Home > Author > Ambeth R. Ocampo
21 " History is part of our birthright. We must claim it back and make it transform our lives "
― Ambeth R. Ocampo
22 " Nevertheless, I cannot refrain from expressing to you a certain melancholy upon thinking that this new being in whose veins Filipino blood runs and who will be educated with so much care will afterwards be a lost member for a country that is in need of men....he is one French more and one Filipino less....if the Philippines loses a son, at least humanity may gain one."(From Jose Rizal's letter to Fernando Canon, commenting on children born to OFWs and who grow up abroad) "
― Ambeth R. Ocampo , Rizal's Teeth, Bonifacio's Bones
23 " You are like a garbage man, what will you do with my life story? Para kang nangangalakal ng basura! "
― Ambeth R. Ocampo , Looking Back
24 " ...make your children unhappy so they can face the world, but then, what is a world without children's laughter? "
25 " One just has to be observant, because when we deal with the every day we usually see, but we fail to notice. "
― Ambeth R. Ocampo , Death by Garrote
26 " It is one thing to know the past, but knowing what to do with it is something else. Our aim should be to be liberated from our history. "
― Ambeth R. Ocampo , Virgin of Balintawak (Looking Back 8)
27 " To live is to be among men and to be among men is to struggle. (From Jose Rizal's letter to his nephew Alfredo or Freding) "
28 " On this battlefield man has no better weapon than his intelligence, no other force but his heart. (From Jose Rizal's letter to his nephew Alfredo or Freding) "
29 " If there was anyone ma-porma during the Fil-American War, it was Heneral Goyo. "
30 " These Filipinos will be your worst enemies if you commit the imprudence of attacking the Spaniards without the necessary preparation. "
31 " We teach history to instill in new generations the values of patriotism, citizenship, and love of country, but sometimes we must also remember that we teach history so that we can liberate ourselves from the past. "
― Ambeth R. Ocampo , Storm Chasers (Looking Back 7)
32 " ...as we all know from experience elections actually divide more than unite. "
33 " History deals with the past, not with the future. We use history to avoid the mistakes of the past, not to recreate the very same events. You cannot. "
― Ambeth R. Ocampo , Talking History: Conversations with Teodoro A. Agoncillo
34 " You see, this is one big defect of many people... They see nothing good in people they don't like. And this is dangerous. "
35 " It's stupidity to continue using a method which is proven to be useless [and] fruitless. It's a waste of manpower. "
36 " What history is not biased? Show me a historian, a real historian who is not biased!...History is never objective. "
37 " No matter how good a President you are, if the historian is hostile to you, he will emphasize your errors and break down your merits... without departing from the facts. "
38 " There is a great similarity between legal evidence and historical evidence. The only difference lies in the fact that in legal evidence it is the judge who determines whether the account of a witness is acceptable or not... The historian is prosecuting attorney and defense attorney and the judge all rolled into one, and he is the narrator and the interpreter. "
39 " The role of the Filipino historian must be the role of all historians. There is, of course, [Filipino history], but as rule, the role of the historian is to tell the truth-- in so far as documents are concerned. "
40 " I am not stamped by the majority. The herd may go anywhere I will not go with them. "