Philippine Quotes & Sayings

You may dazzle the mind with a thousand brilliant discoveries of natural science; you may open new worlds of knowledge which were never dreamed of before; yet, if you have not developed in the soul of the pupil strong habits of virtue which will sustain her in the struggle of life, you have not educated her, but only put in her hand a powerful instrument of self-destruction. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Rizal is a compulsory course in school, but few teachers make Rizal's novels interesting. If students are taught to enjoy Rizal's works as literature instead of as a lodemine of 'patriotic' allusions I am sure they would not mind reading and rereading the 'Noli me Tangere'. — Ambeth R. Ocampo

Humility is the virtue that requires the greatest amount of effort. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Yo-yo (Tagalog for "come back") evolved from a Philippine hunting tool made from a softball-size stone tied to a length of plant vine or a leather thong which enabled throwers to retrieve the weapon with a simple flick of the wrist (Hoffman 1996). The modern yo-yo thus has a great deal of physics, prehistory, and hunting lore encoded in its maple, beech, or plastic form (see below, Neuro-notes III). — David B. Givens

We may not understand His Will for us in time, but in eternity the veil will be drawn and we shall see that He acted only for our happiness. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

The Reagans were dear friends for many years, even when he was governor of California. Nancy appreciated a lot of Philippine-made things. — Imelda Marcos

The more I reflect on the graces I have received, the more they astonish me and make me tremble. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

On the economy, the U.S. cumulatively is our most important investor, most important trading partner, most important sort of tourists, and we have now a tie that will ... a link that will be here for many, many years to come, and that is the big Philippine-American community in the United States - three million of them. — Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

God alone and the desire of His glory - nothing else matters. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Love aright and you will never be sad. Embrace God's will and you will be filled with joy and peace. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

It fills me with joy to realize that I can lay down my life daily for God, that I can sacrifice it willingly for Him. I may not be a martyr for the faith, but I can be a martyr of charity. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Those who desire only the good pleasure of God abide in peace even in the midst of failure, for God has not told us that He requires success of us. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Learn to let others do their share of the work. Things may be done less well, but you will have more peace of soul and health of body. And what temporal interest should we not sacrifice in order to gain these blessings? — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Jesus, I live for Thee, I labor for Thee, I desire only Thee. Thou in me and I in Thee; Thou with me and I with Thee; Thou all mine and I all Thine. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Let's try not to be exacting with other people, but rather to pass over in silence those thousand little annoyances that tend to irritate us. For we know that no one is perfect in this life, and we must put up with the defects of others as they put up with ours. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Throughout Philippine history, it's the immigrants who built fortunes and, in the process, helped build Philippine economy. — John Gokongwei

Really, it is the Lord who carries the cross, for He knows how to make the soul content with little or no consolation and always to find strength in the words ... "Thy will be done." — Rose Philippine Duchesne

If we love Jesus, we shall be loved in return by Him, and that is perfect happiness. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

All desire but that of doing God's holy will has been extinguished in me. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Let us realize that we are sinners and have much to explate, while others less culpable than we are suffer more than we do. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Most of leaders in Philippine politics come from rich family. — Manny Pacquiao

Let us never lose courage or despair of God's mercy. We have only to humble ourselves before God in order to obtain grace to become all that we ought to be. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

I live now in solitude and am able to use my time reflecting on the past and preparing for death. I cannot put away the thought of the Indians and in my ambition I fly to the Rockies. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Strength of character is certainly needed to face life in the world and to stand by right principles, especially in the age in which we live. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

All the fabulous and fearless writers gathered here, whether they are living in Manila, the US, or elsewhere in the ever-growing Philippine diaspora, have a deep connection and abiding love for this crazy-making, intoxicating city. There's nothing like it in the world, and they know it, — Jessica Hagedorn

After months of rumors, inference, and horrible miscalculations, the impossible had happened. The U.S. Pacific fleet lay twisted anad burning at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in Honolulu. Had he been wrong about Japan not taking an offensive right now? God, he had thousands of men and women to think of, and he feared in his heart that it might not turn out the way he had seen it. He felt doomed, almost paralyzed by his gross miscalculation. He determined, however, that he would not let the word out about Pearl Harbor until he could meet with his American strategists and Philippine President Manuel Quezon. — Joyce Shaughnessy

