Firekeeper’s Daughter Quotes

“We love imperfect people. We can love them and not condone their actions and beliefs.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“When someone dies, everything about them becomes past tense. Except for the grief. Grief stays in the present. It’s even worse when you’re angry at the person. Not just for dying. But for how.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“Inaction is a powerful choice”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“Wisdom is not bestowed. In its raw state, it is the heartbreak of knowing things you wish you didn't.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“Kindness is something that seems small, Daunis, but it's like tossing a pebble into a pond and the ripples reach further than you thought.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“People say to think seven generations ahead when making big decisions, because our future ancestors—those yet to arrive, who will one day become the Elders—live with the choices we make today.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“When our loved ones die, the love stays alive in the present.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“Some boats are made for the river and some for the ocean. And there are some who can go anywhere because they always know the way home.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“Love means wanting you to have a good life, even if I'm not in it.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“When you love someone, but don't like parts of them, it complicates your memories of them when they're gone.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“When someone dies, everything about them becomes past tense. Except for the grief. Grief stays in the present.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“Love honors your spirit. Not just the other person’s but your own spirit too.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“It wasn't just generational trauma that got stored in our blood and passed along, but our resilience and language too.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“My whole life, I've been seeking validation of my identity from others. Now that it's within my reach, I realize I don't need it.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“My girl, some boats are for the river and some are for the ocean.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“I’m reminded that our Elders are our greatest resource, embodying culture, and community. Their stories connect us to our language, medicines, land, Clans, songs, and traditions. They are a bridge between the Before and the Now, guiding those of us who will carry on in the Future.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“It's your journey. You gotta do your work and I gotta do mine.'
I taste salt from my tears. 'Your need scares me. I'm afraid I'll focus on your needs over mine.'
I clear my throat. Breathe in and out. Steady myself. 'I love you... and I love myself. I want us to be healthy and strong. On our own. So that no matter what happens, whether we meet again or not...'
I look him in the eye. "Love means wanting you to have a good life, even if I'm not in it. And your love for me? It should be that strong, so you want that for me, too'.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“Love is a promise. And promises you don't keep are the worst lies of all.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“Mazina’iganan mino-mshkikiiwin aawen. Books are good medicine!
(From the author's note)”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“Auntie told me once that a girl needs at least one grown man in her life who sees her worth as inherent. Values her just as she is, not dependent upon her appearance or accomplishments.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“I am so tired. The weight of my expendability is crushing.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“It gnaws at me, the way they want bad stuff without knowing the good stuff too. “It’s like … you haven’t earned our stories,” I say.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“New Normal, which is what I call what happens when your universe is shaken so badly you can never regain the same axis as before. But you try anyway.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“Honor your spirit. Love yourself.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“Yeah. It’s your identity, but it gets defined or controlled by other people.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“Maybe there’s a word in Anishinaabemowin for when you find solid footing in the rubble after a tragedy.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“She is a woman who is complex and sometimes exhausted, but mostly brave. She loves imperfect people fiercely.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“Correction—I love her, and she loves me. When our loved ones die, the love stays alive in the present.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter

“It's hard to let people down, and harder still when your expectations for yourself are even higher.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter

“Real love honors your spirit. If you need a medicine to create or keep it, that’s possession and control. Not love.”
― Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper's Daughter