“I know a lot about being white - because I have to, I live in the white world. A white person doesn't live in the Indian world. I have to be white every day.” KnowsWorldPersonsWhiteIndian Author:Sherman Alexie
“Only in rock music and the literary world you see so many ugly white guys with beautiful women. That says a lot about the women, their character. They're attracted to more than surface.” WorldCharacterBeautifulGuyWhiteRocksUglySurfaceBeautiful WomenRock MusicWhite Guys 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 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
“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
“That's how I do this life sometimes by making the ordinary just like magic and just like a card trick and just like a mirror and just like disappearing. Every Indian learns how to be a magician and learns how to misdirect attention and the dark hand is always quicker than the white eye and no matter how close you get to my heart you will never find out my secrets and I'll never tell you and I'll never show you the same trick twice. I'm traveling heavy with illusions.” HeartSometimesMatterShowsHandsEyeDarkWhiteSecretAttentionMagicMy HeartOrdinaryIllusionMirrorsHeavyDisappearTricksCardsThis LifeIndianMagicianCard Tricks Book:The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven Source: The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
“"I used to think the world was broken down by tribes," I said. "By black and white. By Indian and white. But I know that isn't true. The world is only broken into two tribes: The people who are assholes and the people who are not."” PeopleThinkingKnowsWorldSaidTwoUsedBlackWhiteBrokenIndianInsightfulBlack And WhiteTribesBroken Down Author:Sherman Alexie
“...it's like this white-Indian thing has gotten out of control. And the thing with the blacks and the Mexicans. Everybody blaming everybody...I don't know what happened. I can't explain it all. Just look around at the world. Look at this country. Things just aren't like they used to be.' 'Son, things have never been like what you think they used to be.” ThinkingKnowsWorldLooksI CanCountryUsedWhiteHappenedSonBlameUsed To BeIndian Author:Sherman Alexie
“Those Montana Indians were so tough that white people were scared of them. Can you imagine a place where white people are scared of Indians and not the other way around? That's Montana.” PeopleWayWhiteImagineToughScaredIndianMontana Author:Sherman Alexie
“They put me in a holding cell with a black kid and a white kid and a Chinese kid. We're the United Nations of juvenile delinquents.” KidsNationsBlackWhiteUnitedCellsChineseUnited NationsJuvenileDelinquents Book:Flight: A Novel Source: Flight: A Novel
“And I couldn't make fun of her for that dream. It was my dream, too. And Indian boys weren't supposed to dream like that. And white girls from small towns weren't supposed to dream big, either. We were supposed to be happy with our limitations. But there was no way Penelope and I were going to sit still. Nope, we both wanted to fly.” WayStillsDreamBigsWantedGirlFunWhiteBoysTownsSupposed To BeLimitationIndianSmall TownWhite Girl Author:Sherman Alexie
“I think that white women are more apt to read laterally. So I think there's some strong identification for women, and their political and social positions, and minorities. I think that the political power of, let's say, the average Indian man and a white woman are pretty equal.” ThinkingMenPoliticalStrongSocialWhitePositionEqualAverageIndianMinoritiesIdentificationPolitical Power Author:Sherman Alexie
“In high school I dated a white woman. She would come to visit me on the rez. And her dad, who was very racist, didn't like that at all. And he told her one time, 'You shouldn't go on the rez if you're white because Indians have a lot of anger in their heart.'” IfsHeartSchoolWhiteGoes OnDadHigh SchoolAngerRacistOne Time Author:Sherman Alexie
“At least half the country thinks the mascot issue is insignificant. But I think it's indicative of the ways in which Indians have no cultural power. We're still placed in the past. So we're either in the past or we're only viewed through casinos.” ThinkingKnowsWayStillsCountryPastWhiteHalfIssuesIndianInsignificantCasinosMascots Author:Sherman Alexie
“Unlike landed white men, she didn't need to climb mountains to experience mystic panic. All she needed was to set her alarm dock for the next morning, wake when it rang, and go to class.” MenNeedsNextWhiteClassMorningNeededMountainExistentialismClimbsPanicWhite ManAlarmsMysticDocks Author:Sherman Alexie
“Reardan is the rich white farm town that sits in the wheat fields exactly 22 miles away from the Rez. And it's a hick town I suppose filled with farmers and rednecks and racists cops who stop every Indian that drives through. During one week when I was little dad got stopped three times for DWI- Driving While Indian.” LittlesThreeWhiteRichWeekFieldsDadTownsFilledDrivingMilesIndianRacistFarmsFarmersCopThree TimesRedneckWheatMiles AwayHicksWheat Fields Author:Sherman Alexie
“You want the good life? You live where white people live, you go to school where white people go to school, and you shop where white people shop.” PeopleWantSchoolWhiteShopsGood Life Author:Sherman Alexie
