When I think about what it means to be Hispanic, I think about the love we all share for our mothers’ food, the beautiful music that inspires us to dance until sunrise, and the ability to laugh no matter how challenging life can get.
At the same time, I think about the strength it takes to live in some Hispanic countries, and the even greater strength it requires to pack your valuables, kiss your parents goodbye, and move out to an entirely new country to build a better life for yourself and your family.
So many of us experienced this firsthand — and many others are just a generation or two from this experience.
The voices of Latinos, as diverse as they may be, come together into a familiar and united chorus; we are resilient, funny, caring, hardworking, and love our families above all else.
We’ve curated a collection of beautiful quotes about what it means to be Hispanic and Latino — to celebrate during Hispanic Heritage Month and all year long.
Of course, don’t forget to explore our guide on ideas for how to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month this year.
The Best Hispanic Heritage Month Quotes
Famous Hispanic Heritage Month Quotes
“You are not lucky to be here. The world needs your perspective. They are lucky to have you.”
— Antonio Tijerino, President & CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation
“At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.”
— Frida Kahlo
“Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.”
— Cesar Chavez
“The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace.”
— Carlos Santana
“Your great strength is knowing who you are.”
— Oscar de la Renta
“When I was growing up, my parents insisted that we speak Spanish and read Spanish. I’m so happy they did that, because we developed their culture and their roots.”
— Tito Puente
“It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not understand.”
— Sonia Sotomayor
“The more you speak more languages, the more you understand about yourself.”
— Sandra Cisneros
“If you have a dream, don’t let anybody take it away.”
— Selena Quintanilla
“Forgiving is not forgetting. Forgiving is remembering without pain.”
— Celia Cruz
Hispanic Quotes About Life
“What matters in life is not what happens to you, but what you remember and how you remember it.”
— Gabriel García Márquez
“We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things. That is what we are put on the earth for.”
— Dolores Huerta
“If you have an opportunity to make things better and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.”
— Roberto Clemente
“Every day begins like a blank chalkboard, on which each one of us can write the poem of our present and our dreams of the future.”
— Ricky Martin
“You only have what you give. It’s by spending yourself that you become rich.”
— Isabel Allende
“We tend to think of meditation in only one way. But life itself is a meditation.”
— Raul Julia
“I don’t want an uneventful and safe life, I prefer an adventurous one.”
— Isabel Allende
Quotes About Being Hispanic
“We have to be visible. We are not ashamed of who we are.”
— Sylvia Rivera
“In the end, the American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don’t always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor.”
— Julian Castro
“I am the one thing in life I can control. I am inimitable — I am an original.”
— Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Yes, I am the first Latino poet laureate in the United States. But I’m also here for everyone and from everyone. My voice is made by everyone’s voices.”
— Juan Felipe Herrera
“I know now that he who hopes to be universal in his art must plant in his own soil... The secret of my best work is that it is Mexican.”
— Diego Rivera
“There was nobody that I could look up and say ‘“That’s somebody like me’”. Which is probably why I’m now known in my community as ‘La Pionera’, or the Pioneer. I really don’t think of myself as a role model. But it turns out that I am to a lot of the Hispanic community. Not just in show business, but in life. But that’s what happens when you’re first, right?”
— Rita Moreno
“Growing up, there wasn’t an exact Hispanic role model that I had. I didn’t realize how big a difference I was making, going to the Olympics and being Hispanic, until I would be in an autograph session, and parents would come up to me and say, ‘You know, our family is so proud of you, you’re really doing Hispanics proud.’”
— Laurie Hernández
“While our culture, traditions and religion may differ, we pride ourselves on working hard, educating ourselves as much as possible, striving for better lives for our children, loving our often large and blended families, and sharing as much of our history and customs as we can with anyone who chooses to really see us. We are not so different after all. People simply need to see us for who we are and not who they expect us to be.”
— Natalie Morales
“I’m proud of being Hispanic.”
— Lisa Guerrero
Inspirational Quotes by Latinas
“The Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever.”
— Sonia Sotomayor
“I don’t study to know more, but to ignore less.”
— Juana Inés de la Cruz
“They are afraid of us because we are not afraid of them.”
— Berta Caceres
“Whatever it is your heart desires, please go for it, it’s yours to have.”
— Gloria Estefan
“People think of Latina women as being fiery and fierce, which is usually true. But I think the quality that so many Latinas possess is strength. I’m very proud to have Latin blood.”
— Zoe Saldana
“As an immigrant, I appreciate, far more than the average American, the liberties we have in this country. Silence is a big enemy of morality. I don’t want our blunders in history to get repeated.”
— Gloria Estefan
“You have to remember the value of your individuality — that you have something special and different to offer that nobody else can.”
— Jennifer Lopez
“My mother gave me one piece of advice that stuck with me. She said don’t forget where you came from.”
— Eva Longoria
Latino Quotes
“Be proud to be Latino and never lose that pride!”
— Bad Bunny
“I feel very proud to be Mexican. I didn’t have the opportunity to learn Spanish when I was a girl, but… it’s never too late to get in touch with your roots.”
— Selena Quintanilla
“We are all individuals; we are all human beings; we are all connected together; and we all have the same rights, the same freedom.”
— Sylvia Mendez
“The Latino population has become such a presence. We are part of the American tapestry in a very profound way, in every area you can think of, and are very significant in popular culture.”
— Jimmy Smits
“Many Latino kids should become scientists because we need scientists all over the world from all different backgrounds. We have many tough problems, and we need everybody’s help to solve the problems.”
— Mario J. Molina
“I feel so much pride to represent my community and be Latino. No doubt about it, above my career and sales being a Latino comes first.”
— Daddy Yankee
Chicano Quotes
“I am not Mexican. I am not gringo. I am not Chicano. I am not gringo in the U.S. and Mexican in Mexico. I am Chicano everywhere. I don't have to assimilate to anything. I have my own history.”
— Carlos Fuentes
“No Statue of Liberty ever greeted our arrival in this country… we did not, in fact, come to the United States at all. The United States came to us.”
— Luis Valdez
“Deslenguadas. Somos las del español deficiente. We are your linguistic nightmare, your linguistic aberration, your linguistic mestizaje, the subject of your burla. Because we speak with tongues of fire we are culturally crucified. Racially, culturally and linguistically somos huérfanos — we speak an orphan tongue.”
― Gloria E. Anzaldúa
“I am proud to be born in the USA, but my Mexican roots are my foundation and what make me never give up, always keep fighting and finish the fight till the end.”
— Oscar de la Hoya
More Empowering Quotes for Instagram & Beyond
“Justice is about making sure that being polite is not the same thing as being quiet. In fact, oftentimes, the most righteous thing you can do is shake the table.”
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
→ Read more quotes about justice and social justice
“Action is the antidote to despair.”
— Joan Baez
→ Read more quotes about optimism and hope
“Success is its own reward, but failure is a great teacher too, and not to be feared.”
— Sonia Sotomayor
“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.”
— Pablo Neruda
→ Read more positive quotes
“Widen the path of opportunities and continue to leave a powerful and positive legacy in this world.”
— Luis Fonsi
→ Read more quotes about making a difference
“I tell students that the opportunities I had were a result of having a good educational background. Education is what allows you to stand out.”
— Ellen Ochoa
“I believe that fortitude is key. More than anything, be consistent. Go at it. Go at it. Go at it. When you succeed, don’t forget the responsibility of making somebody else succeed with you.”
— Antonia Novello
