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.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a belief in a moral universe where actions have consequences in the afterlife, reflecting on the teachings of a spiritual belief system.
Chief Joseph articulates a profound belief in the Great Spirit's omniscience and justice, suggesting that every individual will ultimately face the outcomes of their actions in the afterlife. This belief underscores the importance of morality and the intrinsic connection between one's deeds and their eventual fate, as understood within his cultural context. It reflects a worldview where ethical living is rewarded and wrongdoing has its repercussions, resonating deeply within his community and shared cultural insights.
In practice
In a discussion about ethical behavior and consequences.
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.
It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and the broken promises.
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.
The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.
All men were made by the Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers.
Tragedy is like strong acid - it dissolves away all but the very gold of truth.
What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.
The sea, the great unifier, is man's only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat.
My concern with religion is that it allows us by the millions to believe what only lunatics or idiots could believe on their own. That's not to say that all religious people are lunatics or idiots. It's anything but that.
When life takes away, something of greater value is always given in return.
One of the things that I have admired about India is the spiritualism of the people.
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