Raphie Cordero

“It was the touch of the imperfect upon the would-be perfect that gave the sweetness, because it was that which gave the humanity”
― Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D’Urbervilles

“You make yourself more important than them. You are preoccupied with your own salvation. If you say that you will apostatize, those people will be taken out of the pit. They will be saved from suffering. And you refuse to do so. It's because you dread to betray the Church. You dread to be the dregs of the Church, like me." Until now Ferreira's words had burst out as a single breath of anger, but now his voice gradually weakened as he said: "Yet I was the same as you. On that cold, black night I, too, was as you are now. And yet is your way of acting love? A priest ought to life in imitation of Christ. If Christ were here..."

For a moment Ferreira remained silent; then he suddenly broke out in a strong voice: "Certainly Christ would have apostatized for them.”
― Shūsaku Endō, Silence

“Christ did not die for the good and beautiful. It is easy enough to die for the good and beautiful; the hard thing is to die for the miserable and corrupt.”
― Shūsaku Endō, Silence

“Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow?”
― José Rizal, El Filibusterismo