I had a teacher's degree and a degree in Oriental Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts. I thought I was going to India to study but all of a sudden, I had a career in music. It really surprised me. Buffy Sainte-Marie More Quotes by Buffy Sainte-Marie More Quotes From Buffy Sainte-Marie You have to sniff out joy. Keep your nose to the joy trail. Buffy Sainte-Marie noses joy being-happy I feel sorry for people of good heart who have never had a chance to learn the realities of Native American everything - not just our history but the sweetness and the beauty and the reasons why were so close to Mother Earth. Buffy Sainte-Marie mother sorry native-american What can government do? They can listen to their own people. But I'll tell you what citizens can do, when we elect one of these people - whether we think it's a good guy or a bozo - you got to stay on the case. You don't vote and go home and give them the keys to the car, he'll drive you right off a cliff. You have to help people to stay honest. Buffy Sainte-Marie keys home thinking Language and culture cannot be separated. Language is vital to understanding our unique cultural perspectives. Language is a tool that is used to explore and experience our cultures and the perspectives that are embedded in our cultures. Buffy Sainte-Marie perspective understanding unique Everybody's creative. We create our songs and our paintings, our families and our children. Every one of us is on the cutting edge of the future. Buffy Sainte-Marie cutting song children Some people say I was very brave, but I really just didn't know any better. All I had was my originality. Buffy Sainte-Marie originality brave people Children don't have to be raised. They'll grow. Buffy Sainte-Marie raised grows children People sometimes ask me, because of the blacklisting, "Do you hate the government? Don't you hate white people?" No, it's greed that's the problem. Buffy Sainte-Marie government hate white As a teenager I started painting and playing guitar. Buffy Sainte-Marie painting teenager guitar Instead of kids just hearing about beads and baskets and fringe, and about what 'was' and 'were,' we present Native American culture as a living contemporary culture. Buffy Sainte-Marie usa native-american kids All the lights on Broadway don't amount to an acre of green. Buffy Sainte-Marie acres light peace I didn't know what I was gonna get the first time I sat down at a piano, but I loved it and it became my playmate for life. Buffy Sainte-Marie piano first-time firsts You have to leave room in life to dream. Buffy Sainte-Marie dream rooms Some of my songs are like dreams, and when you go to sleep at night you don't know if you're gonna have a dream or what you're gonna dream about. Buffy Sainte-Marie dream sleep song Take a bunch of little kids to the beach and they all make art. Adults are too stupid to call it art, but it is art. They'll use their imaginations, make drama, make up characters, make pictures in the sand, they'll make up songs that no one's ever heard before. All kids, I think, are creative, but they get it pounded out of them in school. Buffy Sainte-Marie song beach art There is so much joy in native culture but so much poverty. It's very disturbing. Buffy Sainte-Marie poverty joy culture Music has been my playmate, my lover, and my crying towel. Buffy Sainte-Marie music wisdom funny Every time somebody makes an Indian movie...Cher on a horse with a headdress and a miniskirt...the fashion industry cashes in. Buffy Sainte-Marie cash horse fashion I had no reason to want to copy anybody else. What I wanted to give audiences for the few minutes that I thought my career would last was something unique. Buffy Sainte-Marie careers unique giving By looking at the questions the kids are asking, we learn the scope of what needs to be done. Buffy Sainte-Marie asking kids needs