We ask only that the law shall work alike on all men.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of equality before the law for everyone.
Chief Joseph's quote highlights the fundamental principle of justice that the law should apply equally to all individuals, regardless of their status or identity. It advocates for a fair legal system where no one is above the law, underscoring the significance of equality and justice in society.
In practice
During a speech advocating for civil rights, one could say this quote to emphasize the need for legal reform.
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.
We came to enjoy; we are being enjoyed. We came to rule; we are being ruled. We came to work; we are being worked. All the time, we find that. And this comes into every detail of our life.
Nirvana is not the blowing out of the candle. It is the extinguishing of the flame because day is come.
I would not question the sincerity of vegetarians who take little interest in Animal Liberation because they give priority to other causes; but when nonvegetarians say that "human problems come first" I cannot help wondering what exactly it is that they are doing for human beings that compels them to continue to support the wasteful, ruthless exploitation of farm animals.
People need to be fed, medicated, educated, clothed, and sheltered, and if we're compassionate we'll help them, but you get no moral credit for forcing other people to do what you think is right. There is great joy in helping people, but no joy in doing it at gunpoint.
As for hearing, the sloth is not so much deaf as uninterested in sound.
The more money an American accumulates, the less interesting he becomes.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.