knock stuff over all the time. ~ Bitsie Tulloch

I'm all about the crossover. The role doesn't necessarily have to be white or Latina or black. It could be anything. But it's hard in Hollywood, because sometimes it's all about the box office. Or all about looks and things like that. It's not about the story that they have to tell. ~ Rutina Wesley

I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life. ~ Sonia Sotomayor

I want to steer away from the stereotypes that Latina women are categorized in. I feel like there are so many more opportunities for us. I like going out for those roles that says 'open ethnicity.' ~ Emily Rios

Sometimes opposites attract, or so they say, but Paloma and Rocío were like arroz and mangú: they didn't really mix well. ~ Raquel Cepeda

That one time I had ma Latina texture going on.. Or just.. everyday. ~ Selena

You get typecast. You have to find a niche in this business. So, the roles that I got cast in were the Latina or the Italian spitfires. The woman with a passion and the woman who didn't want to listen to anyone, did everything her own way, very self-willed. ~ Patricia Mauceri

I don't think I have rebelled against Latina culture. I have rebelled against those who try to make me warm tortillas for my brothers when they can warm them for themselves, I have rebelled against a patriarchal religion. I rebel against small mindedness in all ways and in every situation but those things are not an intrinsic part of Latina culture and I will fight tooth and nail against anyone who tries to make me feel like I'm less Xicana for not embracing the small-mindedness. ~ Alice Bag

I do find that it's easier to get Latino-themed movies ... but I don't think there's that stigma anymore. I think that what's harder is to be a woman, not to be a Latina. ~ Patricia Riggen

The Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever. ~ Sonia Sotomayor

There are plenty of Latina actresses that no one's ever heard of ... Some are really brown, some are light-skinned, and some look like they're Caucasian, but it's like we only want to identify with a certain kind of look and celebrate that under the guise that this is a 'Latina actress.' ~ Sara Ramirez

I was raised in Chicago, so always used Latina. It's what my Father and brothers called ourselves, when we meant the entire Spanish-speaking community of Chicago. ~ Sandra Cisneros

I have no doubt that we will one day abolish the death penalty in America. It will come sooner if people like me who know the truth about executions do our work well and educate the public. It will come slowly if we do not. Because, finally, I know that it is not a question of malice or ill will or meanness of spirit that prompts our citizens to support executions. It is, quite simply, that people don't know the truth of what is going on. That is not by accident. The secrecy surrounding executions makes it possible for executions to continue. I am convinced that if executions were made public, the torture and violence would be unmasked, and we would be shamed into abolishing executions. We would be embarrassed at the brutalization of the crowds that would gather to watch a man or woman be killed. And we would be humiliated to know that visitors from other countries - Japan, Russia, Latina America, Europe - were watching us kill our own citizens - we, who take pride in being the flagship of democracy in the world. (p. 197) ~ Helen Prejean

In the Latina/o culture, blessing is a big deal. Growing up, I was brought up to see the blessings that surrounded me and my family. As a child, after I'd said my prayers, my mom would send me to bed with a blessing for a good night's rest. Whenever I would leave my abuelita's (grandmother's) house, she would tell me, "Dios te bendiga, mijito" ("God bless you, my little one"). In my family and in many Latina/o households, the women are the vessels of God's blessing, and thus bestowers and distributors of this blessing to their families. To this day, even though I am grown and have two children of my own, whenever I travel somewhere distant or am undertaking a major project, my mother will sit me down, lay hands on me, and say a prayer of blessing. ~ Francisco J. Garcia Jr.

Because Social Security is specifically designed to boost the retirement income of low earners with a progressive benefit formula, the program has played an enormous and necessary role in keeping Latinas out of poverty. ~ Grace Napolitano

Latinos are here to stay. As citizen Raquel, I'm proud to be Latina. ~ Raquel Welch

It might sound dramatic and a little grandiose, but as a Latina, I would like to be someone that gives a voice to my culture. ~ Cristela Alonzo

I've been blessed because every single role I've done has been an educated person. I've never done the stereotypical Latina, even though I have an accent - I've always been able to play educated people. That's a good thing! ~ Roselyn Sanchez

Personal experiences affect the facts that judges choose to see. ~ Sonia Sotomayor

[U.Eco habla de la época greco-latina]: No es que no hayan existido mujeres que filosofaran. Es que los filósofos han preferido olvidarlas, tal vez después de haberse apropiado de sus ideas
/[U. Eco is talking about the Greco-Latin era]; It is not that there had not been women philosophers. It is that male philosophers have preferred to forget them, perhaps after having appropriated their ideas. ~ Umberto Eco

Aside from being a Latina, my family immigrated from Puerto Rico and Yugoslavia so I know all about that. I wouldn't be able to do what I do today if they didn't come to America. Everybody has an immigration story. ~ Naya Rivera