I am not a child, I think for myself. No man can think for me.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes individuality and the importance of independent thought.
Chief Joseph's quote reflects the value of self-awareness and independence in one's thoughts and decisions. It asserts that each individual has the capacity and responsibility to think for themselves, free from the influence of others. This stance encourages personal growth and critical thinking, reminding us that the power of our mind and choices lies within ourselves. It is a call to embrace our autonomy and to be active participants in our own lives.
In practice
In a speech about personal development, you might say, 'As Chief Joseph wisely noted, I am not a child, I think for myself.'
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.
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.
When we are more energized by the practice of blaming than we are by efforts to create transformation, we not only cannot find relief from suffering, we are creating the conditions that help keep us stuck in the status quo
Read myths. They teach you that you can turn inward, and you begin to get the message of the symbols. Read other people's myths, not those of your own religion, because you tend to interpret your own religion in terms of facts -- but if you read the other ones, you begin to get the message.
We swallow with one gulp the lie that flatters us, and drink drop by drop the truth which is bitter to us.
Intuition becomes increasingly valuable in the new information society precisely because there is so much data.
Each thought that is welcomed and recorded is a nest egg, by the side of which more will be laid.
View the past as your enemy, and it will be an albatross. _x000D_ View it as your friend, and it will give you wings.
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