18 Quotes by James Welch

There is no dishonor in wisdom.

He had followed the calendar, the years, time-Bird farted.And it came to me, as though it were riding one moment of the gusting wind, as though bird had had it in him all the time and had passed it to me in that one moment of instant corruption.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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