Ferdinand Marcos a Philippine lawyer-turned-politician led an authoritarian regime from 1965 to 1986 marked by corruption and suppression of democracy.
His exaggerated military claims helped his political rise.
As president he initially made progress but faced increasing unrest and imposed martial law in 1972.
His rule saw rampant corruption and economic issues.
After the assassination of opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. in 1983 and a contested 1986 election, Marcos fled to Hawaii where he died.
Posthumously his regime’s massive corruption was exposed.
I have selected the top quotes by Ferdinand Marcos in this article.
Top 10 Ferdinand Marcos Quotes
I claim the right not to incriminate myself. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Of what good is democracy if it is not for the poor?. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
It is not true that I dictate what should be done. There is a dialogue. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Freedom is not just declared; it is exercised. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
The permissiveness of society must be balanced with authoritativeness. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Elect me as your congressman today, I promise you an Ilocano president in 20 years. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
In the Philippines, the host should always be willing to defer to the wishes of the guest. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Let us not be so naïve as to think that revolution is just a matter of social or economic discontent. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
I am not afraid to go to jail. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
My life has been devoted to the upliftment of the Filipino by re-establishing his identity and dignity. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Thoughtful Ferdinand Marcos Quotes
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. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
History should not be left to the historians. Rather, be like Churchill. Make history, and then write it. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
My friends in the opposition have forgotten that the constitution of the Philippines was amended in 1973 with their participation. The constitution mandates the administration, including the Batasan, or legislature, to convert slowly into a semi parliamentary form of government. The president in such a situation can issue decrees and edicts. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Nobody is impervious to misfortune. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
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. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
We dare not suppress thoughts, but when they are expressed through violence, like the idea that power comes from the barrel of a gun, they must be dealt with and met accordingly. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Famous Ferdinand Marcos Quotes
Authority must be utilized by government to attain certain noble objective but this authority must be circumscribed. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
I would like to see whether my supposed successors can really operate the government without causing a crisis. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
These statements about torture, about alleged misuse of power and things like that, insulted the Filipinos more than their leader because it was made to appear as if Filipinos would tolerate a leader who would torture his own people, who would utilize his executive prerogatives for abuses. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
President Reagan has no enemies in the Philippines. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
I can understand the Cultural Revolution of Mao Tse-tung. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
To write our constitution is for the past, the present, and the future to come together all at once in one single motion, in one single heave, one single cry. For we correct the errors of the past and chart a new course for the future, based on the experience of the present. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
We do not postpone the participation of the lower classes of our people in the profits of economic enterprise, and in other countries, they do postpone it. In the long run, I think our policy is better, and we stand by it. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Popular Ferdinand Marcos Quotes
Some people say the president is incapable of enforcing the law. Let them say that once more and I will set the tanks on them. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
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. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
What we ask of the developed countries is to let the Third World find a third way. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
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. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
The U.S. State Department has a consistent record of error in the assessment of Asian situations and judging Red Chinese intentions. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
How can I wage political battle against a widow who does not mean anyone any harm except only the president himself? ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
To preserve our sovereign integrity, we must prove to them nobody need tell us how to hold a clean and democratic election. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
It is not a choice of life, it is a choice of death. If this is life, I’d rather die. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
So long as I’m president, communism will not thrive here. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
The one indisputable reality of dictatorship is that dissent, insult, and malevolent language do not go unpunished if it is allowed at all. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Best Ferdinand Marcos Quotes
I have been called brave in my time, but brave as I may have been against foreign invaders, I have no heart to shed Filipino blood. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Whatever be the challenges, whatever be the obstacles before us, I say to you as I say to everybody else that we will overcome. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
I am ashamed to run against a lady. It’s demeaning, very degrading. I have always refused to argue with a lady. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
We have no quarrel with a policy that seeks to support human rights. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
I was deposed by a coup d’etat, by friends that I trusted and aided by the American Government. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
I have committed many sins in my life. But stealing money from the government, from the people, is not one of them.. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Filipino talents and skills are becoming ubiquitous in many parts of the world. Returning Filipino workers have helped improve our skills and technological standards. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
There is a standard joke in the family. Probably we should go into selling second-hand shoes. ~ 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. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Important Ferdinand Marcos Quotes
The challenge to Asia is to discard the dry, meatless bone of mysticism and fatalism. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Little boys have amazing minds. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
It is easier to run a revolution than a government. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
I have Chinese blood in me… I am not ashamed to admit that perhaps the great leaders of our country all have Chinese blood. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
The challenge to America is to extend to Asia the defensive shield of American power in forms consonant with Asian freedom and self-respect. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
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. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Once a champion, always a champion. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
There are many things we do not want about the world. Let us not just mourn them. Let us change them. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Profound Ferdinand Marcos Quotes
My spirit will rise from the grave and the world shall know that I was right.. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
I often wonder what I will be remembered in history for. Scholar? Military hero? Builder? ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
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. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
For us, overseas employment addresses two major problems: unemployment and the balance of payments position. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
Let us not be carried away by the undisguised agitations of leaders who virtually asked people to take the law into their own hands. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
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. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
I will fight to the last breath, even though my family cowers in terror in the palace. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
My countrymen: we have reached a turning point in our history. The choice is yours. Shall we venture into this brave new world, bright with possibilities, or retreat to the safety of our familiar but sterile past? I am for crossing the frontier. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
I’ll take my destiny, whatever that may be, but I’m going to fight for my dignity and my honor. ~ Ferdinand Marcos.
So these were the 60 famous quotes about Ferdinand Marcos.
If you like these quotes and sayings, then you can also read my other posts on Abigail Van Buren quotes and Benito Juárez quotes.
