Sherman Alexie Quotes

Language is wild - you can't fence it or tell it what to do - and it's the same with people. Even under the worst excesses of Stalinism or consumerism, the human spirit will still express itself.

The fact that we represented freedom, you know. We talked about that in the songs and I think that the parents, like all parents, they want their kids to be in line and not go crazy or do anything too weird (laughs). And for some reason, I think, people identified The Doors as representing just being able to do whatever you wanted to do.

I'm all about freedom in art. I'm from Texas, so when someone tells you which way to ride your horse, you think 'I'll just go to a different ranch. You guys are riding it backwards anyway.

To me, punk rock is the freedom to create, freedom to be successful, freedom to not be successful, freedom to be who you are. It's freedom.

Other people will call me a rebel, but I just feel like I'm living my life and doing what I want to do. Sometimes people call that rebellion, especially when you're a woman.

Punk rock is very rebellious, of course, but it also means thinking for yourself.

Punk is musical freedom. It's saying, doing and playing what you want. In Webster's terms, 'nirvana' means freedom from pain, suffering and the external world, and that's pretty close to my definition of Punk Rock.

I made it a point not to graduate. I thought that was a positive, independent kind of statement.

I've always been like, if society's trying to push me in one direction, I always rebel against it, thinking, 'Nope, I'm going to do the opposite, something that is not expected.'

Punk became a circus didn't it? Everybody got it wrong. The message was supposed to be: Don't follow us, do what you want!

I'll be as dirty as I please, and I like to be dirty, and I will be dirty!

I thought [books ban] was crazy. Really my thoughts were "This is America, we don't do this here" but of course I know a lot better now. And I wasn't the only one. Norma Klein was writing at the same time. Her books were going. So many of us. When you say to me, no you can't do this I say, oh yes I can.

Non-conformity is the only real passion worth being ruled by.

Rebel children, I urge you, fight the turgid slick of conformity with which they seek to smother your glory.

Now where I come from We don't let society Tell us how it's supposed to be Our clothes, our hair We don't care It's all about being there Everybody's going Uptown That's where I wanna be Uptown Set your mind free.

I have always had this outrage at being told what to, how to act, whom to love.

Long live freedom and damn the ideologies.

As long as a man had the courage to reject what society told him to do, he could live life on his own terms. To what end? To be free. But free to what end? To read books, to write books, to think.

If I know something's expected of me, I won't wear it or do it. It just seems boring.

I was born in California, raised a vegetarian, and love science fiction, so don't tell me how I need to be in order to fit your standards.

I make no concessions to conformism.

Conformity is painful. You know, it's too tight. Conformity leads to rebellion. So a desire for happiness is in direct conflict with a desire for freedom.

I've never been traditional, and I hate conforming to anything.

I think every girl has a little bit of rebellion inside. It's always fun to not follow every trend and not be the perfect good girl. It's edgy to be a little rebellious.

I don't like rules of any kind. And I seek people who break rules with happiness - and not bringing pain to themselves.