The worst defect in the world would be to consider yourself free from faults. Being too greatly saddened by one's faults can come from having one's pride humiliated. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Sometimes it pays not to be interested in what happened but in what did not happen. — Ambeth R. Ocampo

Allow me to articulate this arrogance: What this poem has lost in poeticity, the whole of Philippine poetry has gained in complexity. — Angelo V. Suarez

The first two things Gaudencio Rivera was made aware of
within hours of arriving by carabao-drawn cart at the secluded town of Tagbaoran on the island province of Palawan
were these: that the most beautiful woman in creation dwelt by the river, and that it was pointless to even dream of being loved by her. — Dean Francis Alfar

Apart from boosting our long-term economic strength like other Asian economic powers, Philippine companies expanding overseas and going beyond our comfort zones, or going to some uncharted territories, will help sharpen our management skills. — Andrew Tan

I want to work with the Philippine people and make life better there; there are systems I can work with. — Suze Orman

I want to tell you how proud I am to be the President of a nation that
in which there's a lot of Philippine-Americans. They love America and they love their heritage. And I reminded the President that I am reminded of the great talent of the
of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House. — George W. Bush

Philippine President Joseph Estrada said he was saddened by the conviction. It's very unfortunate and what happened is saddening, ... If he really is innocent, then the day will come that his name will be cleared. — Joseph Estrada

Philippine culture was clearly different. It wasn't the fan's duty to remain aloof in the presence of stars; it was the player's responsibility to show gratitude to the average Filipino. — Rafe Bartholomew

Again, was it not this same presentiment of death that made it seem so strange to me now that I should never again walk along this path in the Philippine forest? In our own country, even in the most distant or inaccessible part, this feeling of strangeness never comes to us, because subconsciously we know that there is always a possibility of our returning there in the future. Does not our entire life-feeling depend upon this inherent assumption that we can repeat indefinitely what we are doing at the moment? — Shohei Ooka

As you can see, there are quite a number of things taught in school that one has to unlearn or at least correct. — Ambeth R. Ocampo

Preach by example of your lives rather than by words. Example is the very best sermon. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Philippine education is in crisis — Florencio Abad

Lord, I lean on You alone for strength. Give me your arm to support me, your shoulders to carry me, your breast on which to lay my head, your Cross to uphold me, your Eucharist to nourish me. On you Lord, I shall sleep and rest in peace. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

I love my solitude, and I would love it still more if I had more of it. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

The cinema is, after all, the most timid of the arts. It never sets trends, it merely reflects them. The harm has been done long before the movies set cameras on the scene. Warring teen-age gangs antedated Rebel Without A Cause , at least in the United States; and the most infamous teen-age killer in Philippine history operated during the liberation times, long before James Dean was heard of. — Nick Joaquin

We cultivate a very small field for Christ, but we love it, knowing that God does not require great achievements but a heart that holds back nothing for self. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Marshall also called upon the left-leaning Florida senator Claude Pepper to exert his influence in the case. Invoking patriotism, Marshall reminded the senator that the War Department had recently confirmed stories of American servicemen who had been tortured by the Japanese in Philippine prison camps and argued that the lynching of a fifteen-year-old boy would taint America's international reputation: "the type of material that radio Tokio [sic] is constantly on the alert for and will use effectively in attempting to offset our very legitimate protest in respect to the handling of American citizens who unfortunately are prisoners of war." Claude Pepper refused to get involved. — Gilbert King

How truly blessed we shall be if at the price of even very great sacrifices we shall have made God known and loved by one more soul! — Rose Philippine Duchesne

I am where God wills me to be, and so I have found rest and security. His wisdom governs me, His power defends me, His grace sanctifies me, His mercy encompasses me, His joy sustains me and all will go well with me. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil - soil consecrated in the blood of our two peoples. We have come dedicated and committed to the task of destroying every vestige of enemy control over your daily lives, and of restoring upon a foundation of indestructible strength, the liberties of your people. — Douglas MacArthur

How very beautiful and consoling our faith is! For the little work we do here on earth it promises in return all the joys of assured happiness. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

He who has Jesus has everything. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

The Philippine races, like all the Malays, do not succumb before the foreigner, like the Australians, the Polynesians and the Indians of the New World. — Jose Rizal

