James Welch > Quotes

“There is no dishonor in wisdom.”
― James Welch

“He had followed the calendar, the years, time-
Bird farted.
And it came to me, as though it were riding one moment of the gusting wind, as though bird had had it in him all the time and had passed it to me in that one moment of instant corruption.”
― James Welch, Winter in the Blood

“Charging Elk would make his own prayers when the time came. But his prayers would be of thanks for having lived on this earth, not for his “nagi’s” future.”
― James Welch, The Heartsong of Charging Elk

“But the distance I felt came not from country or people; it came from within me. I was as distant from myself as a hawk from the moon.”
― James Welch, Winter in the Blood

“I believe that fiction is a way of entering into the depths of human experience, of trying to understand what it means to be human.”
― James Welch

“He wasn't satisfied," I said.

"He accomplished any number of things."

"But none of them satisfied him."

Theresa whirled around, her eyes large and dark with outrage. "And why not?"

"He wasn't happy...”
― James Welch, Winter in the Blood

“I've always thought that a writer has the responsibility to speak for those people who can't speak for themselves.”
― James Welch

“They were Pikunis and they played hard.”
― James Welch, Fools Crow

“Men, even experienced warriors, do not always listen to reason when they are close to the
prize. The closer to the prize, the more the fever obscures the judgment.”
― James Welch, Fools Crow

“I think heroes are ordinary people who do extraordinary things that draw on some deeper resources of spirit”
― James Welch, Winter in the Blood

“I think there's a deep need for stories in all of us. Stories help us make sense of the world.”
― James Welch

“These people have not changed, thought Kipp, but the world they live in h as. You could look at it one of two ways: Either the world is shrinking or that other world, the one the white man brought with him, is expanding. Either way, the Pikuni loses.”
― James Welch, Fools Crow

“Virgil First Raise:
Sometimes you have to lean into the wind to stand straight.

Yellow Calf:
Being dead isn't so bad once you get used to it.

Young Virgil:
Where are we going, daddy?

John First Raise:
We'll know once we been there, enit?”
― James Welch, Winter in the Blood

“You must understand how people think in desperate times. When their bellies are full, they can afford to be happy and generous with each other – the meat is shared, the women work and gossip, men gamble – it’s a good time and you do not see things clearly. There is no need. But when the pot is empty and your guts are tight in your belly, you begin to look around. The hunger sharpens your eye.”
― James Welch, Winter in the Blood

“I believe in the power of stories to create empathy and understanding between people.”
― James Welch

“Their dark horns glistened in the rain as
they stood guard over the sleeping calves. The blackhorns had returned and, all around, it was as it should be.”
― James Welch, Fools Crow

“I don't write to teach moral lessons. I write to try and uncover the truths of our shared humanity.”
― James Welch

“I wanted to present Indians as human beings, not just as noble and spiritual or as a monolithic group.”
― James Welch

“This world has changed and we do not belong to it. We would be better off to join our before-people in the Sand hills. It is as Curlew Woman says. We would rather be killed by the Napikwans than live in their world.”
― James Welch, Fools Crow

“I don't think Indian people should be reduced to tragic figures, even though there's a lot of tragedy in Indian history.”
― James Welch

“But the way he held her when he slept made her a little afraid---for she would never be able to live without him, without this love.”
― James Welch, Fools Crow

“We will go on, he thought; as long as Mother Earth smiles on her children, we will continue to be a people. We will live and die and live on. It is the Pikuni Way.”
― James Welch, Fools Crow