Who inspired Jose Rizal?

Jose Rizal was a hero of Filipino ancestry who was not inspired by any person, so much as by the plight of his people under Spanish colonial rule. He was a prodigy from a very young age, and eventually excelled at medicine, literature, martial arts, painting and agriculture.

Jose Rizal was a polymath, but his primary concern was Filipino liberation from Spanish influence. Although he did not advocate separation, he made efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the loss of Filipino pride and identity under Spanish customs. He formed many of his ideas overseas when he went to study in Europe, where he started his methods of reform and joined groups that supported this notion.