From Farmworker to Astronaut / De Campesino a Astronauta Quotes

“As I watched the sun come up on the horizon, I could clearly see the thickness of our atmosphere. What I saw during those few seconds really surprised me, because the atmosphere looked scarily thin! To think that this is the only thing that is keeping us alive made me an instant environmentalist. I guess I was always conscientious of our environment, but seeing the planet from that perspective made me realize how fragile our planet is and that we should be good stewards of our environment.”
― José M. Hernández, From Farmworker to Astronaut / De campesino a astronauta: My Path to the Stars / Mi viaje a las estrellas

“Pops’ five-ingredient recipe so as not to forget it: 1. Define what you want to do in life. 2. Recognize how far you are from your goal. 3. Draw yourself a roadmap. 4. Prepare yourself with a good education. 5. Develop a good work ethic and always give more than what is expected.”
― José M. Hernández, From Farmworker to Astronaut / De campesino a astronauta: My Path to the Stars / Mi viaje a las estrellas

“Fifth and finally, m’ijo . . . ” He raised his arm and pointed out the kitchen window. “You know the effort you put in every time you pick strawberries, cherries, cucumbers, onions, green tomatoes, peaches and grapes?” “Yes,” I replied, a little bit puzzled, thinking of the weekends and summers of hard work in the fields. “Well, you put that same effort here!” he said, pointing to my books on the kitchen table. “And when you get a job, you put that same effort into your job. Always, always give more than what is expected of you.”
― José M. Hernández, From Farmworker to Astronaut / De campesino a astronauta: My Path to the Stars / Mi viaje a las estrellas