It seems obvious now: the child who spends school days in a fog of semi-comprehension has no way to know her problem is not that she is slow-witted.

I have come to believe that in order to thrive, a child must have at least one adult in her life who shows her unconditional love, respect, and confidence.

I was fifteen years old when I understood how it is that things break down: people can't imagine someone else's point of view.

Dressing badly has been a refuge much of my life, a way of compelling others to engage with my mind, not my physical presence. Page. 283

I would warn any minority student today against the temptations of self-segregation: take support and comfort from your own group as you can, but don’t hide within it.

In my experience when a friend unloaded about a boyfriend or spouse, the listener soaked up the complaint and remembered it long after the speaker had forgiven the offense.

[T]he more critical lesson I learned that day is still one too many kids never figure out: don't be shy about making a teacher of any willing party who knows what he or she is doing.

I couldn’t even tell if I had any sadness of my own, because I was so full of Abuelita’s sadness.

... a surplus of effort could overcome a deficit of confidence. Page 115

I accepted what the Sisters taught in religion class: that God is loving, merciful, charitable, forgiving. That message didn't jibe with adults smacking kids.

Many of the gaps in my knowledge and understanding were simply limits of class and cultural background, not lack of aptitude or application as I feared. Page 135

You win a few, you lose a few. Some get rained out. But you got to dress for all of them.

There is no resting place for an enterprise in a competitive economy.

I have been alone since my husband died. I stay in my home. I don't date. It's hard to date when you're at home. Nobody knows you.

And the wind that saddens, the sea that gladdens, Are singing the selfsame strain.

Inside I have been a stabber, a screamer, a die-er from way back.

Alcohol is for drinking, gas is for cleaning parts, and nitro is for racing!

It is a little surprising given the strength of the economy that there is a perception - at least among some of the public - that the economy is not very good.

Difficulties are God's errands; and when we are sent upon them, we should esteem it a proof of God's confidence.

If Rosa Parks had not refused to move to the back of the bus, you and I might never have heard of Dr. Martin Luther King.

There is no murder. We make murder, and it matters only to us.