Sherman Alexie Quotes

A collection of quotes by Sherman Alexie.

Sherman Alexie is a Native American writer, poet, and filmmaker. Born in 1966 on the Spokane Indian Reservation, he grew up facing cultural and social challenges that heavily influenced his work. Alexie gained prominence with his debut novel, "Reservation Blues," and his collection of short stories titled "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." Known for his witty and poignant storytelling, Alexie explores themes of identity, injustice, and resilience in his works. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to literature, including the National Book Award for his young adult novel, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian."

And I couldn't make fun of her for that dream. It was my dre

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:

Dreams Inspirational Limitations Over Coming Odds Prospects On Life

The ordinary can be like medicine.

The ordinary can be like medicine.

Truth

He looked into the crowd for approval, saw his mother and fa

He looked into the crowd for approval, saw his mother and father. He waved and they waved back. Smiles and Indian teeth. They were both drunk. Everything familiar and welcome. Everything beautiful.

Beauty Drunk Familiar

I used to think the world was broken down by tribes,' I said

I used to think the world was broken down by tribes,' I said. 'By Black and White. By Indian and White. But I know this isn't true. The world is only broken into two tribes: the people who are assholes and the people who are not.

Humor Funny Inspirational Insightful Insult

When you read a piece of writing that you admire, send a not

When you read a piece of writing that you admire, send a note of thanks to the author.

Thankful

My father is an amazing man.

My father is an amazing man.

Amazing

I don't have to participate in another culture's ceremonies

I don't have to participate in another culture's ceremonies in order to respect that culture.

Respect

I'm a method writer. In order to write about the emotion, I

I'm a method writer. In order to write about the emotion, I have to experience it. I get physically tired and exhausted, devoting hours and hours and hours to it.

Experience

In high school I dated a white woman. She would come to visi

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.'

Anger

All I owe the world is my art.

All I owe the world is my art.

Art

My father was always depressed. When he was home and sober,

My father was always depressed. When he was home and sober, he was mostly in his room.

Home

You know, people speak in poetry all the time. They just don

You know, people speak in poetry all the time. They just don't realize it.

Poetry

My wife was the first romantic partner who understood both A

My wife was the first romantic partner who understood both American and native parts of me - not so much the positive stuff, but the damage.

Positive