Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Richard Rodriguez

Quote by Richard Rodriguez

“In some ways I consider myself more Chinese, because I live in San Francisco, which is becoming a predominantly Asian city. I avoid falling into the black-and-white dialectic in which most of America still seems trapped. I have always recognized that, as an American, I am in relationship with other parts of the world; that I have to measure myself against the Pacific, against Asia. Having to think of myself in relationship to that horizon has liberated me from the black-and-white checkerboard.”

Quote by Richard Rodriguez

Create image

Author

Richard Rodriguez
Richard Rodriguez

Richard Rodriguez is an American writer born on July 31, 1944. His works primarily explore issues of identity, culture, and class, particularly the experiences of Latinos in American society. Rodriguez is known for his profound social commentary and literary talent. more

You May Also Like

“I had an Indian face, but I never saw it as Indian, in part because in America the Indian was dead. The Indian had been killed in cowboy movies, or was playing bingo in Oklahoma. Also, in my middle-class Mexican family indio was a bad word, one my parents shy away from to this day. That's one of the reasons, of course, why I always insist, in my bratty way, on saying, Soy indio! - "I am an Indian!"”

WayReasonAmericaFacesCoursesParentClassSawsMiddleIndianMiddle ClassShyThis DayCowboyMexicanOklahomaBad WordSoyBingoCowboy Movie
Author:Richard Rodriguez
Create image

“The myth of the dead Indian goes back to the Protestant settlement of the U.S. The Pilgrims wanted to start a new life in America. They wanted to believe that in some sense they had come to a new Eden and that they could leave history behind in Europe. So they convinced themselves that this land had no history, that this was "virgin" land. This made the Indians' presence inconvenient.”

BelieveMadeWantedAmericaBehindsLandEuropeMythConvincedIndianVirginsNew LifeEdenProtestantsPilgrimSettlementInconvenient
Author:Richard Rodriguez
Create image

“Suddenly the land is haunted by all these dead Indians. There is this new fascination with the Southwest, with places like Santa Fe, New Mexico, where people come down from New York and Boston and dress up as Indians. When I go to Santa Fe, I find real Indians living there, but they are not involved in the earth worship that the American environmentalists are so taken by. Many of these Indians are interested, rather, in becoming Evangelical Christians.”

PeopleRealEarthChristianTakenLandNew YorkBecomingInvolvedWorshipDressesMexicoBostonSantaFascinationEvangelicalEnvironmentalistNew MexicoSanta Fe
Author:Richard Rodriguez
Create image