Entertainment

11 Epic Gina Rodriguez Quotes To Live By

by Rosie Narasaki

Seriously, it's hard not to love Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez: She's a lovely, kick-ass actress on a lovely, kick-ass show — and if that's not enough, she also happens to have a real knack for shooting from the hip, and she can espouse inspirational messages like nobody's business (seriously, she's even writing a book). Take for instance, her recent Hollywood Reporter roundtable — where Gina Rodriguez totally spoke her mind. (Her story about being told she needed to look good enough to grace the cover of a magazine was horrifying — which is why its great that she's sharing it). Plus, her stance on racism in Hollywood is kind of perfect (as is her stance on body image), and she's proven herself time and time again as basically the best role model ever. (Heck, her can-do attitude was even immortalized in her Golden Globes speech.)

That's all to say that over the last several months during her fairly meteoric rise to fame as the star of Jane the Virgin, the 30 year-old actress has said more awesome things than many people say in a lifetime — so without further ado, here are 11 quotes that will make you fall in love with — or at least, reaffirm your love for — Gina Rodriguez

1. "I knew [my dad's] words of 'I can be anything I want to be' were true. That's what kept me strong. You fall; you get back up. If you don't get back up, you're already stopping your success."

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

It sounds like her dad is a very inspiring figure in her life — in this interview with the LA Times, she details how his moral support has bolstered her career.

2. "The one thing 'Jane' has given me … is my freedom as an actress and my ability to help others."

According to the above sit-down with the LA Times, Gina aims to open a free health clinic with her sister Rebecca, who's a doctor. Forget Critics Choice TV Awards, Emmys, and Golden Globes — I'm sensing a humanitarian award in her future!

3. "I'm a brown girl, so I have to cross all the lines."

For Gina, there were no holds barred with that recent badass Hollywood Reporter TV actress roundtable.

4. "... the Latino audience is all over the place. It encompasses 50 different countries."

This may seem like a simple statement of a fact, but it was something more: Gina was tactfully reminding her Hollywood Reporter interviewer that there's no way for one person to speak for the entirety of the Latino audience.

5. "I'm like, 'OK, all right grandma. I won’t give it out willy nilly."

When asked if she was ever given a similar chastity speech that her character Jane got in the pilot episode in an interview with The Huffington Post, the answer was a resounding "yes".

6. "Yes, there are 150 doors that are going to slam in your face, but there’s going to be the one with a little crack in it, and you’re going to bust that bitch down."

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

OK, if the whole award-winning actress thing doesn't end up working out, I really think Gina could make it as a motivational speaker. Apparently, she's even working on a book inspired by Eckhart Tolle and her father!

7. "We need to start casting color-blind because there is no specific anymore."

In another interview with the Hollywood Reporter (where she was heralded as THR's "next big thing"), Gina dropped this truth bomb.

8. "I felt very limited by the opportunities I had in Hollywood to play the maid, the pregnant teen, the drug addict. Those all exist, but they all exist in every ethnicity and culture."

SO MUCH YES.

9. "I am not superhuman. I constantly work on not letting those images push away the reminder that I am beautiful the way I am."

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Sometimes, the Jane the Virgin star has the best body positivity attitude around.

10. "This award is so much more than myself. It represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes."

Gina's Golden Globes acceptance speech was the perfect balance of gracious, sincere, and inspiring — To quote Kate McKinnon, "That was the best."

11. "I can, and I did."

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

This is basically Gina Rodriguez in a nutshell.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to be first in line as soon as her self-help/memoir hybrid hits the shelves!

Images: Getty Images; Aaron Epstein, Greg Gayne/The CW; Giphy (6)