I do believe in the viability of Indian spiritualism.

I think ethnic and regional labels are insulting to writers and really put restrictions on them. People don't think your work is quite as universal.

Nobody would take checks from Indians, nobody would give them any credit, and nobody would let them drink in the bars. There was a rudeness, a brusqueness, with which the Indians were treated constantly. At a very young age, that had entered my consciousness.

The title of the poems was The Only Bar in Dixon. We sent it out to The New Yorker on a fluke, and they took them and printed all three in the same issue.

Before, Indian people had been so defeated, they were always looking for outsiders, for the government, to somehow come in and fix things. But now, they seem to realize that they're the only ones who can save themselves.

The townspeople outside the reservations had a very superior attitude toward Indians, which was kind of funny, because they weren't very wealthy; they were on the fringes of society themselves.

I wrote a lot in study hall to while away the hours.

I am definitely a storyteller, but probably not a traditional Storyteller.

I used to object to being called an Indian writer, and would always say I was a writer who happened to be an Indian, and who happened to write about Indians.

Our literature is in great shape.

In a lot of Indian societies, spirituality has been lost, I think it's still the best way of looking at the world for Indians - better than any organized religion in this country.

Richard Hugo taught me that anyone with a desire to write, an ear for language and a bit of imagination could become a writer. He also, in a way, gave me permission to write about northern Montana.

My poems were just kind of all over the place. They had no focus, no location, nothing. Kind of a series of images that could have been set anywhere. A lot of the poems were just exercises for myself.

The economic piece is still missing, since it's so hard to attract industry to reservations, but spiritually and educationally, they're doing just fine. Each tribe has a community college now, and they teach the language, they teach the traditions.

To receive this award from an organization I admire so much makes me totally happy and grateful.

I wander around, get the lay of the land and try to imagine what kind of people would have lived there in that historical period. What would they eat? What kind of clothing would they wear? How did they shelter themselves? How did they get around?

I do believe in the viability of Indian spiritualism.

With humour, there is life.

Do not pray for an easy life pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.

Fame is like a river that beareth up things light and swollen and drowns things weighty and solid.

People do see me as sweet and innocent. Not to say that I am not those things. But I have other sides to me.

Despotism is the only form of government which may with safety to itself, neglect the education of its infant poor.

If you want to see the brave, look to those who can return love for hatred. If you want to see the heroic, look to those who can forgive.

We pass through this world but once.

I don't have a problem with Werner Herzog.

I may find Saddam Hussein's regime abhorrent - any normal person would - but the survival of it is in his hands.

Wealth won't give you satisfaction; creating a good product that's well received by users is what matters most.

Astrology is a disease, not a science.

I only want to work with interesting filmmakers.

Giant squid aren't rare. Based on the number of beaks that have been found in the stomachs of sperm whales, it's thought that there are actually millions of them in the ocean, and yet, we haven't seen them.

You don't particularly want to stay close to your ex-wife. Or why would she be your ex-wife?

We are certain that Ukraine needs profound constitutional reform. In all fairness, we can't see any other way to ensure the stable development of Ukraine but to sign a federal agreement.

When I look towards my future, I want to leave a legacy that runs rich.

His insomnia was so bad, he couldn't sleep during office hours.

We like to believe that, in our lifetime, the human condition is improving.

Tears are often to be found where there is little sorrow, and the deepest sorrow without any tears.

My drug of choice is love. Sure Ive tried other drugs but no other drug gets both the dealer and user high from every transaction.

Social Security is one of the greatest achievements of the American government, protecting our elderly against poverty and assuring young people of a more secure future.

I wish I could have skipped college.

I remember my rookie hazing. It wasn't fun.

The social and physical construction of suburban America really was quite complex. It was a very elaborate system, and clearly a massive social engineering project that has changed U.S. society enormously.