---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had often wondered how to best…"
description: "\"I had often wondered how to best decolonize my people... It must be done one human being at a time. Without that kind of help, Western society does not..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/russell-means-12584_again_i-had-often-wondered-how-to-best-decolon_2403380.jpg"
---

#  I had often wondered how to best decolonize my people…

![“I had often wondered how to best decolonize my people... It must be done one human being at a time. Without that kind of help, Western society does not allow people to come to terms with their feelings. With honesty and therapy, my people can be made whole again.” quote by Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/russell-means-12584_again_i-had-often-wondered-how-to-best-decolon_2403380.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/russell-means-12584_again_i-had-often-wondered-how-to-best-decolon_2403380.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/russell-means-12584_again_i-had-often-wondered-how-to-best-decolon_2403380.jpg)

> “I had often wondered how to best decolonize my people... It must be done one human being at a time. Without that kind of help, Western society does not allow people to come to terms with their feelings. With honesty and therapy, my people can be made whole again.”

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Decolonization must happen one person at a time, aided by honesty and therapy.

**In simple terms:** Heal individuals to heal the community.

Key Takeaway

Support personal healing.

Themes

decolonization healing community empowerment

Mood

hopeful determined

Type

activist inspirational

When to use this quote

- counseling
- education
- activism

Key Concepts

psychology cultural restoration

Questions to Reflect On

- What personal steps can you take?
- How does honesty confront trauma?

A Different Perspective

Therapy may not address systemic oppression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-being/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Therapy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapy/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) [Western society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western-society/)

## Related quotes

> [“Cultivating an ethic of responsibility begins with nonnatives understanding ourselves as beneficiaries of the illegal settlement of indigenous people's land, and unjust appropriation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-walia/cultivating-an-ethic-of-responsibility-begins-with-nonnatives/)

[Harsha Walia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-walia/)

> [So, transform yourself first… Because you are young and have dreams and want to do something meaningful, that in itself, makes you our future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-kochiyama/so-transform-yourself-first-because-you-are-young-and-have-dreams-and/)

[Yuri Kochiyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-kochiyama/)

> [“The West broke the world, now the human race gotta resurrect the world, offspring of the terrorists and terrorized alike - but we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-west-broke-the-world-now-the-human-race-gotta-resurrect-the-world/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [My point is that we much decolonize our minds and re-name and re-define ourselves . . . In all respects, culturally, politically, socially, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-roach/my-point-is-that-we-much-decolonize-our-minds-and-re-name-and-re/)

[Max Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-roach/)

> [Writers, you know, are the beggars of Western society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/writers-you-know-are-the-beggars-of-western-society/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [A society which believes in a worthwhile future saves in the present so as to invest in the future. Contemporary Western society spends in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesslie-newbigin/a-society-which-believes-in-a-worthwhile-future-saves-in-the-present/)

[Lesslie Newbigin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesslie-newbigin/)

> [Abolitionism did not find positive response in Africa as it did in Western societies and cultures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-warraq/abolitionism-did-not-find-positive-response-in-africa-as-it-did-in/)

[Ibn Warraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-warraq/)

> [An effective proclamation of the Gospel in contemporary Western society will need to confront directly the widespread spirit of agnosticism and relativism which has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/an-effective-proclamation-of-the-gospel-in-contemporary-western/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [“Western society has in the past few decades taken a great step forward, which gives its members a perhaps unparalleled opportunity. This has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/western-society-has-in-the-past-few-decades-taken-a-great-step/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [“Also, a large swath of our intellectual culture is loath to admit that there could be anything good about civilization, modernity, and Western society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/also-a-large-swath-of-our-intellectual-culture-is-loath-to-admit-that/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“The shallow social and political alternatives bequeathed to contemporary western society by the Enlightenment and its aftermath, in which every issue stands either to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-shallow-social-and-political-alternatives-bequeathed-to/)

[N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/)

> [James Baldwin is one of the greatest, North American writers of the second half of the Twentieth Century. A prolific writer and a brilliant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-peck/james-baldwin-is-one-of-the-greatest-north-american-writers-of-the/)

[Raoul Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-peck/)

> [Religiosity distinguishes America from most other Western societies. Americans are also overwhelmingly Christian, which distinguishes them from many non-Western peoples. Their religiosity leads Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/religiosity-distinguishes-america-from-most-other-western-societies/)

[Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/)

> [Western society has accepted as unquestionable a technological imperative that is quite as arbitrary as the most primitive taboo: not merely the duty to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/western-society-has-accepted-as-unquestionable-a-technological/)

[Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/)

