Expressions Plus

The article contains quotes by Jose Rizal who is considered by many Filipinos as the foremost national hero of the Philippines.

“The youth is the hope of the Fatherland.” – Jose Rizal

“He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.” – Jose Rizal

“I recall a simple town, my comfort, joy and cradle, beside a balmy lake, the seat of my delight.” – Jose Rizal, “In Memory of My Town”

“Farewell, dear Fatherland, clime of the sun caress’d

Pearl of the Orient seas, our Eden lost!

Gladly now I go to give thee this faded life’s best,

And were it brighter, fresher, or more blest

Still would I give it thee, nor count the cost.” – Jose Rizal, “Mi Ultimo Adios”

“The one who does not love his native tongue is worse than an animal and putrid fish.” – Jose Rizal

“I have already read your two vocabularies and I am astonished that you have taken so much trouble in studying a language like Tagalog which is so difficult.” – Jose Rizal, Letter to Blumentritt

“Hold high the brow serene,

O youth, where now you stand;

Let the bright sheen

Of your grace be seen,

Fair hope of my fatherland!” – Jose Rizal, “To the Filipino Youth”

“Such is one by wise education steered; he holds the country’s reins unconquered.” – Jose Rizal

“Ignorance is servitude, because as a man thinks, so he is.” – Jose Rizal

“Religiousness does not consist of long periods spent on your knees, nor in endless prayers, big rosaries, and grimy scapularies, but in a spotless conduct, firm intention and upright judgment.” – Jose Rizal

“You are my mother, Mary, and shall be my life, my stronghold, my defense most thorough; and you shall be my guide on this wild sea.” – Jose Rizal Quote about the Virgin Mary

“God gave each of you reason and a will of your own to distinguish the just from the unjust; you were all born without shackles and free, and nobody has a right to subjugate the will and the spirit of another.” – Jose Rizal, “To the Young Women of Malolos”

“I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land. You who have it to see, welcome it and forget not those who have fallen during the night!” – Jose Rizal, “Noli Me Tangere” as Uttered by Elias 

“Tender childhood, beautiful town, rich fountain of rejoicing and of harmonious music that drove away all pain: return to this heart of mine, return my gracious hours, return as the birds return when flowers spring again!” – Jose Rizal, “In Memory of My Town”

“Incense does not honor the dead as does a son with glory and valor.” – Jose Rizal

“God, the primal source of all wisdom, does not demand that man, created in his image and likeness, allow himself to be deceived and hoodwinked, but wants us to use and let shine the light of reason with which he has so mercifully endowed us.” – Jose Rizal

“I die just when I see the dawn break,

Through the gloom of night, to herald the day;

And if color is lacking my blood thou shalt take,

Pour'd out at need for thy dear sake

To dye with its crimson the waking ray.” – Jose Rizal, “My Last Farewell”

“Faith do I have, and I believe the day will shine when the idea shall defeat brute force as well.…” – Jose Rizal

“One only dies once, and if one does not die well, a good opportunity is lost and will not present itself again.” – Jose Rizal

“We shall shed blood and it shall flood, only to emancipate the native land.” – Jose Rizal, “Kundiman”

“There can be no tyrants if there is no one willing to be slaved.” – Jose Rizal

“The mother who can only teach her child how to kneel and kiss hands must not expect sons with blood other than that of vile slaves.” – Jose Rizal, “To the Young Women of Malolos”

“Hail! Hail! Praise to labor,

Of the country wealth and vigor!

