--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The bravest are usually those whom we do…" description: "\"“The bravest are usually those whom we do not know or hear about, those anonymous men who dig the trenches, who produce the food. They are the corpus--..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/f-sionil-jos-2399_bravest_the-bravest-are-usually-those-whom-we-do_2818405.png" --- # The bravest are usually those whom we do not know or hear… ![“The bravest are usually those whom we do not know or hear about, those anonymous men who dig the trenches, who produce the food. They are the corpus--you understand that word--the body and also the soul of a nation. Eustaquio, my words are just words, but all through history--and you have studied…” quote by F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/f-sionil-jos-2399_bravest_the-bravest-are-usually-those-whom-we-do_2818405.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/f-sionil-jos-2399_bravest_the-bravest-are-usually-those-whom-we-do_2818405.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/f-sionil-jos-2399_bravest_the-bravest-are-usually-those-whom-we-do_2818405.png) > ““The bravest are usually those whom we do not know or hear about, those anonymous men who dig the trenches, who produce the food. They are the corpus--you understand that word--the body and also the soul of a nation. Eustaquio, my words are just words, but all through history--and you have studied it--it has always been the many faceless men, those foot soldiers, who have suffered most, who have died. It is they who make a nation." -The Cripple”” [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ordinary, unnamed people sustain societies through unseen labor and sacrifice. **In simple terms:** Unsung heroes hold a nation together. Key Takeaway Recognize and honor everyday contributors. Themes labor anonymity nation Mood respectful inspirational Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - war effort - food production - public service - community building Key Concepts sociology collective identity Questions to Reflect On - Who are the silent workers in your life? - How can you support them? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on leaders can obscure systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [As soon as we lay ourselves entirely at His feet, we have enough light given to us to guide our own steps. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/as-soon-as-we-lay-ourselves-entirely-at-his-feet-we-have-enough-light/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Still, I love a campaign. I'm never happier than when I'm fighting shoulder to shoulder with our growing army of foot soldiers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-phillips/still-i-love-a-campaign-i-m-never-happier-than-when-i-m-fighting/) [Jess Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-phillips/) > [“I understood much later that this was the day of ‘the largest seaborne invasion in history’ or ‘the biggest military operation ever mounted’ –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holger-eckhertz/i-understood-much-later-that-this-was-the-day-of-the-largest-seaborne/) Holger Eckhertz > [Our poetry emulates the recent progress in military strategy: Our army's strength is the foot soldiers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/our-poetry-emulates-the-recent-progress-in-military-strategy-our-army/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [They may not be conscripted against their will as the foot soldiers in a federal crusade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-stevens/they-may-not-be-conscripted-against-their-will-as-the-foot-soldiers/) [John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-stevens/) > [Firefighters are indispensable foot soldiers here at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dodd/firefighters-are-indispensable-foot-soldiers-here-at-home/) [Christopher Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dodd/) > [Nobody has yet found a way of bombing that can prevent foot soldiers from walking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/nobody-has-yet-found-a-way-of-bombing-that-can-prevent-foot-soldiers/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [“More than ever, we ordinary civilians are the foot soldiers in the war on terrorism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bird/more-than-ever-we-ordinary-civilians-are-the-foot-soldiers-in-the-war/) [Chris Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bird/) > [The bravest men are subject most to chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/the-bravest-men-are-subject-most-to-chance/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [It's when you're acting selflessly that you are at your bravest." --Four in Divergent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/it-s-when-you-re-acting-selflessly-that-you-are-at-your-bravest-four/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Most people aren't appreciated enough, and the bravest things we do in our lives are usually known only to ourselves. No one throws ticker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/most-people-aren-t-appreciated-enough-and-the-bravest-things-we-do-in/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [“Moroccan traffic isn't like normal traffic. It's armed combat, a war of wills, in which only the very bravest have a chance to survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/moroccan-traffic-isn-t-like-normal-traffic-it-s-armed-combat-a-war-of/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/the-bravest-are-surely-those-who-have-the-clearest-vision-of-what-is/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [The bravest sight in all this world is a man fighting against odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-knight-lane/the-bravest-sight-in-all-this-world-is-a-man-fighting-against-odds/) [Franklin Knight Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-knight-lane/) > [One of the bravest things you can do is acknowledge and support the strength of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/one-of-the-bravest-things-you-can-do-is-acknowledge-and-support-the/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) ## More by F. Sionil José > [“There is nothing like the land you belong to claiming you back. But everywhere the earth is the same. -Old David”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/there-is-nothing-like-the-land-you-belong-to-claiming-you-back-but/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [“Indeed time has that ultimate capacity to render the passions of the past when recalled in the present as no more than grandiloquent gestures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/indeed-time-has-that-ultimate-capacity-to-render-the-passions-of-the/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Class - or the economic status of individuals - is evident in all societies, some very well stratified by a rigid caste system determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/class-or-the-economic-status-of-individuals-is-evident-in-all/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [We write from life and call it literature, and literature lives because we are in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/we-write-from-life-and-call-it-literature-and-literature-lives/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [I