Carlos Fuentes Quotes

“Look at me, chica." When she does, I repeat, "Eres hermosa."
"What does it mean?"
"You're beautiful.”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“I'm in deep shit Alex, 'cause I think I'd like nothin' better than to wake up with her every mornin'.”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“Hey, Carlos," the Professor says when he walks in. "How was REACH?"
"It sucked."
"Can you be more specific?" my guardian asks.
"It really sucked," I elaborate, sarcasm dripping from every word.”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“La cucaracha, La cucaracha, Ya no puede caminar, porque no tiene, porque le falta, I don't know the rest, la la la la!”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“Next time I want to do something nice, slap me.”
― Simone Elkeles

“Do you ever lose the ego?” Westford asks me.
“Yeah.” When his daughter kisses me, my ego flies out the window.”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“And just so you know for the future, I like my double-chocolate chip cookies warm and soft in the middle...and without magnets glued to them."
"Me, too. When you decide to bake me some, let me know.”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“Did I ever tell you that Alex loves you so much he got your name tattooed all over his body? Hell, he even got your name branded into the back of his neck."
"They say 'LB,' Carlos. The initials for Latino Blood."
"No, no, no. You've got it all wrong. He wants everyone to think that, but in reality it means Lover of Brittany. LB, get it?”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“Yo no soy mexicano. Yo no soy gringo. Yo no soy chicano. No soy gringo en USA y mexicano en Mexico. Soy chicano en todas partes. No tengo que asimilarme a nada. Tengo mi propia historia.”
― Carlos Fuentes

“Just so you know, I’m goin’ to enlist.”
“I’m proud of you. But why?”
I groan against the pain but manage to give him a half smile. “I want to make sure Kiara’s got a boyfriend who has more to offer than a hot bod and a face that could make angels weep.”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“That’s not the only reason I’m stayin’, chica. I can’t leave you any more than I could walk
out that door right now while my leg is busted up. I was just thinkin’ . . . should we tell your
parents now or later?”
“Tell them what?” I ask, eyes wide.
He kisses me softly, then says proudly, “That we’re in a serious, monogamous, committed
relationship.”
“We are?”
“Sí. And when I get out of here, I’m gonna fix the door to your car.”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“Dios mio, I think my brother lost his balls somewhere between here and Mexico. Or maybe Brittany has them zipped inside that fancy purse (of hers).”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“Can I request another peer guide, One who isn't so happy to be at school at 7:30 a.m.?”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“He opens his window and motions for me to open mine. When I do, he tries to say something. His voice barely carries through the sound of the rain coming down hard between us.

I lean out the car window. "What?" 

He leans out his window, meeting me halfway. We're both wet and soaked, but neither of us seems to care. "Don't run away from me when I need to tell you somethin' important."

"What?" I say, hoping he doesn't notice the tears running down my face, and praying they're getting mixed up with the rain. 

"Tonight was . . . well, it was perfect for me, too. You've turned my world upside down. I've fallen in love with you, chica, and it scares the fuckin' shit outta me. I've been shakin' all night, because I knew it. I've tried to deny it, to make you think I wanted you as a fake girlfriend, but that was a lie." 

"I love you, Kiara," he says before his lips move forward and meet mine.”
― Simone Elkeles , Rules of Attraction

“He laughs. "Put some clothes on so you don't scare poor Kiara with your morning hard-on."
I look down at my shorts. Sure enough, I've got la tengo dura in front of Kiara and Tuck. Shit. I reach out for the first thing I can grab and put it in front of me to shield myself from view. It happens to be one of Kiara's stuffed animals, but I don't have much choice right now.
"That's Kiara's Mojo," Tuck says, laughing. "Get it? Mojo?”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“Do I hear a challenge?” she whispers, “Oh, Carlos. You know I can’t resist a challenge.”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“Want to get in trouble with me, Carlos?”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“Girls like you want to cut guy's nuts off and hang 'em from your rearview mirror.”
― Simone Elkeles

“A garter. You’re supposed to take it off and keep it as a memento. K-k-kinda like a trophy
for going far sexually with a girl. It’s stupid, really. And kind of d-d-degrading if I think about
it too m-m-much.”
“I know what it is,” he says, amusement evident in his voice. “I just wanted to hear your
explanation.”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“Didn't you learn anything from my mistakes?" he asks.
Shit, when Alex was in the Latino Blood back in Chicago I worshiped him. "You don't want to hear my answer to that.”
― Simone Elkeles

