All Quotes

"This evidence from the Zenda Avesta as to the meaning of the word Varna leaves no doubt that it originally meant a class holding to a particular faith and it had nothing to do with colour or complexion."

"(1) The Vedas do not know any such race as the Aryan race. (2) There is no evidence in the Vedas of any invasion of India by the Aryan race and its having conquered the Dasas and Dasyus supposed to be the natives of India. (3) There is no evidence to show that the distinction between Aryas, Dasas and Dasyus was a racial distinction. (4) The Vedas do not support the contention that the Aryas were different in colour from the Dasas and Dasyus."

"Anyone who reads these verses, notes what they say calmly and coolly and considers them against the postulates of the Western theory will be taken aback by them. If the authors of these verses of the Rig Veda were Aryas then the idea which these verses convey is that there were two different communities of Aryas who were not only different but opposed and inimical to each other. The existence of two Aryas is not a mere matter of conjecture or interpretation. It is a fact in support of which there is abundant evidence."

"About the Dasyus, there is no evidence to show that the term is used in a racial sense indicative of a non- Aryan people. On the other hand, there is positive evidence in support of the conclusion that it was used to denote persons who did not observe the Aryan form of religion."

"What is the origin of the word Dasyu it is difficult to say. But a suggestion has been put forth that it was the word of abuse used by the Indo-Aryans to the Indo-Iranians. There is nothing unnatural or far-fetched ’ in this suggestion. That the two had come into conflict is borne out by history. It is therefore quite possible for the Indo-Aryans to have coined such a contemptuous ; name for their enemies. If this is true, then Dasyus cannot be regarded as the natives of India."

"That the Dasas and Dasyus were the same as the Shudras is a pure figment of imagination. It is only a wild guess. It is tolerated because persons who make it are respectable scholars. So far as evidence is concerned, there is no particle of it, which can be cited in support of it."

"The true conclusion to be drawn from the Rig Veda is not that the Varna system did not exist, but that there were only three Varnas and that Shudras were not regarded as a fourth and a separate Varna. The second piece of evidence I rely on is the testimony of the two Brahmanas, the Satapatha and the Taittiriya. Both speak of the creation of three Varnas only. They do not speak of the creation of the Shudra as a separate."

"Ambedkar also attempted to uplift those who had suffered the most at the hands of Brahmanical Aryan culture: the Sudras. But, unlike Ramaswami, his method was not to attempt to uncouple this social class from an alien Aryan culture. On the contrary, according to Ambedkar (1946), "the Shudras were one of the Aryan communities of the Solar race. . . . The Shudras did not form a separate Varna. They ranked as part of the Kshatriya Varna in the Indo-Aryan society" (v). On the basis of a variety of passages, particularly Mahabharata, santi parvan 38-40 (which describes a Sudra by the name of Paijavana performing a major sacrifice conducted by Brahamanas), Ambedkar argued that the Sudras were once wealthy, glorified and respected by rsis, composers of Vedic hymns, and performers of sacrifice. Due to continuous feuding with the Brahmana class, the Sudras inflicted many tyrannies on the Brahmanas, who, in retaliation, denied them the upanayana initiation ceremony, causing them to eventually become socially degraded. Ambedkar, in his book Who Were the Sudras? (1946) offers a critique of the philological basis of the Aryan invasion theory, that in places is well-informed and well-argued. He adamandy rejected this theory, which he saw as partly responsible for propagating the erroneous idea that the Sudras were a non-Aryan, indigenous ethnic group."

"Ambedkar was a nationalist, and he saw through the anti-national, colonial inspiration of the Aryan Invasion theory (which the British called the furniture of Empire)."

"Today, Wallace’s work feels like a whisper from a deeper source. It invites us to slow down, tune in, and consider the possibility that consciousness is not confined to the brain and that art can be a form of spiritual technology. For audiences drawn to esoterica, mysticism, and the aesthetics of the unseen, Wallace offers a rare synthesis: the rigor of a journalist, the imagination of a mystic, and the hand of a visionary. His drawings are portals to another world. And though the Ricco/Maresca exhibition has closed, Wallace’s psychic radio is still broadcasting. All you have to do is listen."

"Social media is for you to be knowledgeable and to be connected with others; to do something productive and progressive, not to use it as a way of downsizing, traumatising or destroying others, no! What I am saying my dear children is that is there is an opportunity in you get educated. Be educated for it will open you up to the world and give you opportunities. If you are educated you are empowered."

"Missionaries instilled in us the missionary spirit and now we have become a Church that sends missionaries abroad, to Europe, America and other areas, including our own country. We are very happy and hopeful for the missionary spirit that animates the younger generations."

