--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And I realized that sure Indians were…" description: "\"“And I realized that sure Indians were drunk and sad and displaced and crazy and mean but dang we knew how to laugh. When it comes to death, we know th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sherman-alexie-444_laughed_and-i-realized-that-sure-indians-were-dr_678313.jpg" --- # And I realized that sure Indians were drunk and sad and… ![“And I realized that sure Indians were drunk and sad and displaced and crazy and mean but dang we knew how to laugh. When it comes to death, we know that laughter and tears are pretty much the same thing. And so, laughing and crying, we said good-bye to my grandmother. And when we said good-bye to…” quote by Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sherman-alexie-444_laughed_and-i-realized-that-sure-indians-were-dr_678313.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sherman-alexie-444_laughed_and-i-realized-that-sure-indians-were-dr_678313.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sherman-alexie-444_laughed_and-i-realized-that-sure-indians-were-dr_678313.jpg) > ““And I realized that sure Indians were drunk and sad and displaced and crazy and mean but dang we knew how to laugh. When it comes to death, we know that laughter and tears are pretty much the same thing. And so, laughing and crying, we said good-bye to my grandmother. And when we said good-bye to one grandmother, we said good-bye to all of them. Each funeral was a funeral for all of us. We lived and died together. All of us laughed when they lowered my grandmother into the ground. And all of us laughed when they covered her with dirt. And all of us laughed as we walked and drove and rode our way back to our lonely, lonely houses.”” [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In the face of grief, the community finds solidarity and humor, treating each loss as collective, easing pain through shared laughter. **In simple terms:** People laugh together at funerals to cope with loss. Key Takeaway Use humor to bond during hardship. Themes grief community humor solidarity culture Mood bittersweet reflective hopeful Type narrative cultural inspirational When to use this quote - funeral rites - indigenous gatherings - family loss - community support Key Concepts collective mourning cultural coping shared experience Questions to Reflect On - How does shared laughter change mourning? - When is humor inappropriate? A Different Perspective Humor may not soothe all; some may feel disrespect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) ## Related quotes > [When it comes to death, we know that laughter and tears are pretty much the same thing. And so, laughing and crying, we said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/when-it-comes-to-death-we-know-that-laughter-and-tears-are-pretty-2/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“I said something like, “I’m really sorry you died.” He laughed. 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Who could kill Razo?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/enna-leaned-back-her-head-and-laughed-at-the-sky-of-course-he-wasn-t/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“I felt a tickle on my skin; it took me a moment to realize that Cole was driving his die-cast Mustang up my arm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-felt-a-tickle-on-my-skin-it-took-me-a-moment-to-realize-that-cole/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [From the first time you laughed with me, all those months, and all those stories,” Joe said quietly. “They were all you, to me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-hart/from-the-first-time-you-laughed-with-me-all-those-months-and-all/) [Megan Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-hart/) > [Told my mom, I can become the next Hitler if I drop out of school. She laughed hysterically for 2 hours. 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