“I think that I was born on a day God was fast asleep. And whatever happened after my birth was nothing but… — F. Sionil José Ignorance Copy Share Image
Poetry, fiction as novels or short stories - these are autonomous as created by their authors. They should stand on their own,… — F. Sionil Jose Authors Copy Share Image
The literary depiction of life and its moral dilemmas compel us to use our conscience, to make those infallible distinctions between right… — F. Sionil Jose Copy Share Image
“Was he the epitome of virtue because he was poor? How had it been in the village? There was foul gossip and… — F. Sionil José Thinking About Others Copy Share Image
As artists, we must not go down to the level of the masa; we should bring them up, intellectualize our languages, create… — F. Sionil Jose Art Copy Share Image
I can imagine the writers of China, England and France, crippled and unsure of themselves when they feel that the ghosts of… — F. Sionil Jose China Copy Share Image
“I would like to see all this as a big joke that is being played upon us, but I have seen what… — F. Sionil José Comedy Copy Share Image
“And old Padre Jose telling him to read as much as he could for the world was open only to those who… — F. Sionil José Education Copy Share Image
We must know our own roles. We should also know the roles that others play, and the rules such roles follow. In… — F. Sionil Jose Copy Share Image
Past middle age, some friends suggested that I should have my eyebags removed, the deepening creases on my face stretched. I often… — F. Sionil Jose Age Copy Share Image
“Never, never hide your pain, scream as if you are dying so you will not be harmed more. Never, never hide your… — F. Sionil José Poverty Copy Share Image
I find it always pleasurable talking with young people, particularly those aspiring to be writers, out of nostalgia, and because I've always… — F. Sionil Jose Copy Share Image
“We will love her, protect her, all of us--Bisaya, Tagalog, Ilokano, so many islands, so many tribes--because if we act as one,… — F. Sionil José Copy Share Image
“We do not conquer life, no one can conquer what one cannot define, but at least it is there and it is… — F. Sionil José Copy Share Image
“Now listen...You are young and you don't know many things, but do remember this: you are alone in this earth. Alone. You… — F. Sionil José Cruel world Copy Share Image
From antiquity, Latin died but is still studied in seminaries and elite universities. So did Sanskrit in Asia. iI was replaced by… — F. Sionil Jose Ancient Copy Share Image
“Life is worth living really but only if we believe it is, if we believe further that life is eternal not because… — F. Sionil José Copy Share Image
“It was true then what Padre Jose had said, that there is evil in all of us, that only with faith and… — F. Sionil José Faith Copy Share Image
We are shallow because we are 'mayabang,' ego driven, and do not have the humility to understand that we are only human,… — F. Sionil Jose Driven Copy Share Image
“In the end, the satisfaction which all of us seek, it seems, can come only from our discovering that we really have… — F. Sionil José Life Copy Share Image
You can't have integrity for breakfast, but try and keep it because it is perhaps the single most important word that defines… — F. Sionil Jose Copy Share Image
“Indeed time has that ultimate capacity to render the passions of the past when recalled in the present as no more than… — F. Sionil José Time Copy Share Image
“Literature suffers because writers give their books to colleagues who will then write glowing reviews or saccharine introductions.” — F. Sionil José Book Copy Share Image
“To THOSE who want to lift this nation from the dungheap of history, the past does not matter — only the present,… — F. Sionil José Filipino-authors Copy Share Image
My wife and I often visit Rosales and the Ilokos as a matter of habit or whim induced by nostalgia, homesickness -… — F. Sionil Jose Compels Copy Share Image
I envy those Hindus and Buddhists who have in their religion philosophy and ancestor worship which build in the believer a continuity… — F. Sionil Jose Ancestor worship Copy Share Image
“I have been blinded, as many of us have been blinded by our needs. I had thought of only my family--this was… — F. Sionil José Blind Copy Share Image
We are shallow because our media are so horribly shallow. Every morning, I peruse the papers, and there is so little to… — F. Sionil Jose Copy Share Image
The ethnic differences among Filipinos are very real. The paucity of arable land, for instance, explains the industry of the Ilokanos and… — F. Sionil Jose Copy Share Image
Christianity doesn't demand that we worship our ancestors. If we don't remember our ancestors, then, in all likelihood, we cannot also recall… — F. Sionil Jose Copy Share Image
You perhaps know me as a novelist. Literature is one of the arts - in fact, the noblest of the arts. That… — F. Sionil Jose Ancient Copy Share Image
“[Of the Bagos:] Like the Moros in the south, they are our brothers. We must recognize their belongingness to Filipinas, their willingness… — F. Sionil José Copy Share Image
“...I wish I were not the me that I know, that I be some unfeeling hunk of plastic, designed to take all… — F. Sionil José Copy Share Image
“The importance not just of history, but of roots - that a writer must have then to nurture, to remember if he… — F. Sionil Jose History Copy Share Image
The influence of teachers extends beyond the classroom, well into the future. It is they who shape and enrich the minds of… — F. Sionil Jose Copy Share Image
Class - or the economic status of individuals - is evident in all societies, some very well stratified by a rigid caste… — F. Sionil Jose Birth Copy Share Image
“Only with steadfast memories can we now be strong so as to undo the mistakes of the past, to begin anew and… — F. Sionil José Beginning Copy Share Image
Sometimes we have to lie so that we do not needlessly hurt others. The important thing is that we are honest with… — F. Sionil José Honest Copy Share Image
You should live in a manner that should enable you to devote time to writing and contemplation. As is often said, the… — F. Sionil Jose Contemplation Copy Share Image
We read because they teach us about people, we can see ourselves in them,in their problems.And by seeing ourselves in them, we… — F. Sionil José Books Copy Share Image
![“[Of the Bagos:] Like the Moros in the south, they are our brothers. We must recognize their belongingness to Filipinas, their willingness to fight for her. -The Cripple” quote by F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4af/f-sionil-jos-2399_fight-cripple_of-the-bagos-like-the-moros-in-the-south_1576676.png)
