Anxious Quote by Sandra Cisneros
“God made men by baking them in an oven, but he forgot about the first batch, and that's how Black people were born. And then he was so anxious about the next batch, he took them out of the oven too soon, so that's how White people were made. But the third batch he let cook until they were golden-golden-golden, and, honey, that's you and me.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Color of My Skin, 1998
The metaphor likens humanity’s racial origins to a baker’s batches, highlighting arbitrary distinctions and shared humanity.
In simple terms: Racial categories are arbitrary and shared.
Key Takeaway
Recognize common humanity beyond race.
Themes
race
identity
humanity
arbitrariness
social constructs
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
philosophical
provocative
When to use this quote
- education
- community dialogues
- policy discussions
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
Metaphor
Narrative
Critical Theory
Equality
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this metaphor reveal about our perceptions?
- How can we move beyond such binaries?
A Different Perspective
Metaphors may oversimplify complex histories and systemic issues.
![“[Jorge Luis Borges] had short stories, and I was trying to learn how to write short stories, and then he had these things in the middle that were like fables, and I loved hearing fables.” quote by Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a46/sandra-cisneros-862_borges_jorge-luis-borges-had-short-stories-and_102630.jpg)
![“We changed it to emocionó, the way you say in Spanish, "to emotion me" [to be moved]. That, as opposed to "haunt." We wanted the feeling of sadness and grief and obsession, so we used emocionó.” quote by Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8fc/sandra-cisneros-862_changed_we-changed-it-to-emocion-the-way-you-say_108295.jpg)
