Quotes by F. Sionil Jose

About F. Sionil Jose:

Francisco Sionil José is one of the most widely read Filipino writers in the English language. His novels and short stories depict the social underpinnings of class struggles and colonialism in Filipino society. José's works—written in English—have been translated into 22 languages, including Korean, Indonesian, Czech, Russian, Latvian, Ukrainian and Dutch.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Duty comes in many forms; at times duty to country may conflict with duty to family. Yet, with a lucid mind the guises can be torn away and in the end, duty becomes but one, and that duty is to value justice above everything--to do what is right not ...

F. Sionil Jose

To THOSE who want to lift this nation from the dungheap of history, the past does not matter — only the present, the awareness of the deadening rot which surrounds and suffocates us, and what we must do to vanquish it.

F. Sionil Jose

The obscenities of this country are not girls like you. It is the poverty which is obscene, and the criminal irresponsibility of the leaders who make this poverty a deadening reality. The obscenities in this country are the places of the rich, the ne...

F. Sionil Jose

You will be surprised how much punishment the human body can take, if there is enough will - or faith.

F. Sionil Jose

Only with steadfast memories can we now be strong so as to undo the mistakes of the past, to begin anew and build from the rubble of their betrayal...

F. Sionil Jose

No man stops caring as long as he breathes. As long as he has a mind and memory, he will care. This is what separates us from the animals. We have feelings.

F. Sionil Jose

Ubi boni, malum prosperat (Where good men are silent, evil prospers)

F. Sionil Jose

Past middle age, some friends suggested that I should have my eyebags removed, the deepening creases on my face stretched. I often examined my face in the mirror, imagining how I'd look if I followed the suggestion. I decided to retain the old mug. I...

F. Sionil Jose

To fund major cultural efforts, we must not rely alone on government and foundation patronage; if the farmer can spend for beer, he can pay for good entertainment which he can understand, which he can identify with and which will fortify his spirit.

F. Sionil Jose

Writing is a solitary profession; you are really alone when you write. Then the emotions become well shaped and distinct. But their transition into words must be done deliberately and with rigid artistry.

F. Sionil Jose

In the '50s, I was traveling alone all over Mindanao, Basilan, all the way to Tawi-Tawi with just a camera and a notebook. I always stayed in the houses of Moros.

F. Sionil Jose

The heart of the theater is the play itself, how it dramatizes life to make it meaningful entertainment. To achieve depth and universality, the playwright must subject himself to intense critique, to know human character and behavior, and finally to ...

F. Sionil Jose

Art, whatever form it takes, requires hard work, craftsmanship and creativity. As a writer, I know my grammar, cadence, the music of prose, and the art of the narrative.

F. Sionil Jose

Our appreciation of folk art will strengthen our identities, our pride in belonging to a community. People trained in the creative use of their hands soon acquire skills, excellent craftsmanship which will be the most important measure of how well we...

F. Sionil Jose

What is needed in the theater, in fact for all our art forms, is a vibrant critical tradition.

F. Sionil Jose

In the visual arts, particularly painting, I distrust all those abstractions, those artificial constructions. I have a very simple way of judging them: if I can do them, they are not art.

F. Sionil Jose

You perhaps know me as a novelist. Literature is one of the arts - in fact, the noblest of the arts. That is not my opinion; it was first expressed by the ancients. As art, literature has many similarities with the other art forms.

F. Sionil Jose

We recognize the distinctness of Asian art when we turn to its traditional forms, recognize it as Japanese, Chinese and Indian, even Balinese or Thai.

F. Sionil Jose

We write from life and call it literature, and literature lives because we are in it.

F. Sionil Jose

Literature suffers because writers give their books to colleagues who will then write glowing reviews or saccharine introductions.

F. Sionil Jose

Author Bio

  • NameF. Sionil Jose
  • DescriptionFilipino writer
  • BornDecember 3, 1924
  • CountryPhilippines
  • ProfessionWriter
  • AwardsChevalier Des Arts Et Des Lettres?; National Artist Of The Philippines