Bless Me, Ultima Fate and Free Will Quotes

Ultima knows Antonio's destiny, but she never reveals it to him—that would be cheating. Instead, through quotes like this, she shows him that one's destiny is slowly revealed, and maybe even slowly formed. This ties into a recurring theme in the novel. Both Ultima and Antonio's father make it clear that to come to any kind of real knowledge about himself or his destiny, Antonio must be willing and ready to live. He cannot simply wait for someone to tell him what is going to happen or what is true or not true.

This is huge. With this line, Ultima acknowledges that each man's life is fated to turn out a specific way. However, she also makes it clear that a man's fate can be changed. But, that change does not come without consequences. Those that interfere with another man's fate must be willing to suffer the consequences, whatever they may be.

Everybody has those breakthrough moments in life at one time or another. This is one of those moments for Antonio. He believes that he can make something new, and not just anything, a new religion. He can define his own future, at least, up to a point.