The beautiful thing about older people is their ability to cut the fat off of conversation. When they talk, they don't go on forever and ever. They say what they have to say, and that's it. That was my grand dad. Some of the things he said stunned me, but his words were logical. I'll never forget them.

A sail boat that sails backwards can never see the sun rise.

Dentists tell you not to pick your teeth with any sharp metal object. Then you sit in their chair and the first thing they grab is an iron hook.

You can not make everybody happy.

Because for me it is almost analgesic to talk about what the white man is doing against us. And it keeps a person frozen in their seat, it keeps you frozen in your hole you’re sitting in.

If you speak your mind and if it is true what you're saying, then I think the integrity of what you're saying carries through.

Like everyone else who makes the mistake of getting older, I begin each day with coffee and obituaries.