Chief Joseph Quotes
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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.
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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.
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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.
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A chief called Lawyer, because he was a great talker, took the lead in the council, and sold nearly all the Nez Perce country.
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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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I saw clearly that war was upon us when I learned that my young men had been secretly buying ammunition.
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I am tired of talk that comes to nothing.
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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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I would give up everything rather than have the blood of white men upon the hands of my people.
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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.
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When my young men began the killing, my heart was hurt.
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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.
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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.
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It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and the broken promises.
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My father was the first to see through the schemes of the white man.
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I saw that the war could not be prevented. The time had passed.
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If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian he can live in peace.
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You might as well expect rivers to run backwards as any man born free to be contented penned up.
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My father... had sharper eyes than the rest of our people.
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We ask to be recognized as men.
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War can be avoided, and it ought to be avoided. I want no war.
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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.
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Some of you think an Indian is like a wild animal. This is a great mistake.
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From where the sun now stands I will fight no more.