My only purpose is to teach children to rebel against authority figures. Sherman Alexie More Quotes by Sherman Alexie More Quotes From Sherman Alexie I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed. Sherman Alexie writing remember blood 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. Sherman Alexie persons white world I hear poetry whenever I turn on the radio. Eminem is a better poet than just about everybody. He's better than Billy Collins; he's better than Richard Wilbur; he's better than me. Sherman Alexie turns radio poet I remember when people used to think I was smart. I remember when people used to think my brain was useful. Damaged by water, sure. And ready to seizure at any moment. But still useful, and maybe even a little bit beautiful and sacred and magical. Sherman Alexie smart beautiful thinking She was in pain and I loved her, sort of loved her, I guess, so I kind of had to love her pain, too. Sherman Alexie pain kind It was so quiet, a reservation kind of quiet, where you can hear somebody drinking whiskey on the rocks three miles away. Sherman Alexie rocks drinking fear You know, people speak in poetry all the time. They just don't realize it. Sherman Alexie realizing speak people It sucks to be poor, and it sucks to feel that you somehow deserve to be poor. You start believing that you're poor because you're stupid and ugly. And then you start believing that you're stupid and ugly because you're Indian. And because you're Indian you start believing you're destined to be poor. It's an ugly circle and there's nothing you can do about it. Sherman Alexie circles stupid believe In a sense, you're always mythologizing your life; it's always an effort to make yourself epic. At least in fiction you can lie and sort of justify your delusion about your "epicness." But when you're writing a memoir, you're trying to make your life epic and it's not - nobody's life is. Sherman Alexie epic writing lying We're all travelling heavy with illusions. Sherman Alexie illusion heavy 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. Sherman Alexie selfish native-american needs Yes, I am Irish and Indian, which would be the coolest blend in the world if my parents were around to teach me how to be Irish and Indian. But they're not here and haven't been for years, so I'm not really Irish or Indian. I am a blank sky, a human solar eclipse. Sherman Alexie parent sky years 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. Sherman Alexie white morning men I realized that I might be a lonely Indian boy, but I was not alone in the loneliness. There were millions of other Americans who had left their birthplaces in search of a dream. (217) Sherman Alexie lonely loneliness dream I got hundreds of emails insulting me, accusing me of being some caveman. I am by no means a Luddite. I have two iPods. I have a cell phone. I have cable TV, HDTV! Sherman Alexie accusing-me ipods mean 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. Sherman Alexie spiritual native-american thinking When it comes to death, we know that laughter and tears are pretty much the same thing. And so, laughing and crying, we said good-bye to my grandmother. And when we said goodbye to one grandmother, we said good-bye to all of them. Each funeral was a funeral for all of us. We lived and died together. All of us laughed when they lowered my grandmother into the ground. And all of us laughed when they covered her with dirt. And all of us laughed as we walked and drove and rode our way back to our lonely, lonely houses. Sherman Alexie laughter lonely goodbye 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. Sherman Alexie cells white kids If you care about something enough, it’s going to make you cry. But you have to use it. Use your tears. Use your pain. Use your fear. Get mad. Arnold, get mad. Sherman Alexie mad pain life I was a controversial figure on my reservation when I was a kid. I was mouthy and opinionated and arrogant. Nothing has changed. Sherman Alexie arrogant controversial kids
