Dr. Nick Figueroa > Dr. Nick's Quotes

“Fight until you can’t breathe, & if you have to forfeit, you forfeit smiling, make them think you let them win.”
― Elizabeth Acevedo, Clap When You Land

“While gentrification has tamed El Barrio, it cannot rewrite its past...”
― Ernesto Quiñonez, Taína

“She was the snake biting its tail. She was a dreamer, eternally bound to a nightmare, eyes closed even when her eyes had turned to dust.”
― Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Mexican Gothic

“Can you be from a place
you have never been?

You can find the island stamped all over me,
but what would the island find if I was there?

Can you claim a home that does not know you,
much less claim you as its own?”
― Elizabeth Acevedo, Clap When You Land

“A sadness like a coqui that has been told to remain silent and I wanted Taina to sing...”
― Ernesto Quiñónez, Taína

“Never, ever, let them see you sweat, negra. Fight until you can’t breathe, & if you have to forfeit, you forfeit smiling, make them think you let them win.”
― Elizabeth Acevedo, Clap When You Land

“Don’t forget about us. No lights are too bright to forget where you come from. Remember. Remember.”
― Angie Cruz, Dominicana

“Losing privilege can feel a lot like inequality. If something feels unfair to you as a white person, it's likely that equality is actually being achieved in that moment.”
― Jennine Capo Crucet, My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education

“The difference between the communist and capitalist systems is that, although both give you a kick in the ass, in the communist system you have to applaud, while in the capitalist system you can scream. And I came here to scream.”
― Reinaldo Arenas, Before Night Falls

“So he created a theater of his life / & got lost in all the different roles he had to play.”
― Elizabeth Acevedo, Clap When You Land

“Dreaming is good to do when you're sleeping. But, as long as we're awake, nobody wants to go hungry.”
― Angie Cruz, Dominicana

“It’s no good telling tales without a drink.”
― Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Mexican Gothic

“They don't do that so much anymore. This must be a plane of Dominicans returning home...when you touch down on the soil, you must clap your hands. Para dar gracias a dios. Regrezamos.' & I smiled back.”
― Elizabeth Acevedo, Clap When You Land

“My sweet, hollow Dominicana will keep all of my secrets: she has no eyes, no lips, no mouth.”
― Angie Cruz, Dominicana

“She doesn't look like an American-apple-pie mother. She looks like a tres golpes of a mother...”
― Elizabeth Acevedo, Clap When You Land

“I only know that learning to believe in the power of my own words has been the most freeing experience of my life. It has brought me the most light. And isn't that what a poem is? A lantern glowing in the dark.”
― Elizabeth Acevedo, The Poet X

“I'm not even in love with you. You don't even awaken in me one of those aberrant nostalgia that men my age feel with the proximity of a young life: you are an inferior being, Iris Mateluna, a piece of primary existence that surrounds a reproductive uterus so central to your person that all the rest of your being is a superfluous shell…”
― José Donoso, The Obscene Bird of Night

“We wrote this book because we must channel our rage, our heartbreak, and our love of country to fight for our home and prevent a dark, dystopian future in which immigrants are no longer part of the story of America,” Mendoza says. “We must declare ourselves sanctuary for not only immigrants but for everyone who is vulnerable to the violence of white supremacy..”
― Paola Mendoza, Sanctuary

“ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɪꜰ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴜꜱ…”
― Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite

“Este mundo es de los vivos, pontificó; y si te apendejas, te aplastan.”
― Fernanda Melchor, Hurricane Season

“ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴏɴᴇꜱ. ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʜʀᴀꜱɪɴɢ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴛ -ᴀ ɴɪᴄᴇ ᴋɪᴅ, ᴀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪꜱᴇ-ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ: ᴛʜɪꜱ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ɢɪʀʟ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴡᴏʀᴛh
ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴏꜱᴇᴅ ꜱʜᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ!…”
― Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite

“ɪ'ᴍ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ꜱᴛᴀᴛɪꜱᴛɪᴄꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ʟɪᴋᴇʟɪʜᴏᴏᴅ ᴏꜰ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ꜱᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʟᴀᴡ ᴇɴꜰᴏʀᴄᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ. ɪ'ᴍ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴄɪᴠɪʟɪᴀɴꜱ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʜᴀɴᴅꜱ ᴏɴ ᴜꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʙᴜʟʟᴇᴛꜱ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴜꜱ. ɪ'ᴍ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄɪᴀɴꜱ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪꜱᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴇᴍᴘᴛʏ. ɪ'ᴍ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏʟɪᴄᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪꜱʀᴇꜱᴘᴇᴄᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ. ʙᴇᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. ᴋɪʟʟ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴇʟʟᴏᴡ ᴀᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀɴꜱ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜʏ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀɴɢᴇʀ ᴜꜱ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ɪ'ᴍ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ, ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʟʟ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟᴘ ʀᴀɪꜱᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ...”
― Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite

“ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴜʀᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴡᴀᴋᴇ? ɪᴛ ꜱᴇᴇᴍꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴇᴛ ᴡᴇ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ, ᴡᴇ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ….”
― Maritza Moulite , One of the Good Ones

“El amor es impuro, lo decían los ojos de Anne. Y era verdad. Contamina y te vuelve posesiva, salvaje, destructiva.”
― Mariana Enriquez, Nuestra parte de noche