Ferdinand Marcos

“America must realize, there are conditions she must accept in Asia. The first is a diversity of Asian cultures, governments, economic and political systems; the second, that to run against the tide of Asian nationalism is worse than impractical - it is also highly dangerous.”

“Filipino talents and skills are becoming ubiquitous in many parts of the world. Returning Filipino workers have helped improve our skills and technological standards.”

“Authority has to exist before it can be limited, and it is authority that is in scarce supply in those modernizing countries where government is at the mercy of alienated intellectuals, rambunctious colonels, and rioting students.”

“I can feel it in my bones that no matter what we do, even if we do not do anything, the revolutionary government of Madame Cory Aquino will collapse.”

“Whatever be the challenges, whatever be the obstacles before us, I say to you as I say to everybody else that we will overcome.”

“I'll take my destiny, whatever that may be, but I'm going to fight for my dignity and my honor.”

“I was deposed by a coup d'etat, by friends that I trusted and aided by the American Government.”

“Leadership is the other side of the coin of loneliness, and he who is a leader must always act alone. And acting alone, accept everything alone.”

“I do not care how brave a president is; I do not care how many medals he may wear. I do not care how well trained his guards may be. If he violates the will of the people, he shall be eliminated.”

“I have Chinese blood in me... I am not ashamed to admit that perhaps the great leaders of our country all have Chinese blood.”

“I am ashamed to run against a lady. It's demeaning, very degrading. I have always refused to argue with a lady.”

“If it were true that special favors were given to some of these people because they are my cronies, then they should still be here, and they should be wealthy. But who are these cronies? If there be any cronies in government, point them out, and we will investigate.”

“I often wonder what I will be remembered in history for. Scholar? Military hero? Builder?”

“Filipinos are not worse than any other colonized people except that our colonization was a little longer, and the independence movement was always dictated in political terms, never in social ones. We borrowed terms, but we didn't understand them.”

“For us, overseas employment addresses two major problems: unemployment and the balance of payments position.”

“The U.S. State Department has a consistent record of error in the assessment of Asian situations and judging Red Chinese intentions.”

“In the Philippines, the host should always be willing to defer to the wishes of the guest.”

“The primary problem in many modernizing societies is not liberty but the creation of a legitimate public order. Men may, of course, have order without liberty, but they cannot have liberty without order.”

“We have no quarrel with a policy that seeks to support human rights.”

“I will fight to the last breath, even though my family cowers in terror in the palace.”