I am tired of talk that comes to nothing It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men who had no right to talk. It does not require many words to speak the truth.
Interpretation
Empty words and unfulfilled promises cause disappointment, while truth can be expressed simply.
In this quote, Chief Joseph expresses his frustration with empty rhetoric and unfulfilled commitments, signaling that mere words are meaningless if not backed by action. He emphasizes the importance of honesty and the power of truth, suggesting that authentic communication doesn't need to be verbose; rather, it should resonate with sincerity and integrity.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of integrity in leadership.
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 — 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.
Leisure without literature is death, or rather the burial of a living man -Otium sine litteris mors est et hominis vivi sepultura
Keep thy hook always baited, for a fish lurks even in the most unlikely swim.
If your everyday practice is open to all your emotions, to all the people you meet, to all the situations you encounter, without closing down, trusting that you can do that - then that will take you are far as you can go. And then you'll understand all the teachings that anyone has ever taught.
To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.
Knowledge is simply a kind of fuel; it needs the motor of understanding to convert it into power.
Christians have forgotten that the ministry of listening has been committed to them by Him who is Himself the great listener and whose work they should share. We should listen with the ears of God that we may speak the Word of God.
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