Mama Quotes

“Esperanza thought of Mama in the hospital and Abuelita in Mexico and how much depended on her being able to work. If she was lucky enough to have a job in the spring, no one was going to get in her way.”

″‘Here, we have two choices. To be together and miserable or to be together and happy. Mija, we have each other and Abuelita will come. How would she want you to behave? I choose to be happy. So which will you choose?‘”

“She wanted to tell them that her mother was sick. That she had to pay the bills. She wanted to explain to them about Abuelita and how she had to find a way to get some money to her so she could travel. Then maybe they’d understand why she needed her job.”

″‘Mama, she is poor and dirty...’ said Esperanza.” “But Mama interrupted. ‘When you scorn these people, you scorn Miguel, Hortensia, and Alfonso. And you embarrass me and yourself. As difficult as it is to accept, our lives are different now.‘”

“I stayed where I was and studied the tree. I wondered if my mama, wherever she was, had a tree full of bottles; and I wondered if I was a ghost to her, the same way she sometimes seemed like a ghost to me”

″ I did not even think to think what Mama needed to be forgiven for. ”

“I meant to say I am sorry that Papa broke your figurines, but the words that came out were, ‘I’m sorry your figurines broke, Mama.’”

Mama is very pleased with the dress material she has bought for Thelma’s wedding. Jamela can’t resist wrapping the material around her and dancing down the road, proud as a peacock, to show Thelma her beautiful dress! When things go wrong, Mama is very sad indeed, but there’s a happy ending just in time for Thelma’s wedding day

And Mama was. Mama was so upset that she couldn’t even look at Jamela. She just looked at the dirty, torn material and said sadly. “What am I going to wear for the wedding?” Everyone felt sorry for Mama and cross with Jamela. Even Jamela was cross with Jamela. She hadn’t meant to ruin Mom’s material. It just happened.

“It’s beautiful, Mama” said Jamela, stroking the crisp new material. “Yes, it’s beautiful. It costs a lot of money -- but I need something special to wear for Thelma’s wedding”, said Mama.

“But Nora didn’t want Mama to go. She didn’t want to say good-bye. Mama bent over Nora with her bright smile, but Nora didn’t smile back. She grabbed her umbrella and pulled hard. ‘Don’t go!’ she cried.”

″ ‘Ma-a-a-ma!’ she cried. ‘One of my teeth is loose! It will hurt and I’ll have to stay in bed! I won’t be able to eat my breakfast and go with daddy to Buck’s Harbor!’ ”

“I’m afraid the library will expect you to pay for it. And it’s only right,′ continued Mama. ‘You borrowed the book and that make you responsible. The library lets you borrow the book and you’re not supposed to lend it to anybody else.”

“This is Jane, the middle Moffat,′ said Jane, trying to act as though she were Mama, introducing her one of the ladies she showed for. That is not the way Mama actually introduced her to these ladies.”