I am a member of the Muskogee people. I'm a poet, a musician, a dreamer of sorts, a questioner. Like everyone else, I'm looking for answers of some sort or the other.
Joy HarjoRead
We're all given something to do. And when we don't follow what we're supposed to do, we always know when we're off track.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Everyone has a purpose, and deviating from it leads to a sense of discontent.
Joy Harjo emphasizes that each person has a specific role or task in life, and when they stray from this path, they experience a deep internal awareness of their misalignment. This quote highlights the importance of staying true to one's purpose and the innate understanding we have when we are not following it.
Themes
PurposeDirectionSelf-AwarenessAuthenticityTask
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire a group of students during a motivational speech about finding their passion.
More from Joy Harjo
All quotes βIt's important as a writer to do my art well and do it in a way that is powerful and beautiful and meaningful, so that my work regenerates the people, certainly Indian people, and the earth and the sun. And in that way we all continue forever.
Joy HarjoRead
A story matrix connects all of us._x000D_ There are rules, processes, and circles of responsibility in this world. And the story begins exactly where it is supposed to begin. We cannot skip any part.
Joy HarjoRead
You just go where poetry is, whether it's in your heart or your mind or in books or in places where there's live poetry or recordings.
Joy HarjoRead
Bottom line, I have to follow what my soul says, or my spirit. And my spirit said that poetry and the arts should be without borders, should be without political borders.
Joy HarjoRead
I don't like this romanticization of Indian people in which Indian people are looked at as spiritual saviors, as people who have always taken care of the land. We're human beings. But I think different cultures have developed different aspects of humanness.
Joy HarjoRead
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