I have never had to face anything that could overwhelm the native optimism and stubborn perseverance I was blessed with.

Success is its own reward, but failure is a great teacher too, and not to be feared.

As you discover what strength you can draw from your community in this world from which it stands apart, look outward as well as inward. Build bridges instead of walls.

I do know one thing about me: I don't measure myself by others' expectations or let others define my worth.

Experience has taught me that you cannot value dreams according to the odds of their coming true. Their real value is in stirring within us the will to aspire.

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.

Remember that no one succeeds alone. Never walk alone in your future paths.

Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences...our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging.

Until we reach equality in education, we can't reach equality in the larger society.

The Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever.

There are no bystanders in life [...] Our humanity makes us each a part of something greater than ourselves.

There was no such thing as defeat if you didn't accept it.

Tomorrow's life is too late. Live today.

We've put more effort into helping folks reach old age than into helping them enjoy it.

We still seek to solve conflicts with 'judgement' instead of designing the way forwards.

The tide of evolution carries everything before it, thoughts no less than bodies, and persons no less than nations.

Pretty women without religion are like flowers without perfume.

Only death reveals what a nothing the body of man is.

Warren Beatty once quipped that the best time for a wedding was noon, because if the marriage didn't work, you hadn't screwed up the entire day.

We're not godly because we're perfect. We're godly because we're perfectly broken.

Any problem is an opportunity. The bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity.