Sandra Cisneros Quotes & Sayings (Page 3)

“I wasn't aware that 'House on Mango Street' was so influenced by Spanish until after I finished.”

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

“In English, my name means hope. In Spanish, it means too many letters. It means sadness. It means waiting. It is like the number nine, a muddy color.”

“My father always defined my gender to my brothers. He'd say, 'This is your sister; you must take care of her.'”

“I have to understand what my strengths and limitations are, and work from a true place. I try to do this as best I can while still protecting my writer self, which more than ever needs privacy.”

“Generally if you're a daughter in a Mexican family, no one wants to tell you anything; they tell you the healthy lies about your family.”

“I try to be as honest about what I see and to speak rather than be silent, especially if it means I can save lives, or serve humanity.”

“I think that Mexican-American kids live in a global world. It's not even bi-, it's multi-. You know, for those of us who grew up with different countries on our block, different nationalities, you know, we moved into multiple worlds.”

“Sometimes I feel I can't quite master my written and spoken Spanish, because I'm too much a student of English. I would need another lifetime to learn it.”

“I realize that when I moved out of my father's house I shocked and frightened him because I needed a room of my own, a space of my own to reinvent myself.”