can imagine the writers of China, England and France, crippled and unsure of themselves when they feel that the ghosts of Confucius, Mencius,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/i-can-imagine-the-writers-of-china-england-and-france-crippled-and/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Always remember: the alleviation of poverty is never a political or economic issue - it is moral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/always-remember-the-alleviation-of-poverty-is-never-a-political-or/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [In the end, religion teaches us to value truth, justice and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/in-the-end-religion-teaches-us-to-value-truth-justice-and-freedom/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [My reading of philosophy and history is desultory; I know so much and yet so little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/my-reading-of-philosophy-and-history-is-desultory-i-know-so-much-and/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Life is always sad. That's what makes suicide so tempting because life is all that we really have and haven't. Death makes us equals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/life-is-always-sad-that-s-what-makes-suicide-so-tempting-because-life/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [We recognize the distinctness of Asian art when we turn to its traditional forms, recognize it as Japanese, Chinese and Indian, even Balinese or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/we-recognize-the-distinctness-of-asian-art-when-we-turn-to-its/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [“There is nothing in the world which an artist cannot recreate into something poetic, ennobling. And why do we read these things? They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/there-is-nothing-in-the-world-which-an-artist-cannot-recreate-into/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [All through history, a nation or a civilization's enduring glory is articulated by its mega constructions - the pyramids, the lofty cathedrals of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/all-through-history-a-nation-or-a-civilization-s-enduring-glory-is/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Colonialism subdues in many dulcet guises. It conquered under the pretext of spreading Christianity, civilization, law and order, to make the world safe for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/colonialism-subdues-in-many-dulcet-guises-it-conquered-under-the/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [November is auspicious in so many parts of the country: the rice harvest is already in, the weather starts to cool, and the festive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/november-is-auspicious-in-so-many-parts-of-the-country-the-rice/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [“No stranger can come battering down my door and say he brings me light. This I have within me. -Istak”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/no-stranger-can-come-battering-down-my-door-and-say-he-brings-me/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) [Explore all 168 F. Sionil José quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) ## More Bravest quotes > [One of the bravest things you can do is acknowledge and support the strength of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/one-of-the-bravest-things-you-can-do-is-acknowledge-and-support-the/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [The bravest sight in all this world is a man fighting against odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-knight-lane/the-bravest-sight-in-all-this-world-is-a-man-fighting-against-odds/) [Franklin Knight Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-knight-lane/) > [“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/the-bravest-are-surely-those-who-have-the-clearest-vision-of-what-is/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“Moroccan traffic isn't like normal traffic. It's armed combat, a war of wills, in which only the very bravest have a chance to survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/moroccan-traffic-isn-t-like-normal-traffic-it-s-armed-combat-a-war-of/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [Most people aren't appreciated enough, and the bravest things we do in our lives are usually known only to ourselves. No one throws ticker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/most-people-aren-t-appreciated-enough-and-the-bravest-things-we-do-in/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [It's when you're acting selflessly that you are at your bravest." --Four in Divergent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/it-s-when-you-re-acting-selflessly-that-you-are-at-your-bravest-four/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [The bravest men are subject most to chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/the-bravest-men-are-subject-most-to-chance/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [“Asking Wolf to couples' skate is like bungee jumping without a cord-it may be the bravest thing I've ever done in my life. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alecia-whitaker/asking-wolf-to-couples-skate-is-like-bungee-jumping-without-a-cord-it/) [Alecia Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alecia-whitaker/) > [The best hearts are ever the bravest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/the-best-hearts-are-ever-the-bravest/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [Even the bravest cannot fight beyond his power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/even-the-bravest-cannot-fight-beyond-his-power/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [The bravest are the tenderest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-bravest-are-the-tenderest/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“I think the bravest people are not the ones brave enough to die. But the ones brave enough to live. And living is different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-celia/i-think-the-bravest-people-are-not-the-ones-brave-enough-to-die-but/) Audrey Celia > [“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grossman/the-bravest-are-surely-those-who-have-the-clearest-vision-of-what-is-2/) Dave Grossman > [“What's the bravest thing you ever did? He spat in the road a bloody phlegm. Getting up this morning, he said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/what-s-the-bravest-thing-you-ever-did-he-spat-in-the-road-a-bloody/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The bravest are the most vulnerable; they are also the ones most capable of reward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-sorenson/the-bravest-are-the-most-vulnerable-they-are-also-the-ones-most/) [Toni Sorenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-sorenson/) Browse all 136 Bravest quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The bravest are usually those whom we do not know or hear about, those anonymous men who dig the trenches, who produce the food. They are the corpus--you understand that word--the body and also the soul of a nation. 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