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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.

Chief Joseph

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Chief Joseph
Age: 64 †
Born: 1840
Born: March 3
Died: 1904
Died: September 21
Tribal Chief
Wallowa Valley
Joseph Buruzagia
Hin-mut-too-uah-lat-kekht
Thunder Rolling in the Mountains
Heinmot Tooyalaket
Joseph the Younger
Fighting
Stands
Heart
Indian
Tired
Sun
Sick
Fight
Hear
Chiefs
Forever
Native

More quotes by Chief Joseph

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The first white men of your people who came to our country were named Lewis and Clark.
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A man who would not love his father's grave is worse than a wild animal.
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General Howard informed me, in a haughty spirit, that he would give my people 30 days to go back home, collect all their stock, and move onto the reservation.
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We do not want churches because they will teach us to quarrel about God. We do not want to learn that. We may quarrel with men sometimes about things on this earth, but we never quarrel about the Great Spirit. We do not want to learn that.
Chief Joseph
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An Indian respects a brave man, but he despises a coward.
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It does not require many words to speak the truth.
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My people were divided about surrendering.
Chief Joseph
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I saw that the war could not be prevented. The time had passed.
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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.
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I saw clearly that war was upon us when I learned that my young men had been secretly buying ammunition.
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We were taught to believe that the Great Spirit sees and hears everything, and that he never forgets that hereafter he will give every man a spirit-home according to his deserts: if he has been a good man, he will have a good home if he has been a bad man, he will have a bad home. This I believe, and all my people believe the same.
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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.
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All men were made brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it. You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who was born free should be content when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases.
Chief Joseph
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Good words will not give me back my children.
Chief Joseph
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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.
Chief Joseph
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I know that my race must change.
Chief Joseph
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I would have given my own life if I could have undone the killing of white men by my people.
Chief Joseph
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I am tired of talk that comes to nothing It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men who had no right to talk. It does not require many words to speak the truth.
Chief Joseph
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The earth is our mother. She should not be disturbed by hoe or plough. We want only to subsist on what she freely gives us.
Chief Joseph
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Some of you think an Indian is like a wild animal. This is a great mistake.
Chief Joseph