Chief Joseph Short Quotes

25 Sourced Quotes

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War can be avoided, and it ought to be avoided. I want no war.

Chief Joseph
I believe much trouble would be saved if we opened our hearts more.

Chief Joseph
My father was the first to see through the schemes of the white man.

Chief Joseph
A man who would not love his father's grave is worse than a wild animal.

Chief Joseph
I said in my heart that, rather than have war, I would give up my country.

Chief Joseph
Some of you think an Indian is like a wild animal. This is a great mistake.

Chief Joseph
If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian he can live in peace.

Chief Joseph
We soon found that the white men were growing rich very fast, and were greedy.

Chief Joseph
It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and the broken promises.

Chief Joseph
The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.

Chief Joseph
We are going by you without fighting if you will let us, but we are going by you anyhow!

Chief Joseph
Lawyer acted without authority from our band. He had no right to sell the Wallowa country.

Chief Joseph
I would have given my own life if I could have undone the killing of white men by my people.

Chief Joseph
Our fathers gave us many laws which they had learned from their
fathers. These laws were good.

Chief Joseph
Good words do not last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people.

Chief Joseph
Our people could not talk with these white-faced men, but they used signs which all people understand.

Chief Joseph
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.

Chief Joseph
I do not believe that the Great Spirit Chief gave one kind of men the right to tell another kind of men what they must do.

Chief Joseph
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.

Chief Joseph
A chief called Lawyer, because he was a great talker, took the lead in the council, and sold nearly all the Nez Perce country.

Chief Joseph
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.

Chief Joseph
For a short time we lived quietly. But this could not last. White men had found gold in the mountains around the land of winding water.

Chief Joseph
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.

Chief Joseph
We had good white friends who advised us against taking the war path. My friend and brother, Mr. Chapman, told us just how the war would end.

Chief Joseph
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