My informant is an international student from the Philippines. She says that in the 1920s, the national language of the Philippines was Tagalog. However, in 1935, the Commission of the National Language decided to change some words of Tagalog to make the language more accessible to people who spoke different dialects. They called this new language Filipino, and made it, along with English and Spanish, one of the official languages of the Philippines. Filipino  is now taught though culture classes, in which students memorize and are tested on Filipino folklore.

The following is a Filipino proverb that my informant learned and has heard used, especially in regards to school and academic success.

“‘Pag may gusto may paraan, ‘pag hinai may dahilan.”

If there’s a will, there’s a way. If there isn’t, there’s an excuse.

Like the other proverb I collected from this informant, this proverb emphasizes the importance of perseverance. It seems unusual, however, for a proverb to acknowledge potential failure as well as success.