“K,
the lady at the store said yellow means friendship and red means love. The rosary is the only thing I own that has value to me. It's yours. I'm yours
C.”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“You’re not the only one in this relationship who loves a
challenge,” he says. “And just so you know for the future, I like my double-chocolate chip
cookies warm and soft in the middle . . . and without magnets glued to them.”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“I want to make sure Kiara’s got a boyfriend who has more to offer than a hot bod and a face that could make angels weep.”
― Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

“La muerte espera al más valiente, al más rico, al más bello. Pero los iguala al más cobarde, al más pobre, al más feo, no en el simple hecho de morir, ni siquiera en la conciencia de la muerte, sino en la ignorancia de la muerte. Sabemos que un día vendrá, pero nunca sabemos lo que es.”
― Carlos Fuentes

“Mientras más pienses en ella, más tuya la harás, no sólo porque piensas en su belleza y la deseas, sino porque ahora la deseas para liberarla”
― Carlos Fuentes, Aura

“Why can't you call me Alex?" I ask, my head down while I stare at the food in front of me.
"If I wanted to call you Alex, I wouldn't have bothered to name you Alejandro. Don't you like your given name?"
My muscles tense. I was named after a father who is no longer alive, leaving me the responsibility of being the designated man of the house. Alejandro, Alejandro Jr., Junior . . . it's all the same to me.
"Would it matter?" I mumble as I pick up a tortilla. I look up, trying to gauge her reaction.
Her back is to me as she cleans dishes in the sink. "No."
"Alex wants to pretend he's white," Carlos chimes in. "You can change your name, bro, but nobody'd mistake you for anythin' other than Mexicano."
"Carlos, collate la boca," I warn. I don't want to be white. I just don't want to be associated with my father.
"Por favor, you two," our mother pleads. "Enough fighting for one day."
"Mojado," Carlos sings, egging me on by calling me a wetback.
I've had enough of Carlos's mouth; he's gone too far. I stand, my chair scraping the floor. Carlos follows and steps in front of me, closing the space between us. He knows I could kick his ass. His overblown ego is gonna get him in trouble with the wrong person one of these days.
"Carlos, sit down," mi'ama orders.
"Dirty beaner," Carlos drawls at me in a fake deep accent. "Better yet, es un Ganguero."
"Carlos!" mi'ama reprimands sharply as she comes forward, but I get in between them and grab my brother's collar.
"Yeah, that's all anyone will ever think of me," I tell him. "But you keep talkin' trash and they'll think that of you, too."
"Brother, they'll think that of me anyway. Whether I want them to or not."
I release him. "You're wrong, Carlos. You can do better, be better."
"Than you?"
"Yeah, better than me and you know it," I say. "Now apologize to mi'ama for talkin' smack in front of her."
One look in my eyes and Carlos knows I'm not kidding around. "Sorry, Ma," he says, then sits back down. I don't miss his glare, though, as his ego got knocked down a peg.”
― Simone Elkeles, Perfect Chemistry

“Der Autor muß eine Fülle von Varitionen über das ausgewählte Thema bieten, die Entscheidungsmöglichkeiten des Lesers vervielfachen und den Stil mit dem Stil selbst hintergehen, indem er das Genre und die Distanz ständig wechselt.”
― Carlos Fuentes

“Unfaßbar das erste Tier, das von einem anderen träumte. Ungeheuerlich das erste Wirbeltier, dem es gelang, sich auf zwei Füße zu stellen und so Schrecken zu verbreiten unter den normalen Wesen, die noch in froher Erdnähe im Urschlamm krochen.”
― Carlos Fuentes

“-Esé es el drama. No hay más que ellos. No sé si te acuerdas del principio. Fue hace tan poco, pero parece tan lejano...cuando no importaban los jefes. Cuando esta se hacía no para elevar a un hombre, sino a todos”
― Carlos Fuentes, The Death of Artemio Cruz

“-Quisiera recordarte de pequeño. Te quise entonces, porque en la juventud una madre debe querer a todos sus hijos. De viejos sabemos mejor. No hay por qué querer a nadie sin razón. La sangre natural no es una razón. La única razón es la sangre amada sin razón.”
― Carlos Fuentes, The Death of Artemio Cruz