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

Poetry is emotion, passion, love, grief - everything that is human. It is not for zombies by zombies.

F. Sionil Jose

I can imagine the writers of China, England and France, crippled and unsure of themselves when they feel that the ghosts of Confucius, Mencius, Chaucer and Shakespeare and Victor Hugo are looking over their shoulders.

F. Sionil Jose

Self-respect, the value of 'face,' is universal but is most pronounced in China, then in Japan where the Confucian ethic is most influential.

F. Sionil Jose

My wife and I often visit Rosales and the Ilokos as a matter of habit or whim induced by nostalgia, homesickness - whatever draws pilgrims to worshipped sanctuaries. Or, perhaps, what compels moths to seek the votive flame.

F. Sionil Jose

Writers are historians, too. It is in literature that the greater truths about a people and their past are found.

F. Sionil Jose

Colonialism subdues in many dulcet guises. It conquered under the pretext of spreading Christianity, civilization, law and order, to make the world safe for democracy.

F. Sionil Jose

In a much larger sense, the problem of Sabah is directly influenced by the duplicity of imperial Britain. For whatever devious reason, the dismantling of the British empire created divisions and violence due to ethnic and religious differences.

F. Sionil Jose

We are shallow because we have become enslaved by gross materialism, the glitter of gold and its equivalents, for which reason we think that only the material goods of this earth can satisfy us and we must therefore grab as much as can while we are a...

F. Sionil Jose

Of course, we are all egoists. Egoism is so much a part of our humanity.

F. Sionil Jose

You can't have integrity for breakfast, but try and keep it because it is perhaps the single most important word that defines not just writers but all human beings.

F. Sionil Jose

Industrialization starts with the formation of capital - it does not matter how. It can be created by saving, by the state enforcing its will on the people, by the very rich themselves.

F. Sionil Jose

For decades, as literary editor, I have followed the growth of our creative writing in English. In my Solidaridad Bookshop, half of my stock consists of Filipino books written in English and in the native languages.

F. Sionil Jose

Professional societies are sooner or later fractured by the ego of their leaders. Everyone wants to be president, chairman, CEO; no one wants to be a mere follower.

F. Sionil Jose

Ninoy Aquino was a friend; I knew his faults, which were outweighed by his virtues.

F. Sionil Jose

As artists, we must not go down to the level of the masa; we should bring them up, intellectualize our languages, create classics out of our folk arts. We can do this if we are true to our roots and strive for excellence.

F. Sionil Jose

Class - or the economic status of individuals - is evident in all societies, some very well stratified by a rigid caste system determined by birth.

F. Sionil Jose

Always remember: the alleviation of poverty is never a political or economic issue - it is moral.

F. Sionil Jose

Christianity doesn't demand that we worship our ancestors. If we don't remember our ancestors, then, in all likelihood, we cannot also recall the distant past.

F. Sionil Jose

At 86, I can easily look back to the last eight decades. Though memory often fails me now, so many images of the past are still clearly polished, and I can yet recall not just an abiding sense of place, but the keen smells, the sensory responses to t...

F. Sionil Jose

I find it always pleasurable talking with young people, particularly those aspiring to be writers, out of nostalgia, and because I've always felt that we oldies can learn so much from them and draw from them inspiration in our flagging and rickety ye...

F. Sionil Jose

We must know our own roles. We should also know the roles that others play, and the rules such roles follow. In this manner, social harmony is maintained. It is when we overstep our roles, or act without knowing them, that social anarchy ensues.

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