He wanted the songs, the stories, to save everybody.

— Sherman Alexie

He was going to punish me now. He couldn't beat me up with his old man fists, but he could hurt me with his old man words.

— Sherman Alexie

He was my best friend and I needed him.

— Sherman Alexie

How much do we remember of what hurts us most? I've been thinking about pain, how each of us constructs our past to justify what we feel now. How each successive pain distorts the preceding.

— Sherman Alexie

I always think it's funny when Indians celebrate Thanksgiving. I mean, sure, the Indians and Pilgrims were best friends during the first Thanksgiving, but a few years later, the Pilgrims were shooting Indians. So I'm never quite sure why we eat turkey like everybody else.

— Sherman Alexie

I can't remember how to cry.

— Sherman Alexie

I didn’t yet know that romantic heroes—famous and not—are usually aimless nomads in disguise.

— Sherman Alexie

I'd only seen Julius play a few times, but he had that gift, that grace, those fingers like a goddamn medicine man. One time, when the tribal school traveled to Spokane to play this white high school team, Julius scored sixty-seven points and the Indians won by forty. I didn't know they'd be riding horses," I heard the coach of the white team say when I was leaving.... Hey," I asked Adrian. "Remember Silas Sirius?" Hell," Adrian said. "Do I remember? I was there when he grabbed that defensive rebound, took a step, and flew the length of the court, did a full spin in midair, and then dunked that fucking ball. And I don't mean it looked like he flew, or it was so beautiful it was almost like he flew. I mean, he flew, period." I laughed, slapped my legs, and knew that I believed Adrian's story more as it sounded less true. Shit," he continued. "And he didn't grow no wings. He just kicked his legs a little. Held that ball like a baby in his hand. And he was smiling. Really. Smiling when he flew. Smiling when he dunked it, smiling when he walked off the court and never came back. Hell, he was still smiling ten years after that.

— Sherman Alexie

I don't have to participate in another culture's ceremonies in order to respect that culture.

— Sherman Alexie

If God were good, why would he create Rush Limbaugh?

— Sherman Alexie