50 Latina Quotes From A Diverse Diaspora

By Clifton Sankofa | Published September 30, 2023

Put some passion in your life with our Latina quotes.

The Latina energy is one of strength, passion, and family love.

But who classifies as Latina, and where does the word come from?

Find out with our Latina quotes below.

What is a Latina?

People outside of Latin communities sometimes use the words Hispanic or Latina/o interchangeably, but the words have different meanings.

Those who use the word Hispanic refer to their European descendency via Spain.

People who use the word Latina/o refer to their indigenous ancestry from the Americas.

Check out these interesting facts about Latina economics and education:

As of 2013, Latinas owned about 1 out of every 10 women-owned businesses.
College graduation rates for Latinas have increased faster than any other group of women.
Latina women make 55 cents to the dollar when compared to white, non-Hispanic males.

So, who identifies as Latina?

I grew up in New York around diverse populations of Latin Americans.

Our neighborhood had Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Peruvians, Columbians, Salvadorians, Hondurans, Mexicans, Argentinians, and many other Spanish-speaking people.

I can vividly remember the hotly debated conversations in my Latin American Studies classes at the University at Albany.

Albany had a large Spanish-speaking student population, many of whom came with different values and identities.

In college, I saw how the racial divide impacted people’s identity.

I noticed how the students who looked more European, with lighter-colored eyes, hair, and skin, felt more comfortable using the word Hispanic.

I also noticed that the more melanated students with darker features aligned themselves with the word Latina/o.

Get out of your comfort zone

It is easy to get comfortable when we think we know or understand our world.

However, there is no growth in the comfort zone.

It wasn’t until I made it to college that I would grow to appreciate the rich history of the Latina/o diaspora.

When I was young, we referred to Latin people as “Spanish.”

It was a blanket term that many African Americans in New York were cultured to use to describe an extremely diverse set of people.

When I was older, I realized it felt silly to call someone from Peru, Mexico, or Puerto Rico “Spanish.”

It was the equivalent of calling people in China or India “English” just because of their ability to speak a foreign language.

I learned how the African diaspora includes much of Central and South America as I got older.

Discovering how the Latin and African American communities were connected created a passion inside me to learn more.

If you want to learn more, check out our Latina quotes below.

Short Latina quotes about a diverse community

We begin our list with these quotes from a range of personalities.

1. “I was always typecast as a Latina.” — Rita Moreno

2. “The women I love most are Latina.” — William Levy

3. “I’m very proud to have Latin blood.” — Zoe Saldana

4. “I was raised in Chicago, so I always used Latina.” — Sandra Cisneros

5. “I’ve always been a real stubborn Latina. I’m a Gemini.” — Denise Bidot

6. “The Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever.” — Sonia Sotomayor

7. “Being Latina for me is also being a strong woman.” — Natalie Martinez

8. “I’m a Latina. Everything is outspoken in my culture.” — Camila Morrone

9. “Being Latina for me is also being a strong woman.” — Natalie Martinez

10. “I’m proud to be Latina, and most people don’t know I am.” — Bella Thorne

The top empowering Latina quotes celebrating pride

Check out these awesome Latina quotes.

11. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m Latina or something, but I have no problem speaking my mind.” — Becky G

12. “I am very proud to be a Latina because that’s also something that makes me very unique.” — Lele Pons

13. “I don’t understand labels. I don’t need anybody to tell me I’m Latina or black or anything else.” — Zoe Saldana

14. “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.” — Sonia Sotomayor

15. “They say Latina women are spicy. But we are more than that. We have power, and we run things.” — Natti Natasha

16. “When I started as an actor, because of the accent and my body and my personality, it was not what the stereotype of the Latina woman in Hollywood is, so they didn’t know where to put me. ” — Sofia Vergara

17. “To be seen and to be respected for my work and acknowledged as a true American Latina means a lot to me.” — Zoe Saldana

18. “Being a woman, we talk about equal pay all the time. We’re not talking about if you’re black or if you are Latina.” — Megan Rapinoe

19. “Because of their low earnings and family obligations, Latinas would not be putting much money into private investment accounts.” — Grace Napolitano

20. “I’d like to see a world where there are so many Latina women leaders and women of all different backgrounds in the top jobs around the country.” — Geisha Williams

The best Latina quotes about strength

Strength is embodied by Latinas worldwide.

