“Shit," he said. "I don't know why you're feeling sorry for yourself because you ain't had to fight a war. You're lucky. Shit, all you had was that damn Desert Storm. Should have called it Dessert Storm because it just made the fat cats get fatter. It was all sugar and whipped cream with a cherry on top. And besides that, you didn't even have to fight in it. All you lost during that was was sleep because you stayed up all night watching CNN.” WarNative American Author:Sherman Alexie
“There are so many new skyscrapers being built in our city of rain, I wonder if everybody's spirit animal is now the construction crane.” SpiritualPoetryPoetry QuotesNative AmericanSpirit Animal Book:You Don't Have to Say You Love Me Source: You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
“Last night I missed two free throws which would have won the game against the best team in the state. The farm town high school I play for is nicknamed the "Indians," and I'm probably the only actual Indian ever to play for a team with such a mascot. This morning I pick up the sports page and read the headline: INDIANS LOSE AGAIN. Go ahead and tell me none of this is supposed to hurt me very much.” SportsIndianNative AmericanAmerican IndianRedskinsSherman Alexie Book:The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven Source: The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
“I think most Native American literature is unreadable by the vast majority of Native Americans. Generally speaking Indians don't read books. It's not a book culture. That's why I'm trying to make movies. Indians go to movies; Indians own video recorders.” ThinkingTryingBookCultureLiteratureMajorityVideoNativeNative AmericanAmerican LiteratureRecorders Author:Sherman Alexie
“There's this whole notion of being an Indian - the idea that "warrior" is a positive description of us [Indians as native Americans]. When an Indian guy does well, he's a warrior, even now. He could be a computer salesman, but if he does well, he's a warrior. I'm not a pacifist by any measure, but I'm also fully aware that the reasons I might go to war could be very dubious.” IfsWellsDoeIdeasWarReasonWholeMightGuyComputerNotionWarriorIndianNativeDescriptionNative AmericanSalesmanPacifistDubious Author:Sherman Alexie
“I am extremely conscious of my tribalism. And when you talk about tribalism, you talk about living in a black and white world. I mean, Native American tribalism sovereignty, even the political fight for sovereignty and cultural sovereignty is a very us versus them. And I think a lot of people in this country, especially European Americans and those descended from Europeans don't see themselves as tribal.” PeopleThinkingWorldMeanCountryPoliticalFightingBlackWhiteConsciousNativeBlack And WhiteNative AmericanSovereigntyVersusTribalism Author:Sherman Alexie
“Sixty percent of all Indians live in urban areas, but nobody's writing about them. They're really an underrepresented population, and the ironic thing is very, very few of those we call Native American writers actually grew up on reservations, and yet most of their work is about reservations.” WritingGrewGrew UpPercentAreasPopulationIndianNativeIronicNative AmericanSixtyUrbanReservationsAmerican WriterUrban AreasIronic Things Author:Sherman Alexie
“All I try to do is portray Indians as we are, in creative ways. With imagination and poetry. I think a lot of Native American literature is stuck in one idea: sort of spiritual, environmentalist Indians. And I want to portray everyday lives. I think by doing that, by portraying the ordinary lives of Indians, perhaps people learn something new.” PeopleThinkingWayWantTryingIdeasSpiritualLiteratureImaginationCreativeOrdinaryEverydayStuckIndianNativeSomething NewNative AmericanEveryday LifeOrdinary LifeAmerican IndianEnvironmentalistAmerican LiteraturePortrayingSpiritual Indian Author:Sherman Alexie
“There have been players with Indian heritage, but there hasn't been a Native-American professional basketball player who became a regular for all sorts of social and political reasons.” InspirationalHas BeensReasonPoliticalSocialPlayerBasketballIndianNativeHeritageNative AmericanBasketball Player Author:Sherman Alexie
“I've come to the point in my life where I encourage young Native Americans to become much more selfish about their personal needs and wants.” WantNeedsYoungSelfishNativeNative AmericanNeeds And WantsPersonal Needs Author:Sherman Alexie
