It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and the broken promises.
Interpretation
The quote expresses disappointment and sorrow over unfulfilled promises and the pain of remembered good intentions.
Chief Joseph's quote highlights the emotional turmoil experienced when reflecting on the gap between genuine intentions and the reality of broken promises. It reveals the deep hurt that can arise in relationships, emphasizing the importance of trust and honesty in human connections. The remembrance of 'good words' suggests that while intentions may have been positive, the lack of follow-through leads to a sense of betrayal and loss.
In practice
This quote can be used in a heartfelt speech about trust in relationships.
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 β and I will obey every law or submit to the penalty.
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.
Our chiefs are killed. . . . The little children are freezing to death. . . . My people have no blankets, no food. . . . My heart is sick and sad. . . . I will fight no more forever.
What people do in their own homes is their business, and you can choose to love whoever you love. That's their business. It's no different than discriminating against blacks. It's discrimination, plain and simple.
But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilling yearnings.
It explains why people come home from work or school and immediately switch on the television. They are not interested in the program much of the time, they do not even know what is on. But they are desperate for the sound of another human voice in their lives
You can't make someone feel good about themselves until you feel good about yourself.
It is exhausting knowing that most of the time the phone rings, most of the time there's an email, most of the time there's a letter, someone wants something of you.
I have worked hard to build relationships between Jewish people and black people.
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