The Essence of Studying the Past

This is for students who are having a hard time studying history. This is for everyone, no matter which level of education you are in right now. Whether that be tertiary education or primary education… this message is for you. I know history is a difficult subject to study.

Countless dates and names need to be memorized before exams. It is almost impossible to retain such a large amount of information. Especially for long periods of time. That is why information memorized for the exam will easily be forgotten.

But studying history is important. And I will prove this. I will give you quotes from five prominent Filipino historians. Their words will instill the value of history. To give you the motivation you need to continue on studying history. And maybe offer you some hope for the future.

Quotes from Ocampo, Agoncillo, Constantino, and Zaide.

[1] First let us start with one of the most popular Filipino Historians, Ambeth Ocampo. In an article, he wrote for the Inquirer that:

“Philippine history is not about random facts, but an engaging narrative that teaches students rather how to gather and use facts for chronology, causation, critical thinking, and reflection.”

[2] Our second quote comes from Teodoro Agoncillo. He introduced the Filipino-centric style of writing history. This quote comes from the book Taking History: Conversation with Teodoro Agoncillo. On page 26 he stated that:

“History is the study of the relevant past. It is the struggle of Filipino people for freedom.”

[3] For the third quote, we will be featuring Filipino historian Renato Constantino. His contribution to the field of history is the reexamination of our colonial history. In his book The Philippines: A past revisited. He said that:

“History is the recorded struggle of people for ever increasing freedom and for newer and higher realization of human person.”

[4] The next quote comes from historian Gregorio F. Zaide. He is three-term President of the Philippine Historical Association. He was also the Mayor of Pagsanjan, Laguna from 1971 to 1975. In his famous book Philippine history and government. He exampled that:

“History shows that when societies experience major crisis and their very existence is threatened, they need not only a new leader, or a new government, but also a new faith.”

Final Message

These are a few of my favorite quotes about history. but my personal favorite quote comes from Zeus A. Salazar. He is the “Ama ng Bagong Histograpiyang Pilipino” because of his work on Pantayong Pananaw. The historiography he created puts great emphasis on the use of the Filipino language. Because its reasoning comes from the understanding that Filipino history must be written by the Filipino, for the Filipino people, and in the language of the Filipino. And this philosophy is perfectly encapsulated in a quote by him that states:

“Ang Kasaysayan ay salaysay na may saysay na sumasalamin sa bawat Pilipino.”

In the end, these quotes inspire me and push me to learn more. Because history’s essence is to teach us to be critical. It shows us how to right the wrongs of the past. And it readies us for whatever the future holds for us. From these lessons, we can see the value of history. I hope these quotes inspire you the same they did to me.

Tell me, do you have a favorite quote from a historian or from someone in history?