Joseph Bruchac Quotes

It is important to understand that there are many different ways of seeing the world and expressing the wisdom of Native belief...No one voice speaks for all voices.

The best teachers have shown me that things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens quickly - we only think it does.

We need to walk to know sacred places, those around us and those within. We need to walk to remember the songs.

Kill every enemy twice, Wilky said. Better than gettin' shot by a soldier pretending to be dead.

Strong words outlast the paper they are written upon.

A story is a burden which must be carried with as much care as we carry a sleeping child

Guilt can make you doubt yourself at the very moment when you need to proceed with certainty.

Native people such as the Cherokees are just as human and complex and real as Americans are, and our nation needs to respect American Indian cultures and traditions.

As long as we can remember them, our families will always be with us.

Knowledge is easy to come by. Understanding what you know takes much longer.

Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes events?

The Trail of Tears should teach all of us the importance of respect for others who are different from ourselves and compassion for those who have difficulties.

One of the things I've been taught by Native American elders is the importance of patience, of waiting to do things when the time is right.

It is amazing to me that so little is still known about the Trail of Tears or the lives of the Cherokees themselves.