"My brother Manuel was six months old when they crossed the bridge, whatever, and they never asked for any documents, they just crossed and I think they paid one cent."

"His first painting was a lady two girls from Finley Street, 3800 block on Finley, it was in 1934 I think it was."

" We go over there and bring get cardboard and sticks whatever to boil the water or to do the washing outside. So Manuel would, we would bring Manuel paper, and cardboard, and charcoal, you know since everything was burning and all that so we bring those tizones and Manuel with all that was already scratching."

"No recognition of Manuel Acosta whatsoever, you see they don't even want to put him in that new museum of art, because he was so outspoken against The Museum of Art Association, because when he was starting they would not support him."

"In High School, In Bowie, the art teacher from Bowie, she gave Manuel a lot of recognition because of the paintings that Manuel was doing in Bowie High School."
"He made the cover for the Aztec Magazine, the yearbook"

"He was very more to himself, than to us, he was always busy, reading and what have you."

"He was really giving of himself, most of the time, instead of trying to grab you for so many dollars and you for so many dollars, he would just. Like lots of friends would come over and he says, ‘Hey’ they would like to see a painting, ‘Hey, I think I have a customer for that painting, can I take it home and show it to them?’ and Manuel would say, ‘take it,’ and that painting never came back."

"We’re very proud of Manuel Acosta because he grew up in the lower valley he lived and worked in the farms of Fabens, Texas with his family."

"It wasn’t until he left El Paso and was in the Air Force that he traveled to Europe and he had an opportunity to see all of the European great works of art. When he was in London and looking at some of the beautiful English paintings he fell in love with the idea and he realized the possibility that his dream could come true that he could be an artist. As beautifully creative as he always wanted to be that really began his story and his life as an artist, as a serious artist."

"Manuel makes it possible for our kids to dream about being serious artists."

"Manuel’s work is different in that it depicts the image of the Mexican-American that lives in the border."