21. “People think of Latina women as being fiery and fierce, which is usually true.” — Zoe Saldana

22. “I was part of a hip-hop group called Fly Style. It gave me a different perception of dance and beauty because the other girls were mostly African-American and Latina.” — Greta Gerwig

23. “When you are Latina, it is all about family, and to see that she prioritizes family and her career at the same time is really nice.” — Becky G

24. “Morphing from Latina when I was dressed in red, to African American when in mustard yellow, my closet filled with fashionable frocks to make me look as racially varied as an Eighties Benetton poster.” — Meghan Markle

25. “It might sound dramatic and a little grandiose, but as a Latina, I would like to be someone that gives a voice to my culture.” — Cristela Alonzo

26. “For me, being an ‘American Latina’ means identifying with and being influenced by both my American upbringing and my Latin heritage.” — Camila Mendes

27. “I realized how Latina I was, and then also, at the same time, how not Latina enough I was, because I’m born and raised in Los Angeles.” — America Ferrera

28. “I am a woman, and I am a Latina. Those are the things that make my writing distinctive. Those are the things that give my writing power.” — Sandra Cisneros

29. “But I think the quality that so many Latinas possess is strength.” — Zoe Saldana

30. “I definitely have some stereotypical qualities of being a Latina.” — Bitsie Tulloch

Famous Latina quotes about stereotypes and family

These quotes celebrate pride and family.

31. “I’ve never done the stereotypical Latina, even though I have an accent.” — Roselyn Sanchez

32. “I want to steer away from the stereotypes that Latina women are categorized in.” — Emily Rios

33. “Latina women are proud to be called ‘Mrs.’ That simply means that we have a family.” — Clarissa Pinkola Estes

34. “Sotomayor’s vainglorious lecture bromide about herself as a wise Latina’ trumping white men is a vulgar embarrassment, a vestige of the bad old days of male-bashing feminism.” — Camille Paglia

35. “I have to represent. I feel proud to have a culture that’s different and proud to be a Latina.” — Natalie Martinez

36. “I love going to the hair salon. I’m Spanish. I think it’s more of a Latina thing to go to the hair salon.” — Paz de la Huerta

37. “No Latina woman would be called ‘Ms.’ – that’s an invention of middle-class Anglo women.” — Clarissa Pinkola Estes

38. “It’s so exciting to headline a film. It’s not every day you see a Latina carrying a full-length feature.” — Aimee Garcia

39. “Many artists in Mexico fight to be the Latina Madonna. I don’t want that! Never! Maybe she’s the American Gloria Trevi!” — Gloria Trevi

40. “The fullness of who you are, what it’s like to be queer, out, Latina, Afro-Latina, biracial, or multiracial, however you want to identify.” — Ariana DeBose

Empowering Latina quotes and sayings about life

We close our list with these Latina quotes to live by.

41. “The fact is, I am Latina, so how are you going to tell me that I don’t look Latina?” — Camila Mendes

42. “I often hear things like, ‘You don’t look Latina enough,’ and that mentality is so backwards.” — Camila Mendes

43. “I think all Latino actors want to be storytellers first. I want to be an actor first, and then I want to be Latina.” — Gina Rodriguez

44. “I love being Latina.” — Eiza Gonzalez

45. “I’m bicultural, and everyone sees me as a Latina, but in my head, I see myself as both Latina and American.” — Genesis Rodriguez

46. “We made history when President Obama appointed Sonia Sotomayor, a proud Latina, the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.” — Charlie Gonzalez

47. “Audiences want great storytelling; it’s why white people watch my show Black in America. It’s why black people watch Latina in America.” — Soledad O’Brien

48. “I simply do not know exactly what that difference will be in my judging. But I accept there will be some based on my gender and my Latina heritage.” — Sonia Sotomayor

49. “On average, African-American women are 4 times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications. Latina women are at 2 times greater risk.” — Christy Turlington

50. “There are plenty of Latina actresses that no one’s ever heard of; Some are really brown, some are light-skinned, and some look like they’re Caucasian.” — Sara Ramirez

Latina pride!