Inspiring Words: 20 Powerful Quotes from Hispanic Leaders

"The most wonderful thing about life is that you can always begin again. No matter what ups and downs you are handed in life today, you can always begin again tomorrow."

- Raiza Mendoza

"We have to be visible. We are not ashamed of who we are."

- Sylvia Rivera

"I don’t think about being first or second; I just think about doing the best job I can do."

- Ellen Ochoa

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle."

- Christian D. Larson

"You can’t change the circumstances, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of."

- Gloria Estefan

"Don’t be afraid to reach for the stars."

- Selena Quintanilla

"Complacency is the cousin of death."

- Pitbull

"La vida es un carnaval"

- Celia Cruz

"Todos tenemos una reserva insospechada de fuerza en el interior que emerge cuando la vida nos pone a prueba."

- Isabel Allende

"El arte es hacer siempre lo mismo, pero de forma diferente."

- Fernando Botero

"Me tomó 17 años y 114 días convertirme en un éxito de la noche a la mañana."

- Lionel Messi

"Your individuality is important, but so is belonging. Recognize the parts of your culture that have shaped your past, and the parts you want to carry with you into the future."

- Sol Peralta

"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 Saldaña

"Don’t let fear stop you from achieving what you want."

- Elizabeth Colón

"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

"When opportunity presents itself, grab it. Hold on tight and don’t let go."

- Celia Cruz

"If I could go back and give myself advice, I would say, ‘You deserve to be here because you are a good actor. You know it. Now, let everybody else know.'"

- Daniella De Jesús

"Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience."

- Paulo Coelho

"It is through art that we will prevail and we will endure. It lives on after us and defines us as people."

- Rita Moreno

"The opposite of success is not failure…it’s being stuck. You have a unique gift that’s meant to be shared. When fully aligned with this everlasting gift, an unshakable confidence becomes real!"

- Jennifer Villarreal

"At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can."

- Frida Kahlo

"One of the greatest things you have in life is that no one has the authority to tell you what you want to be. You’re the one who’ll decide what you want to be. Respect yourself and respect the integrity of others as well. The greatest thing you have is your self-image, a positive opinion of yourself. You must never let anyone take it from you."

- Jaime Escalante

"Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world."

- Dolores Huerta

"Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures."

- Cesar Chavez

"Justice is about making sure that being polite is not the same thing as being quiet. In fact, often times, the most righteous thing you can do is shake the table."

- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

"As people of color, we have a potent power – and a responsibility – to change events around us, not just professionally, but spiritually and politically as well."

- Michelle Herrera Mulligan

"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

"If you have an opportunity to make things better and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth."

- Roberto Clemente

"Action is the antidote to despair."

- Joan Baez

"It is our duty and responsibility to become the best person we are intended to be."

- Luz Marie Caro

"Widen the path of opportunities and continue to leave a powerful and positive legacy in this world."

- Luis Fonsi

"Whatever it is your heart desires, please go for it. It’s yours to have."

- Gloria Estefan

"They are afraid of us because we are not afraid of them."

- Berta Cáceres

"Feet, what do I need them for if I have wings to fly?"

- Frida Kahlo

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it."

- Gabriel García Márquez

"We all have an unsuspected reserve of strength inside that emerges when life puts us to the test."

- Isabel Allende

"The easiest way to prove them wrong is to do what they say you can’t."

- Rita Moreno

"Nothing is lost if one has the courage to proclaim that all is lost, and we must begin anew."

- Julio Cortázar

"You are not lucky to be here. The world needs your perspective. They are lucky to have you."

- Antonio Tijerino

"Don’t let anyone call you a minority if you’re black or Hispanic or belong to some other ethnic group. You’re not less than anybody else."

- Gwendolyn Brooks

"The Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever."

- Sonia Sotomayor

"We must be impatient for change. Let us remember that our voice is a precious gift and we must use it."

- Claudia Flores

"Don't be told something is impossible. There's always a way."

- Robert Rodriguez

"My mother gave me one piece of advice that stuck with me. She said don't forget where you came from."

- Eva Longoria

"We are human beings. And no matter how bad things are and no matter how limiting things are..we can always be creative."

- Luis J. Rodriguez

"I am trying to teach my children to feel a responsibility for their fellow human beings and a sense of connection with...the world around them."

- Gloria Estefan

"my children better off than myself?"

- Marco Rubio