---
title: "3 Contradictory Quotes By Junot Diaz"
description: "3 Contradictory quotes by Junot Diaz. Plus more from Junot Diaz and more Contradictory sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91b/junot-diaz-531_art_art-has-a-way-of-confronting-us-of-remin_1898197.jpg"
---

> [Art has a way of confronting us, of reminding us, of engaging us, in what it means to be human, and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/art-has-a-way-of-confronting-us-of-reminding-us-of-engaging-us-in/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91b/junot-diaz-531_art_art-has-a-way-of-confronting-us-of-remin_1898197.jpg)

> [Artists are not cheerleaders, and we're not the heads of tourism boards. We expose and discuss what is problematic, what is contradictory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/artists-are-not-cheerleaders-and-we-re-not-the-heads-of-tourism/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/junot-diaz-531_art_artists-are-not-cheerleaders-and-we-re-n_2786051.jpg)

> [You can't find intimacy-you can't find home-when you're always hiding behind masks. Intimacy requires a certain level of vulnerability. It requires a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-can-t-find-intimacy-you-can-t-find-home-when-you-re-always-hiding/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56f/junot-diaz-531_behinds_you-can-t-find-intimacy-you-can-t-find-h_3143273.jpg)

## More by Junot Diaz

> [It might interest you that just as the U.S. was ramping up its involvement in Vietnam, LBJ launched an illegal invasion of the Dominican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-might-interest-you-that-just-as-the-u-s-was-ramping-up-its/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [Tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in truth, you love them more than you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/tell-her-that-you-love-her-hair-that-you-love-her-skin-her-lips/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [It took me sixteen years to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-took-me-sixteen-years-to-write/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [You ask everybody you know: How long does it usually take to get over it? There are many formulas. One year for every year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-ask-everybody-you-know-how-long-does-it-usually-take-to-get-over/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [The one thing about being a dude and writing from a female perspective is that the baseline is, you suck. The baseline is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-one-thing-about-being-a-dude-and-writing-from-a-female/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [“I used to think those were the barrio rules, Latinos and blacks in, whites out —a place we down cats weren’t supposed to go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-used-to-think-those-were-the-barrio-rules-latinos-and-blacks-in/)

[Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [“I put my hand on her knee. I just wish you'd say you love me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-put-my-hand-on-her-knee-i-just-wish-you-d-say-you-love-me/)

[Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [I've always thought that you don't love a country by turning a blind eye to its crimes and to a problem. The way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-ve-always-thought-that-you-don-t-love-a-country-by-turning-a-blind/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [“Called her a whore and attacked her walls, tearing down her posters and throwing her books everywhere. I found out because some whitegirl ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/called-her-a-whore-and-attacked-her-walls-tearing-down-her-posters/)

[Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [You're Dominican only if you do this, this, and that. And if you do this and that, you'll be accepted to a certain degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-re-dominican-only-if-you-do-this-this-and-that-and-if-you-do-this/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [“Ramfis fled the country after Trujillo's death, lived dissolutely off his father's swag, and ended up dying in a car crash of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/ramfis-fled-the-country-after-trujillo-s-death-lived-dissolutely-off/)

[Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [If you didn't grow up like I did then you don't know, and if you don't know it's probably better you don't judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-didn-t-grow-up-like-i-did-then-you-don-t-know-and-if-you-don-t/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [“If you ask me I don't think there are any such things as curses. I think there is only life. That's enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-ask-me-i-don-t-think-there-are-any-such-things-as-curses-i/)

[Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [The only difference between a published and unpublished writer is a tolerance for imperfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-only-difference-between-a-published-and-unpublished-writer-is-a/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory/junot-diaz/#itemlist",
            "name": "3 Contradictory Quotes By Junot Diaz",
            "numberOfItems": 3,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Art has a way of confronting us, of reminding us, of engaging us, in what it means to be human, and what it means to be human is to be flawed, is to be contradictory, is to be often weak, and yet despite all of these what we would consider drawbacks, that we're also quite beautiful. Spin is the opposite.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Junot Diaz"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/art-has-a-way-of-confronting-us-of-reminding-us-of-engaging-us-in/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91b/junot-diaz-531_art_art-has-a-way-of-confronting-us-of-remin_1898197.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91b/junot-diaz-531_art_art-has-a-way-of-confronting-us-of-remin_1898197.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91b/junot-diaz-531_art_art-has-a-way-of-confronting-us-of-remin_1898197.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Art has a way of confronting us, of reminding us, of engaging us, in what it means to be human, and what it…” — Junot Diaz",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Artists are not cheerleaders, and we're not the heads of tourism boards. We expose and discuss what is problematic, what is contradictory, what is hurtful and what is silenced in the culture we're in.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Junot Diaz"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/artists-are-not-cheerleaders-and-we-re-not-the-heads-of-tourism/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/junot-diaz-531_art_artists-are-not-cheerleaders-and-we-re-n_2786051.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/junot-diaz-531_art_artists-are-not-cheerleaders-and-we-re-n_2786051.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/junot-diaz-531_art_artists-are-not-cheerleaders-and-we-re-n_2786051.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Artists are not cheerleaders, and we're not the heads of tourism boards. We expose and discuss what is…” — Junot Diaz",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "You can't find intimacy-you can't find home-when you're always hiding behind masks. Intimacy requires a certain level of vulnerability. It requires a certain level of you exposing your fragmented, contradictory self to someone else. You running the risk of having your core self rejected and hurt and misunderstood.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Junot Diaz"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-can-t-find-intimacy-you-can-t-find-home-when-you-re-always-hiding/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56f/junot-diaz-531_behinds_you-can-t-find-intimacy-you-can-t-find-h_3143273.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56f/junot-diaz-531_behinds_you-can-t-find-intimacy-you-can-t-find-h_3143273.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56f/junot-diaz-531_behinds_you-can-t-find-intimacy-you-can-t-find-h_3143273.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“You can't find intimacy-you can't find home-when you're always hiding behind masks. Intimacy requires a…” — Junot Diaz",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory/junot-diaz/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory/junot-diaz/",
            "name": "Contradictory Quotes by Junot Diaz",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory/junot-diaz/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91b/junot-diaz-531_art_art-has-a-way-of-confronting-us-of-remin_1898197.jpg"
            },
            "description": "3 Contradictory quotes by Junot Diaz. Plus more from Junot Diaz and more Contradictory sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory/junot-diaz/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory/junot-diaz/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Contradictory",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Junot Diaz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory/junot-diaz/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```