Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

36 quotes

Quotes by Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"So I heard the boom of my father's rifle when he shot my best friend. A bullet only costs about two cents, and anybody can afford that."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"Somebody dies and people eat your food. Funny how that works."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"[Or perhaps my friends should have realized that they shouldn't have left behind the FRICKING REASON FOR THEIR PROTEST!And that thought just cracked me up.]It was like my friends had walked over the backs of baby seals in order to get to the beach where they could protest against the slaughter of baby seals."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"Nervous means you want to play. Scared means you don't want to play."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"What if someone picks on me?" I askedThen I'll pick on them".What if someone picks my nose?" I asked.The I'll pick your nose, too" Rowdy said."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"(I think Rowdy might be the most important person in my life. maybe more important than my family.) Can your best friend be more importamt than your family?"

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"And I couldn't make fun of her for that dream. It was my dream, too. And Indian boys weren't supposed to dream like that. And white girls from small towns weren't supposed to dream big, either.We were supposed to be happy with our limitations. But there was no way Penelope and I were going to sit still. Nope, we both wanted to fly:"

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"I always think it's funny when Indians celebrate Thanksgiving. I mean, sure, the Indians and Pilgrims were best friends during the first Thanksgiving, but a few years later, the Pilgrims were shooting Indians.So I'm never quite sure why we eat turkey like everybody else."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"There are all kinds of addicts, I guess. We all have pain. And we all look for ways to make the pain go away. (107)"

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"I was crying because I had broken my best friend's heart."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"I think all of us are always five years old in the presence and absence of our parents."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"He was going to punish me now. He couldn't beat me up with his old man fists, but he could hurt me with his old man words."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"My grandmother's last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerance."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"I knew I was being an idiot. But I figured if I kept being an idiot, if I didn't actually accept the truth, then the truth would become false."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"I'm quite aware of my differences. I wouldn't classify them as weird"

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"A bullet only costs about two cents, and anybody can afford that."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"Well," she said, "how can I be sure there aren't invisible people in the world? Scientists didn't believe in the mountain gorilla for hundreds of years. And now look. So if scientists can be wrong, then all of us can be wrong. I mean, what if all those invisible people ARE scientists? Think about that one."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"Well, in the early days of humans, the community was our only protection against predators, and against the starvation. We survived because we trusted one another."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"All of these white kids and teachers, who were so suspicious of me when I first arrived, had learned to care about me. Maybe some of them even loved me. And I'd been so suspicious of them. And now I care about a lot of them. And loved a few of them."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"But how can I get enough experience if they don't give me a chance to get experience?"

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"I hoped and prayed that they would someday forgive me for leaving them. I hoped and prayed that I would someday forgive myself for leaving them."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"But my grandmother wanted us to forgive her murderer."

Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian