90 Quotes by Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph, a revered leader of the Nez Perce tribe, emerged as a symbol of resistance, courage, and dignity in the face of overwhelming adversity. Born in the early 1840s in what is now Oregon, Chief Joseph inherited leadership at a young age and navigated his people through one of the most challenging periods in their history. As the U.S. government pressured Native American tribes to relocate to reservations, Chief Joseph steadfastly advocated for his people's rights and ancestral lands. In 1877, faced with the threat of forced removal, he led his tribe on a remarkable 1,200-mile journey, attempting to reach Canada and find refuge with the Sioux.
Despite their valiant efforts and a series of hard-fought battles, the Nez Perce were ultimately forced to surrender just short of the Canadian border. Chief Joseph's famous words, "I will fight no more forever," uttered in surrender, encapsulate his unwavering commitment to peace and his people's well-being. His plea for justice and respect for Native American rights continues to resonate today, and his legacy endures as a testament to the enduring spirit and resilience of Indigenous peoples.
Chief Joseph Quotes
If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace. Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The Earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it. Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself, and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty.
It does not require many words to speak the truth.
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.
Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself — and I will obey every law or submit to the penalty.
I believe much trouble would be saved if we opened our hearts more.
The country was made without lines of demarcation, and it is no man's business to divide it... Do not misunderstand me, but understand me fully with reference to my affection for the land. I never said the land was mine to do with it as I chose. The one who has the right to dispose of it is the one who created it. I claim a right to live on my land and accord you the privilege to live on yours.
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.
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.
The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.
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.
I have asked some of the great white chiefs where they get their authority to say to the Indian that he shall stay in one place, while he sees white men going where they please. They cannot tell me.
Good words do not last long unless they amount to something.
We live, we die, and like the grass and trees, renew ourselves from the soft earth of the grave. Stones crumble and decay, faiths grow old and they are forgotten, but new beliefs are born. The faith of the villages is dust now... but it will grow again... like the trees.
Treat all men alike. Give them the same law. Give them an even chance to live and grow.
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.
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.
I know that my race must change. We cannot hold our own with the white men as we are. We only ask an even chance to live as other men live. We ask to be recognized as men. We ask that the same law shall work alike on all men. If an Indian breaks the law, punish him by the law. If a white man breaks the law, punish him also.
It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and the broken promises.
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.
The eye tells what the tongue would hide.
The earth and myself are of one mind. The measure of the land and the neasure of our bodies are the same
We soon found that the white men were growing rich very fast, and were greedy.
We were contented to let things remain as the Great Spirit Chief made them. They were not; and would change the rivers and mountains if they did not suit them.
Whenever the white man treats the Indian as they treat each other, then we will have no more wars. We shall all be alike-brothers of one father and one another, with one sky above us and one country around us, and one government for all.
The earth was created by the assistance of the sun, and it should be left as it was. The country was made without lines of demarcation, and it is no man's business to divide it.
Good words will not give my people good health and stop them from dying. Good words will not get my people a home where they can live in peace and take care of themselves. I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and broken promises.
It takes few words to tell the truth.
We are going by you without fighting if you will let us, but we are going by you anyhow!
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.
The Great Spirit Chief who rules above all will smile upon this land... and this time the Indian race is waiting and praying.
We do not want churches. They will teach us to quarrel about God.
An Indian respects a brave man, but he despises a coward.
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.
Our people could not talk with these white-faced men, but they used signs which all people understand.
Big name often stands on small legs.
All men were made by the Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers.
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.
You might as well expect rivers to run backwards as any man born free to be contented penned up.
The first white men of your people who came to our country were named Lewis and Clark.
I only ask of the Government to be treated as all other men are treated. If I cannot go to my own home, let me have a home in a country where my people will not die so fast.
Look twice at a two-faced man.
Let me be a free man - free to travel, free to stop, free to work.
My father was the first to see through the schemes of the white man.
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.
When the last deer disappears into the morning mist, When the last elk vanishes from the hills, When the last buffalo falls on the plains, I will hunt mice for I am a hunter and I must have my freedom.
We were like deer. They were like grizzly bear.
I will speak with a straight tongue.
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.
The Indian race is waiting and praying.
My father... had sharper eyes than the rest of our people.
We damaged all the big guns we could, and carried away the powder and the lead.
From where the sun now stands I will fight no more.
All people should be treated the same way on earth.
I believe much trouble and blood would be saved if we opened our hearts more. I will tell you in my way how the Indian sees things. The white man has more words to tell you how they look to him, but it does not require many words to speak the truth.
Some of you think an Indian is like a wild animal. This is a great mistake.
I hope that no more groans of wounded men and women will ever go to the ear of the Great Spirit Chief above, and that all people may be one people.
A chief called Lawyer, because he was a great talker, took the lead in the council, and sold nearly all the Nez Perce country.
I labored hard to avoid trouble and bloodshed.
I did not want my people killed. I did not want bloodshed.
If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace. There need be no trouble. Treat all men alike. give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow.
I saw clearly that war was upon us when I learned that my young men had been secretly buying ammunition.
If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian he can live in peace.
I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty.
Whenever the white man treats the Indian as they treat each other then we shall have no more wars. We shall be all alike - brothers of one father and mother, with one sky above us and one country around us and one government for all. Then the Great Spirit Chief who rules above will smile upon this land and send rain to wash out the bloody spots made by brothers' hands upon the face of the earth. For this time the Indian race is waiting and praying. I hope no more groans of wounded men and women will ever go to the ear of the Great Spirit Chief above, and that all people may be one people.
Good words will not give me back my children.
I have heard talk and talk, but nothing is done.
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.
We gathered all the stock we could find, and made an attempt to move. We left many of our horses and cattle in Wallowa. We lost several hundred in crossing the river.
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.
A man who would not love his father's grave is worse than a wild animal.
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.
I said in my heart that, rather than have war, I would give up my country.
I would have given my own life if I could have undone the killing of white men by my people.
My people were divided about surrendering.
We ask to be recognized as men.
Words do not pay for my dead people.
War can be avoided, and it ought to be avoided. I want no war.
We did not know there were other people besides the Indian until about one hundred winters ago, when some men with white faces came to our country.
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.
"Our fathers gave us many laws which they had learned from their fathers. These laws were good."
When an Indian fights, he only shoots to kill.
Lawyer acted without authority from our band. He had no right to sell the Wallowa country.
I am not a child, I think for myself. No man can think for me.
We ask only that the law shall work alike on all men.
I saw that the war could not be prevented. The time had passed.
When my young men began the killing, my heart was hurt.
Finest fur may cover toughest meat.
Cursed be he that scalps the reputation of the dead.
― Chief Joseph Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
