“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
“Well, as a native, as a colonized people you do live in the in between. The thing is I'm native. But necessarily because I'm a member of the country, I'm also a White American.” PeopleWellsCountryWhiteMembersNative Author:Sherman Alexie
“I suddenly understood that if every moment of a book should be taken seriously, then every moment of a life should be taken seriously as well.” IfsShouldWellsBookMomentsTakenUnderstood Author:Sherman Alexie
“Gordie, the white boy genius, gave me this book by a Russian dude named Tolstoy, who wrote, 'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' Well, I hate to argue with a Russian genius, but Tolstoy didn't know Indians, and he didn't know that all Indian families are unhappy for the same exact reasons: the frikkin' booze.” KnowsWayWellsBookReasonHateWhiteBoysGeniusI HateArguingUnhappyIndianBoozeHappy FamilyUnhappy Family Author:Sherman Alexie
“I got in a fight with my girlfriend," I said. "I was just driving around, blowing off steam, you know?" Well, you should be more careful where you drive," the officer said. "You're making people nervous. You don't fit the profile of the neighborhood." I wanted to tell him that I didn't fit the profile of the country but I knew it would just get me into trouble.” PeopleKnowsShouldWellsSaidCountryWantedFightingTroubleFitCarefulDrivingNervousIndianGirlfriendNeighborhoodOfficersSteamMy GirlfriendProfile Book:The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven Source: The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
“Yep, my daddy was an undependable drunk. But he'd never missed any of my organized games, concerts, plays, or picnics. He may not have loved me perfectly, but he loved me as well as he could. (189)” WellsMayPlayGamesDrunkOrganizedConcertsDaddyPicnics Book:The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Source: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
“[F]rank knew he was guilty of arrogance and misanthropy, but he compensated by being kind to strangers and tipping really well at restaurants.” WellsKindStrangerGuiltyArroganceRestaurantsBe KindMisanthropyTipping Author:Sherman Alexie
“And none of these people, not one of them, had loved any of the others well enough. Failures, he thought, we're all failures... He wanted his love to be the wine and bread, and the blood and flesh. He reached for her, a dangerous stranger in a city of dangerous strangers, but she turned away from him and walked unsteadily through the crowd. How many loveless people walk among the barely loved?” PeopleLoveWellsEnoughWantedWalksCitiesBloodDangerousWineCrowdsStrangerFleshBreadHis LoveLoveless Author:Sherman Alexie
“And then I realized that my sister was trying to LIVE a romance novel. Man, that takes courage and imagination. Well, it also took some degree of mental illness, too, but I was suddenly happy for her. And a little scared. Well, a lot scared.” MenTryingWellsLittlesRomanceImaginationNovelDegreesScaredIllnessI RealizedMental IllnessMy SisterRomance Novel Author:Sherman Alexie
“Well, I think the worst part about tribalism is its tendency to fundamentalize, and if I can fight fundamentalism in any of its forms I'm happy.” IfsThinkingWellsI CanFormFightingWorstTendenciesFundamentalismTribalism Author:Sherman Alexie
