Words matter. These are the best Chief Joseph Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
An Indian respects a brave man, but he despises a coward.
We ask to be recognized as men.
We had a great many horses, of which we gave Lewis and Clark what they needed, and they gave us guns and tobacco in return.
We gave up some of our country to the white men, thinking that then we could have peace. We were mistaken. The white man would not let us alone.
A chief called Lawyer, because he was a great talker, took the lead in the council, and sold nearly all the Nez Perce country.
I saw clearly that war was upon us when I learned that my young men had been secretly buying ammunition.
War can be avoided, and it ought to be avoided. I want no war.
Our people could not talk with these white-faced men, but they used signs which all people understand.
I believe much trouble would be saved if we opened our hearts more.
I want the white people to understand my people.
It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and the broken promises.
A man who would not love his father’s grave is worse than a wild animal.
When my young men began the killing, my heart was hurt.
It does not require many words to speak the truth.
I will speak with a straight tongue.
Governor Isaac Stevens of the Washington Territory said there were a great many white people in our country, and many more would come; that he wanted the land marked out so that the Indians and the white man could be separated.
Let me be a free man – free to travel, free to stop, free to work.
The white men told lies for each other. They drove off a great many of our cattle. Some branded our young cattle so they could claim them.
From where the sun now stands I will fight no more.
The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.
I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty.
Words do not pay for my dead people.
My father… had sharper eyes than the rest of our people.
I pressed my father’s hand and told him I would protect his grave with my life. My father smiled and passed away to the spirit land.
We did not know there were other people besides the Indian until about one hundred winters ago, when some men with white faces came to our country.
You might as well expect rivers to run backwards as any man born free to be contented penned up.
If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian he can live in peace.
My father was the first to see through the schemes of the white man.
It required a strong heart to stand up against such talk, but I urged my people to be quiet and not to begin a war.
Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.
