Previous
Sam Quintana
Dante’s mom. She’s a therapist, and according to Dante, she’s “inscrutable”—that is, she’s not as openly emotional or communicative as Mr. Quintana or Dante are. Dante thus finds it hard to read her. Despite this, she’s still a loyal and loving mother and wife. Following the Ari’s accident, Ari understands that Mrs. Quintana isn’t inscrutable necessarily; rather, she’s careful and judicious with her words, says what she means, and loves Dante more than anything. Despite these positive aspects, being a therapist also means that Dante and Ari find her annoying and far too knowledgeable about what they’re feeling but might like to keep private. She also seems to have a sixth sense and is very suspicious, so she’s well aware that Dante has experimented with drugs despite him never having told her. While Ari finds Mrs. Quintana intriguing from the moment he meets her, when she returns from Chicago, she seems younger and prettier than ever. This is because she’s pregnant. She assures both Dante and Ari that she’ll love them no matter what when it finally comes out that Dante is gay, and that Ari might be, too.
Mrs. Quintana Quotes in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
The Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Quintana or refer to Mrs. Quintana. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part Two, Chapter Eight
Quotes
“I mean, my dad’s parents were born in Mexico. They live in a small little house in East LA and they speak no English and own a little restaurant. It’s like my mom and dad created a whole new world for themselves. I live in their new world. But they understand the old world, the world they came from—and I don’t. I don’t belong anywhere. That’s the problem.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part Three, Chapter Two
Quotes
This is what I understood: a woman like Mrs. Quintana didn’t use the word “love” very often. When she said that word, she meant it. And one more thing I understood: Dante’s mother loved him more than he would ever know. I didn’t know what to do with that piece of information. So I just kept it inside. That’s what I did with everything. Kept it inside.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part Four, Chapter Thirty
Quotes
The thing is I love my dad. My mom too. And I keep wondering what they’re going to say when I tell them that someday I want to marry a boy. I wonder how that’s going to go over? I’m the only son. What’s going to happen with the grandchildren thing? I hate that I’m going to disappoint them, Ari. I know I’ve disappointed you too.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe LitChart as a printable PDF.
Mrs. Quintana Quotes in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
The Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Quintana or refer to Mrs. Quintana. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part Two, Chapter Eight
Quotes
“I mean, my dad’s parents were born in Mexico. They live in a small little house in East LA and they speak no English and own a little restaurant. It’s like my mom and dad created a whole new world for themselves. I live in their new world. But they understand the old world, the world they came from—and I don’t. I don’t belong anywhere. That’s the problem.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part Three, Chapter Two
Quotes
This is what I understood: a woman like Mrs. Quintana didn’t use the word “love” very often. When she said that word, she meant it. And one more thing I understood: Dante’s mother loved him more than he would ever know. I didn’t know what to do with that piece of information. So I just kept it inside. That’s what I did with everything. Kept it inside.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part Four, Chapter Thirty
Quotes
The thing is I love my dad. My mom too. And I keep wondering what they’re going to say when I tell them that someday I want to marry a boy. I wonder how that’s going to go over? I’m the only son. What’s going to happen with the grandchildren thing? I hate that I’m going to disappoint them, Ari. I know I’ve disappointed you too.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