> [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

## More by Russell Means

> [Freedom is for everyone, whatever lifestyle they choose, as long as it's peaceful and honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/freedom-is-for-everyone-whatever-lifestyle-they-choose-as-long-as-it/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [America always put forth this phony melting pot theory, but it's a reality now. They couldn't accomplish the melting pot economically; they couldn't accomplish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/america-always-put-forth-this-phony-melting-pot-theory-but-it-s-a/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [I've always considered myself a man of integrity as a leader of the American Indian Movement and of Indian people. I will stand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/i-ve-always-considered-myself-a-man-of-integrity-as-a-leader-of-the/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [When a woman grabs my braids and says "How cute!" I crab her breast and say "How cute!" She never touches me again!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/when-a-woman-grabs-my-braids-and-says-how-cute-i-crab-her-breast-and/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [Golden eagles don't mate with bald eagles, deer don't mate with antelope, gray wolves don't mate with red wolves. Just look at domesticated animals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/golden-eagles-don-t-mate-with-bald-eagles-deer-don-t-mate-with/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [Being an Indian means living with the land. And the only way we'll be able to do that is to gain our freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/being-an-indian-means-living-with-the-land-and-the-only-way-we-ll-be/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [I don't want to be remembered as an activist; I want to be remembered as an American Indian patriot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/i-don-t-want-to-be-remembered-as-an-activist-i-want-to-be-remembered/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [Before AIM, Indians were dispirited, defeated, and culturally dissolving. People were ashamed to be Indian. You didn't see the young people wearing braids or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/before-aim-indians-were-dispirited-defeated-and-culturally-dissolving/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [Children in poverty aren't trying to get out of poverty; they're just trying to rip off a pair of Nikes. So we Indian people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/children-in-poverty-aren-t-trying-to-get-out-of-poverty-they-re-just/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [The United States is a fake country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/the-united-states-is-a-fake-country/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [We Indians do not teach that there is only one god. We know that everything has power, including the most inanimate, inconsequential things. Stones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/we-indians-do-not-teach-that-there-is-only-one-god-we-know-that/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [What the American Indian Movement says is that the American Indians are the Palestinians of the United States, and the Palestinians are the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/what-the-american-indian-movement-says-is-that-the-american-indians/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [I'd like to talk about free markets. Information in the computer age is the last genuine free market left on earth except those free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/i-d-like-to-talk-about-free-markets-information-in-the-computer-age/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [True to your own ancestors, therefore true to yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/true-to-your-own-ancestors-therefore-true-to-yourself/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [Imagine going to the holy land in Israel, whether you're a Christian or a Jew or a Muslim, and start carving up the mountain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/imagine-going-to-the-holy-land-in-israel-whether-you-re-a-christian/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

[Explore all 54 Russell Means quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

## More Again quotes

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/)

[W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/)

> [I say this about everything: when I was on 'Neighbours,' I said, 'These are the best years of my life!' When I was filming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-say-this-about-everything-when-i-was-on-neighbours-i-said-these-are/)

[Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/)

> [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/)

[Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/)

> [I don't know about writing. It's quite lonely. You have to have a lot of patience with yourself. I don't know if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-don-t-know-about-writing-it-s-quite-lonely-you-have-to-have-a-lot/)

[Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/)

> [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/)

[Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/)

> [You couldn't get me to go travel around and sit in a hotel room again. I have no interest in doing that. So everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-everly/you-couldn-t-get-me-to-go-travel-around-and-sit-in-a-hotel-room-again/)

[Phil Everly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-everly/)

> [In theater, one of the biggest problems when you're rehearsing comedy over and over again is that you stop laughing at each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ashley-carter/in-theater-one-of-the-biggest-problems-when-you-re-rehearsing-comedy/)

[Lauren Ashley Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ashley-carter/)

> [I'd like to do some female roles again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-d-like-to-do-some-female-roles-again/)

[John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/)

> [Death is a sniper. It strikes people you love, people you like, people you know - it's everywhere. You could be next. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/death-is-a-sniper-it-strikes-people-you-love-people-you-like-people/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [Well, a lot of our concerts do okay, and I know we still get royalty checks which still isn't that important, but again, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/well-a-lot-of-our-concerts-do-okay-and-i-know-we-still-get-royalty/)

[Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/)

> [Oh wow, you know what's wrong with all these families on TV? All these kids say stuff no kid would say. Stuff grown-ups want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/oh-wow-you-know-what-s-wrong-with-all-these-families-on-tv-all-these/)

[Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/)

> [We must resist the temptation of once again turning America into the traditional bogeyman of the left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-napolitano/we-must-resist-the-temptation-of-once-again-turning-america-into-the/)

[Giorgio Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-napolitano/)

> [We won the Europa League in 2013 and it was an amazing night, an amazing feeling. I take those memories and think to myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cahill/we-won-the-europa-league-in-2013-and-it-was-an-amazing-night-an/)

[Gary Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cahill/)

> [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/)

[Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/)

Browse all 2,975 Again quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I had often wondered how to best decolonize my people... It must be done one human being at a time. Without that kind of help, Western society does not allow people to come to terms with their feelings. With honesty and therapy, my people can be made whole again.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Russell Means"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/i-had-often-wondered-how-to-best-decolonize-my-people-it-must-be-done/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Again"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/i-had-often-wondered-how-to-best-decolonize-my-people-it-must-be-done/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/russell-means-12584_again_i-had-often-wondered-how-to-best-decolon_2403380.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/russell-means-12584_again_i-had-often-wondered-how-to-best-decolon_2403380.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/russell-means-12584_again_i-had-often-wondered-how-to-best-decolon_2403380.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had often wondered how to best decolonize my people... It must be done one human being at a time. Without…” — Russell Means",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Russell Means",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I had often wondered how to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/i-had-often-wondered-how-to-best-decolonize-my-people-it-must-be-done/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/i-had-often-wondered-how-to-best-decolonize-my-people-it-must-be-done/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