"Et dum transivimus per villam de Peronne muratam, quam propè relinquimus à sinistris nostris, comperimus equites Gallicani exercitûs se offerentes de villâ versùs nostros, ut nos fortè ad infra jactus hostiles et nocumenta traxissent; sed oppugnantibus equitibus nostris citò terga verterunt, oppidum repetentes. Et postquam pertransivimus villam, quasi ad milliare, invenimus vias mirabiliter tritas per Gallicanum exercitum quasi nos in multis millibus præcessissent. Et tunc nos qui fuimus residuus populus, ut de potestatibus taceam, timentes prælium imminens, corda et oculos in cælum levavimus, clamantes intimæ considerationis vocibus, ut compateretur nostri Deus, et à nobis de suâ ineffabili pietate Gallorum violentias declinaret."

"Mas may responsibilidad kami na tumulong sa iba. Hindi po ibig sabihin hindi kami apoketado sa nangyayari….nandito po kami kasi responsibilidad namin makaramdam at maging boses ng mga hindi makasalita."

"Ang choice para lang sa may pera."

"Wag na po natin palalain ang inequality. Ang choice hindi lang yan dapat sa may pera. Magtulungan tayo. Nananawagan po ako sa mga kinauukulan na bigyan natin ng atensyon ang mas kailangan at nakabubuti para sa nakararami. Tayong mga Pilipino, sana matuto tayong manindigan sa kung ano ang tama."

"I really needed to do the daily routines to keep me strong and hindi ako mawalan ng pag-asa (for me not to lose hope). I needed to survive this."

"Would people still remember me?"

"This is not about vengeance. This is about justice finally taking its course."

"This is how justice should work—those in power must be held to the same standards as everyone else,"

"Poetic justice and also vindication"

"Today, more than ever, I am convinced that I did the right thing of sacrificing my personal liberty and even my political career."

"I will stand my ground. For when they come after me and try to silence me, they are actually coming after those who cannot speak for themselves and defend themselves. I cannot, in good conscience, let that happen."

"You can never crucify Truth. You cannot permanently stall Justice."

"No high concrete walls, barbed wires, or caged environment can silence me. I remain free in spirit and unbroken. I’m not giving up on my causes for truth, justice and human rights."

"Their perpetual innocence and purity in spirit insulate them from the cruelty and irrationality of humankind."

"I’m no longer in a hurry. I don’t rush anymore."

"You have hurdled your law studies under challenging circumstances—as a family man, as a father to two very young children, the elder of whom has autism, as a very patient and loving younger brother to a special brother… the silently suffering son to a controversial mother, who is now a victim of persecution."

"Democracy is the power of choice; and that power belongs to the Filipino people. The true value of that power of choice is its ability to address and solve the real conditions, problems and challenges that are facing our people."

"Every lie, every piece of fake news, every form of propaganda that is manufactured and shared by people is like a disease or a poison that will kill everything that is good and just about our beautiful nation."

"Blood money is what that is. Some people might not think that there is anything wrong about making money by making up stories, but they cannot be more wrong."

"Nations are weakened by false information."

"Remember, fake news is like a drug: it makes you feel good by making you see or hear things that you badly want to believe are real; but, in reality, it is a form of poison that will destroy from within."

"It doesn’t end with one campaign. But this win—this hard-earned, against-the-odds win—proves that even in a system built to discourage idealism, idealism can still break through,"

"We made space where there was none. We proved that truth, even when battered, can still make its way forward"

"But it had something more powerful—people like you"

"I lost my freedom, but I held on to my voice,"

"Irresponsibility must not become a culture."

"Hold accountable those who must be held accountable no matter how high the power so that corruption, violence and poverty no longer become a cycle in our country."

"I am a symbol of past injustice, hoping for a future where accountability reigns."

"There have also been many opportunities for cooperation in the field of cultural and heritage preservation; but nothing can be more pronounced than our joint initiative on climate action,”"

"Seize the moment? No. Create it."

"Culture is not mere adornment; it is a vital engine of livelihood and economic growth."

"Culture is what binds us as a nation."

"What we choose to preserve today—our knowledge, our traditions, our stories—will ripple through time, shaping lives long after we are gone."

"These terraces endure because of the quiet brilliance of a people who, long before the world had the language for it, understood sustainability, engineering, and balance."

"We need to invest in blue carbon initiatives that will help protect our coral reefs, seagrass beds, lush mangrove forests, and other coastal and marine sources. Let us implement Philippine environmental laws in our efforts to bring back the bounty and restore the ecological integrity of our bodies of water."

"The risks are rapidly growing not only for those in coastal communities, as climate change drives rising sea levels, warmer oceans and increasingly ferocious cyclones. We need to recalibrate our strategies on climate change adaptation, invest in blue carbon initiatives, and embrace the available solutions that nature presents to us."

"This has always been one of the challenges of the department. It's already the 2023 budget and it's still a challenge. My question is, will there be a time when we will no longer have backlog?"

"Let it be a lesson to those doing the budget — whether you’re a big department or a small bureau or commission — you present it to the DBM. You think about it for one year."