Never forget that the road to Heaven is the Way of the Cross. Jesus has called us to follow Him, bearing the Cross as He did. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

There are no difficulties except for those who worry too much about tomorrow. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Jesus went before us on the narrow path along which He beckons us to follow Him. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Filipinos are not a reading people, and despite the compulsory course on the life and works of Rizal today, from the elementary to the university levels, it is accepted that the 'Noli me Tangere' and 'El Filibusterismo' are highly regarded but seldom read (if not totally ignored). Therefore one asks, how can unread novels exert any influence? — Ambeth R. Ocampo

If humility is always desirable, generous humility is still more so. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

I got space from Travis Air Force Base, went back to the Philippine Islands and made it a point to meet the only American casting director in the Philippines. I was off and running. — R. Lee Ermey

If you have no earthly consolation, why do you not seek consolation in the Heart of Jesus? To love him is truest joy. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Profit by the little trials that come to you, for through them we make real progress. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

The English language is now ours. We have colonized it,too. — Gemino H. Abad

Do not look back to the past, nor forward to the future. Claim only the present, for it holds God's will. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Doreen Fernandez' foreword to "Rizal Without the Overcoat":
His essays remind us that history need not and should not be relegated to schoolbooks and classrooms, where it often becomes a set of names and dates to memorize and spew out on test papers. History is a living and lively account of what we were and are; it could and should be as real to each of us as stories about family or about recent and past events.. If all of that makes us understand humanity better, so does history make us understand ourselves, and our country infinitely better, in the context of our culture and our society. — Ambeth R. Ocampo

For a long time a very strong and deep attraction has drawn me to missionary life. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Let us bear our cross and leave it to God to determine the length and the weight. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Strengthen in us, O God, the work You have begun in us. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Can you imagine the feeling of being an oppressed colonial being addressed respectfully by a colonizer in the mother country? — Ambeth R. Ocampo

If only I could be hidden in a corner, so as not to be tempted to worry about things that are not really my business. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

Most people don't get their soul mates in their designated lifetime or if ever they do, they let them go. It doesn't matter to me who you are, who you love, as long as they love you back. That is what's important. The world seems to have forgotten that and have conducted themselves all based on the concept of love that is both selfish, misguided and outdated. And if the world saw what we see, things would be a whole lot better. — C.J. Edmunds

O Jesus, my Divine Saviour, I offer You my mind and heart. Direct their movements while I pray, so that I may offer my prayer in union with Your Immaculate Mother. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

He will never let the trial surpass the strength He gives you, and at the very moment you think yourself overwhelmed by sorrow, He will lift you up and give you peace. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

American troops stationed in the Philippines suppressed the native uprising that had followed the treaty. Known as the Philippine Insurrection, that conflict had erupted when the Filipinos learned, after decades of fighting for independence, that they had been betrayed into exchanging the rule of Spain for American occupation. With 35,000 additional troops authorized by Congress, Roosevelt projected that within two years the rebellion would be crushed, a necessary step before the United States could execute its avowedly beneficent intentions. — Doris Kearns Goodwin

The dear Lord has favored us with a share of His cross. The greatest and undoubtedly the hardest to bear is the lack of success in our work here. If a saint had been in charge, all would have gone well. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

I was to discover that like the overcoat that snugly wraps Rizal in all his statues and photographs, Rizal is obscured by countless myths and preconceived ideas ... Without his overcoat, Rizal was human, like you and me. — Ambeth R. Ocampo

I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil. — Douglas MacArthur

We are entirely in the care of Divine Providence, and it is very sweet to remain so in peace. The Cross is never lacking; may it be our consolation. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

My prayers are just an outpouring of gratitude for the assurance of that most completely desired Will of God, which will seem all the more desirable in all that is ahead. — Rose Philippine Duchesne

The Carlyle Group is the most politically connected investment firm in the world. The company has mastered the art of influence peddling on a global scale, hiring executives and consultants ranging from Republican power broker James Baker and former president George Herbert Walker Bush to foreign leaders like former British prime minister John Major and former Philippine president Fidel Ramos. — William Hartung

How can we thankful? We can only love the Heart of Jesus more generously and by our union with Him, become the most humble. — Rose Philippine Duchesne