For it brow serene’s exalted,

It’s her blood, life, and ardor.” – Jose Rizal, “Hymn to Labor”

“Wise education, vital breath

Inspires an enchanting virtue;

She puts the Country in the lofty seat

Of endless glory, of dazzling glow….” – Jose Rizal, “Education Gives Luster to Motherland”

“The tyranny of some is possible only through cowardice and negligence on the part of others.” – Jose Rizal

“And they envy the hapless wanderer as across the earth he persists! Ah, they know not of the emptiness in his soul, where no love exists.” – Jose Rizal, “Song of the Wanderer”

“The sea, the sea is everything! Its sovereign mass

brings to me atoms of a myriad faraway lands;

its bright smile animates me in the limpid mornings;

and when at the end of day my faith has proven futile,

my heart echoes the sound of its sorrow on the sands.” – Jose Rizal

“Let us be reasonable and open our eyes, especially you women, because you are the first to influence the consciousness of man.” – Jose Rizal

“No good water comes from a turbid, bitter spring; no savory fruit comes from acrid seed.” – Jose Rizal

“Go to my native land, go, foreign flowers,

Sown by the traveler on his way,

And there, beneath its azure sky,

Where all my afflictions lie;

There from the weary pilgrim say

What faith is his in that land of ours!” – Jose Rizal, “To the Flowers of Heidelberg”

“We are youth not long on earth

But our souls are free from sorrow;

Calm, strong men we’ll be tomorrow,

Who can guard our families’ rights.” – Jose Rizal

“‘Talisayans,’ people call us; Mighty souls in bodies small.” – Jose Rizal, “Hymn to a Talisay Tree”

"While a people preserve its language; it preserves the marks of liberty.” – Jose Rizal

“This is our dream; this is the desire we cherish in our hearts; to restore the honor of woman, who is half of our heart, our companion in the joys and tribulations of life.” – Jose Rizal

“Open your children’s eyes so that they may jealously guard their honor, love their fellow-men and their native land, and do their duty. Always impress upon them that they must prefer dying with honor to living in dishonor.” – Jose Rizal, “To the Young Women of Malolos”

“Dr. Nordmann is a very likable old man. If I had to choose my father (that is to say, if mine had not come to this world) I would have chosen Mr. Nordmann for my father for the reason that he and my father resemble each other very much spiritually, my father being also courteous and kind and loves young people.” – Jose Rizal, “Letter to Blumentritt, Vienna, May 24, 1887”

“Why have you come to earth, Child-God, in a poor manger?” – Jose Rizal, “Child Jesus”

“Where wise education raises a throne

Sprightly youth are invigorated,

Who with firm stand error they subdue,

And with noble ideas are exalted.” – Jose Rizal

“For language is a measure of worth of cities, nations, and kingdoms.” – Jose Rizal, “Sa Aking mga Kababata”

“How sweet to die for the native country,

where friendly shines the sun above!

Death is the breeze for him who has

no country, no mother, and no love!” – Jose Rizal, “Song of Maria Clara”

“So pass the days of my life in my obscure retreat;

cast out of the world where once I dwelt: such is my rare

good fortune; and Providence be praised for my condition:

a disregarded pebble that craves nothing but moss

to hide from all the treasure that in myself I bear.” – Jose Rizal

“If I could only be a professor in my country, I would stimulate these Philippine studies which are like the nosce te ipsum that gives the true concept of one’s self and drives nations to do great things.” – Jose Rizal

“Filipinos don’t realize that victory is the child of struggle, that joy blossoms from suffering, and redemption is a product of sacrifice.” – Jose Rizal

“Alas, of heavenly stock

now turned an earthly resident!

Do you not wish to be president

but the shepherd of your flock?” – Jose Rizal, “Child Jesus”

“The Tagalog language is like Latin, English, Spanish, and the language of angels. For the All‑Wise Lord who looks upon us granted and gave it to us.” – Jose Rizal, “Letter to Blumentritt, Leipzig, August 22, 1886”

“We are pleased with the city and its panorama.” – Jose Rizal in Vienna, 1887

“Each one writes his history according to his convenience.” – Jose Rizal, “Letter to Blumentritt, Leipzig, August 22, 1886”

“Such true education proudly gives the pleasure of virtue to young and old; and she enlightens out Motherland dear as she offers endless glow and luster.” – Jose Rizal, “Education Gives Luster to Motherland”

“It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of any edifice.” – Jose Rizal

“But the sun will return to dawn in spite of everything. Subdued people will be liberated.” – Jose Rizal

Expressions Plus

Expressions Quotes: List 7,  List 8,  List 9