The Bean Trees Quotes

“He asked me if the alligator was a national symbol of the United States, because you saw them everywhere on people's shirts, just above the heart.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees

“When I got on the line again the operator was asking for more coins, so I dropped them in. Mama and I listened to the weird bonging song and didn't say anything to each other for a little bit.

'I just lost somebody I was in love with,' I finally told her. 'I just told him goodbye, and I'm never going to see him again.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees

“What's with everybody always trying to get rid of the Indians?" I said, not really asking for an answer. I thought again of the history-book pictures. Astronomers and brain surgeons. They should have done brain surgery on Columbus while they had the chance.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees

“From my earliest memory, times of crisis seemed to end up with women in the kitchen preparing food for men.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees

“Estevan took off his shirt and lay back against the front of the boat, his hands clasped behind his head, exposing his smooth Mayan chest to the sun. And to me. How could he possibly have done this, if he had any idea how I felt? I knew that Estevan had walked a long, hard road beyond innocence, but still he sometimes did the most simple, innocent, heartbreaking things.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees

“I'm just a plain hillbilly from East Jesus Nowhere with this adopted child that everybody keeps on telling me is dumb as a box of rocks.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees

“To hear you tell it, you'd think man was only put on this earth to keep urinals from going to waste.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees